I'm getting ready to book a car to rent for our 10 days in Charleston, SC and was shocked to see that all of the fees and taxes add up to nearly half the cost of the car. Most of the rental companies I've checked come within a few dollars of each other. I also called my insurance company, USAA, and it was only a few dollars cheaper. I did find that I could rent a car on Hotwire for 2/3 the cost of the others. They state that all fees and taxes are included in the total cost. Apparently you learn the car rental company once you've booked the car. Also, there are no changes or refunds once you've booked. I'm not especially loyal to any particular car company and I don't envisiage any changes to our trip, so is there any other downfall with renting a car through Hotwire?

I've done this many times with Priceline, and Hotwire works basically the same way. For me as well, it really doesn't matter much which company I use. I've never had a problem renting this way through Priceline, but I did have a trip last summer where I needed to extend my stay and had to book a separate car rental after a Priceline rental. The company made me come all the way back to the airport, check the car in, and then rent it again on a separate contract. But I saved so much money that it was worth it. You can sometimes get very good deals through Priceline, but sometimes not.

I did it for Hawaii this past April. We needed a minivan and the cheapest I could find all in was $450. I checked Hotwire about 6 weeks prior and got a minivan for $279 all in. A good deal in my book.

I've rented cars through Hotwire, never had a complaint. I'm not particular about a car and know what basically I'll get in the class I'll be renting.

Thanks, everyone! I was just a little nervous about doing this because the price difference was so great. You've given me the confidence to save $150 - thanks!

Good for you, it's amazing what you can save by shopping around.

krisnmikenkids:

We have rented thru Hotwire numerous times for a car rental. Always been pleased, never a problem and saved many $'s.

Sandy

The very best rates I've received with Hotwire and rental cars have been after booking a Hotwire hotel, then opting for additional rental car, at truly ridiculously low rates.

When I booked a Hotwire car rental, I got a much better rate on Hotwire.ca than I did on Hotwire.com, even though the car rental was for Phoenix AZ. Same with other travel sites, Expedia, Travelocity, etc.