I have searched this forum, but did not see info I need.

Is there any advantage to renting a car when I get to NZ, as opposed to doing it online now (from US)? Thanks

I have never been able to get a better deal than when I was in NZ, as opposed to internet or phone call hires. There are lots of small companies who offer spot deals at certain times, and this is a good way to go, as long as you are not going one-way.

Hi Jed. We rented our car from the US (I called budget's 800 number) and got a very good price (including a AAA discount; there's also an AARP if you belong). Also, if you're a member of the AAA here, the New Zealand Auto Club will book for you. You can email them with your details and they'll give you prices. If you use certain Visa cards to charge the rental, Visa will cover the comprehensive/collision damage waiver so you won't have to pay for that.

We booked on line for a rental car through Apex. It was nice to have it taken care of before we got to Christchurch. Nice company and good service. We just did this in November,but booked the car in September.

Just returned from three weeks in NZ. We could not get a decent car hire rate from the internet so we called around after we got there. Our best quote was from ACE which we were very satisfied with. It was $20 cheaper per day than anything we could find online. However, the time of year and length of hire make a big difference in rates.

Also, Visa gold or platinum cards only supplement your personal insurance policy which is no good in NZ. So, buy the extra insurance if you want to be protected from the large number of uninsured motorists in NZ. At ACE, it's an extra $8 per day.

Bear in mind that the timing of your visit will also dictate whether prebooking is advisable.

If travelling in Dec/Jan and maybe even into Feb, it might be wise to prebook a car.

Otherwise, you would probably find a good deal when you get here rather than booking online.

There are many smaller companies offering far better rates out there than the big chains like Avis and Hertz.

When you arrive, you could always try heading down to the nearest visitor centre and seeing if they will help you out, they are generally pretty good.

So this is what happened.

Since we were 2 couples and therefore needed a large car, I could not risk getting there and not getting one. So I determined that for my particular needs and price, the best company was National. I got a good price online, but then I emailed National in NZ, and asked whether theree was a Senior Citizen discount. No, she said but then offered me a better price than online, which I took.

I got the feeling that if anyone emailed the car co. in NZ asking for a discount (eg AAA, AARP), they might offer a better price.