Phoenix Airport Car Rental Prices are Outrageous
 

In August, agencies at the airport are charging $450 and more for a one-week economy car rental. (and yes, I've checked such sites as carrental.com and kayak, etc.) So we're looking at renting outside the airport. Any recommendations for close-to-the-airport locations? Also looking for recommendations (other than the obvious taxis) on how we'd get there? Priceline is our last resort.

Yikes! That's outrageous. I know that wasn't always true. A few days before Christmas a year or two back, I got stuck in Phoenix overnight and had to rent a car last minute - and it was something ridiculous like $16/day. Obviously August in Phoenix shouldn't be their high season (unless you mean temperature). I wonder what's going on?

For what it's worth, I just tried Hotwire (similar to Priceline, except they show you the price first, then you take it or leave it - and THEN you find out the car company once you book it, non-refundable, etc.). I checked a random week in August, Aug 11-18. Dollar quoted me $416.15 total for a compact car; Hotwire quoted me $270.48 (total with fees) for the same dates. I'm guessing Priceline would be even less (my usual strategy is to bid LESS on Priceline than Hotwire is offering, because if you fail with that, you can always take the Hotwire car). I know Priceline/Hotwire would be your last restort, but at least you know it's an option.

On Kayak, you can choose how far from the airport you're willing to go. Or see if you can find a car rental location at a hotel or resort that has a free shuttle to the resort.

The book a cancelable reservation, and keep watching for better prices.

This is the approach we took last year in June and it saved us a lot of $$$.

1.<b>Don't rent at the airport (PHX)!</b>. Choose an off site car rental agency. Enterprise can be very cheap, away from the airport.

2. Search online for an Enterprise coupon code (e.g. "SAFER9"). This is not necessarily the best or cheapest one for you. Do a thorough search and see what else you can find.

3. If you are arriving by air, consider staying the first night at a motel near the airport with a free shuttle.

4. Take the (free) shuttle to the hotel/motel, spend the night there and have Enterprise pick you up there the next morning. They will do this for you free of charge. Of course, your reservation must be with a branch location that is closest to your hotel/motel. This is the Enterprise location we used:
1131 W BROADWAY RD
TEMPE, AZ 85282-1225
Tel.: (480) 829-3970

5. Alternatively, if you don't want to spend the night in a hotel/motel, then take a taxi to the off-site Enterprise branch.

6. At the conclusion of your rental period, repeat the same process without the additional one night's hotel/motel stay. Better yet, you may be able to persuade your Enterprise driver to drop you off at the airport itself. We did! (While off-site car rental branches can't pick up at the airport, they can and do drop off if asked discretely.)

Try this and tell me you can't get the rental price down to about $200/week.

Thank you, Andrew, Icuy, Orlando! We'll be renting a car in October, your instructions are very helpful and detailed.

More Enterprise discounts here:
http://www.carrentalsavers.com/enterprise.html

Thanks to all responders. I followed Orlando Vic's advice and with an Enterprise coupon code, we'll be cabbing to Tempe location and paying under $200.

I made reservations in April for a car rental with Payless for 8 days from Phoenix, picking up at airport, and got $179 for compact car, plus $29.83 for extra day. However the taxes are $130 so total is still around $340 but that's better than prices you got. I booked through expedia.com. Hope this helps.

You could try www.lastminutecardeals.com. I found a rental for $146 per week at the airport through Advantage.