Phoenix Rental Car help
 

I'm looking for a great deal on a convertable for our trip to Phoenix in 2 weeks. I've tried PL but haven't gotten a win. Has anyone heard of any great prices right now thru different companies?

March is the height of high season in Phoenix. You're probably stuck paying full retail on a specialty vehicle like a convertible. Or you could gamble and hope there is a late cancellation & then do a deal w/ the clerk when you pick up your car. Good luck.

thanks bonesaz. I'll start comparing car co's.

Have you checked out prices at Orbitz? One possibility might be Fox.

thanks! I hadn't. It looks like the best price I have right now is $58 a day at Thrifty.

We rent a car every year in PHX over spring break. MInd you it's not a convertible (sigh) but we always do well with Alamo, Budget or Avis using a Costco or BJ's discount.

Definetly look at the individual car company sites. I was looking at SUVs not convertibles, but whenever I found a decent price on Orbitz or Expedia, I went to that company's website and got the same car for $20 when I took out the "discount code" that orbitz/expedia entered for me. The internet special was better for the same car. Very tricky. (There are good deals on small SUVs and PT Cruisers right now BTW)

Taxes and fees to rent at Sky Harbor are painfully high. They seem to add 30% or so to the base rental rate.

karenvk, We have Costco memberships but I wasn't aware that there were discounts at some co's. Do I just show them my card upon arrival or do I need to call them to make a reservation before hand? There didn't seem to be a spot on the web sites for costco numbers or anything?

Stormygirl: there are a couple ways to go about it. At your local Costco they have their travel brochure which has the rental car info right in the middle. It lists the companies they deal with (Alamo, Avis, Budget and Hertz) and offer coupons you can present (on top of the Costco discount). I also thought I recall the Costco website had a travel section or rental car section which had links to the rental car sites and you just plug in the codes they give. Hope this is helpful for you.

What I forgot to mention is that you should definitely try to make a reservation ahead, especially this time of year. It doesn't cost you anything or even obligate you but it does cover you (we always print out a copy of our rental agreement).

If you have AAA, try Hertz. AAA can provide you with discount coupons. The coupon discount is in addition to the regular AAA discount.

I used Costco last year to rent in Las Vegas. They offered a $20 off, plus a 5% discount on Hertz. Check out their specials. I booked using the links from the Costco Travel site and it inserted all but the $20 off, that I had to enter manually. Definately make a reservation before going.

It is Spring training season and I know very busy in Phoenix. Good Luck.

perfect! thank you for all your help. I just got done checking things out at costco.com and even with the discounts my original reservation at Thrifty is still the lowest price at $55.89 per day. So now I know where to find the costco stuff too.

Thanks again!! Sunny Phoenix here we come!!