Hello,

The search is on for a car rental Boston for 1 week in July heading for the Cape - we did this in 2009 and after much searching I found a discount code that lowered the cost a little bit.

Any one rented a car out of Boston recently and have a discount code?

Any help offered will be very much appreciated.

Thank you.

Sandy

http://www.rentalcodes.com/

The rental companies are links at the bottom, open those

Also, try Priceline. Close in I sometimes can get a really ridiculously low rate, like $15.00 a day compact

Check the prices flying or taking Amtrak to Providence, RI if you don't need to visit Boston. This may give you more choices on rental cars.

hpeabody - will check out your link, thanks for sharing. Good idea about trying Priceline closer to date needed. We have done this successfully with Hotwire but nothing came up back in 2009 for Boston.

tomfuller - we are booked flying into Boston on our way to a week in Sandwich on the water. Last time we rented a house in Eastham.

It seems to me that the car rental has become the most challenging of the entire holiday process.

Keep your ideas/suggestions coming.

Sandy

Car rental prices have increased incredibly in past year or so - there are several cities that either DH or I travel to several time/year and we have noticed this.

The other horror story about car rentals in Boston are the taxes added to pay for the convention center. These are on top of all the airport fees.

You can take the Plymouth and Brockton bus to Hyannis (HYA) from Logan and rent a car there. Avis, Budget, and Hertz are at the airport, and at least one other is at or across the street from the bus terminal. You would save the Boston fees, and it is a lot easier to go to the Cape by bus than to get off your flight and drive. P&B buses leave Logan hourly. The schedules are at www.p-b.com.

You will need cash to purchase your ticket on the bus, but you can buy a return ticket at the bus station with a credit card.

Are you a British citizen? Rates are much different for non-citizens, usually quite a bit cheaper.

Or are you arriving daytime? A cab to an offsite rental location will save you at least $100 on the rental and is just a few minutes more hassle than taking the shuttle bus to the car rental lots.

Following up on my message above, we took the bus (coach) yesterday from Hyannis to Boston, and it was painless. As seniors (OAPs) it cost us $16 each, one way.

The driver fought the traffic while we napped and listened to music.

t
The Convention Center fee must be paid no matter where in Boston you rent a car - airport or off-site. However, there are airport-associated fees of just under $100 for renting at Logan versus Park Plaza (in town) location.

I entered random dates of second week in July on Hertz website (although you likely could find a cheaper car than from Hertz) and the cost was about $250 in-town and about $350 at Logan. Be sure to add cost and hassle of getting from Logan to Park St (cost ranging from cab at about $25 each way or higher hassle/lower cost of hauling luggage on MBTA). And be sure that location is open on the hours you would be picking up/dropping off car.

Ackislander: Thank you for the link to the Brockton bus to Hyannis. I don't think this will work for us on this trip but very good information for anyone doing a Boston car hire to the Cape. I found very little posted on car rental when I did a search.

tracy2cents: Yes I am a British citizen living in the US and car rental companies go by where you currently reside.

gail: Thanks for the update on the Convention Center fee. We are arriving on a Friday to meet our son coming in from California. We want to get away early Saturday morning to try and avoid some of the traffic and need to return the following Saturday to the airport by 10:30 am

Our daughter and her family, total of 4 will arrive early Saturday and go directly to the car rental site so think some where close to the airport is best for all of us.

I appreciate all the replies.

Sandy