Car hire price increases
 

This probably is going to seem stupid to those in know, but -

Do car hire prices (generally) in the US tend to go up or down depending on season or how close to the hire date you book the car?

I am going to the west coast for the month of May and don't want to book my car hire until I get there. Is there any advantage to booking it early? I will be picking up from Airport locations so availability should not be an issue.

Thanks,

P

Yes, prices may vary with holidays and location. I think you will have MUCH more choice by booking ahead. There is no money up front with car rental.

Don't assume availability won't be a problem. There's no reason to wait if you already know the exact dates you'll be there. As Gretchen said, you don't pay up front, so there's no advantage to waiting. You run the risk of the price increasing if you wait. Plus, booking now gives you the chance to research the various companies and options, rather than showing up at the airport and walking from counter to counter trying to find a better price.

Yes, much like airline tickets, rental car prices seem to skyrocket lately the closer you get to your date. We booked really early for this past Christmas and we paid half of what we would have for the same car if we had waited.

It seems like most on-line car reservation systems don't even require credit cards anymore to hold your reservation so there is no excuse for not making one!

Especially if you are renting a car for a month, a small increase in the daily price will really add up.

When I rent a car, I go to Orbitz, (http://www.orbitz.com) and find the lowest company and then go directly to their site to book it. Same with hotels. Many car places and hotels have a low price guarantee, so it is usually cheaper to go directly to them.

And one more last tip, try pricing some city locations off the airport premises. A lot of airports have mandatory daily taxes on their rental cars. It might save you a ton to take a taxi 10 or 20 miles and rent outside of the "airport" area.

My car rental strategy is to look at Orbitz or Travelocity for the "ballpark". Then I go to Hotwire and see what their base price is. You don't have to accept it. and then I may try Priceline. My recollection the last time I rented on Hotwire is that even they do not take a credit card up front. PL, of course, does. I usually save at least half by renting with Hotwire or PL. I honestly don't think there is a nickel's worth of difference in all the car rental companies --EXCEPT that I stood in line longer with Avis when that is what came up on Hotwire. Other rentals like Enterprise take you directly to the car on the shuttle bus.

Yes = prices can change = esp in resort areas - or in those with varying popularity (in NYC summer rates are higher because many people don;t own cars - but want them to go back/forth to summer houses.)

But I'm not sure of any seasonality on the West Coast.

I am sure you will get a better price renting in advance (it;s easier to search for good deals/ oppportunities) and many places do run out of cars if you arrive later in the day - so a reservation is mandatory - esp if you don;t want to be stuck with an SUV (no longer popular rentals since the price of gas skyrocketed.)

So - if you think you can get off the plane and rent a car in the airport- that's a really bad idea. If you won;t rent the car until a few days after you arrive you can do it in advance here - but watching for deals from now on is a better option.

Thank you for all your replies. I'm going on line this evening!

P