Hi, all! Can anyone give me some ideas as to how to find a decent car rental deal out of the Tampa Airport? I am just shocked at the weekly rates I'm finding for mid-February--$329 (for a compact!) is the cheapest I've found so far. I've checked Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia and all of the web sites for the in-terminal companies. Any help would be appreciated!

my best price was thrifty.com...ck the specials...I got the 55 plus discount...1st week of March...total $157..taxes inc...also was the best $ on orbitz...ck many times a day and daily..you'd be surprised how they change.....

also try smartertravel.com and travelzoo.com for specials...also tried carrental.com and rentalcarmomma.com......and I did get a compact...

The rates usually double for a week in late February due to the Northeastern states having school vacation and heading for Florida. You could save a bit by booking with nationalcar.com and using contract ID 5037126 At any rate, I wouldn't wait much longer as they do sell out completely.

I rent in Tampa often and always use Priceline. Last time I paid $20 per day for a Hertz mid-sized. If I recall correctly, once I paid only $15 (always mid-sized).

www.priceline.com

I second the recommendation to use priceline. If you know you are going, then you can't beat the prices. There's none of the usual worry associated with priceline - because the car is guaranteed for the time you need, and they only deal with in-airport car rental places.

A good place to check out, if you want more info, is biddingfortravel.com

Thanks so much everyone--great suggestions. I'm going to search around a bit more and then try Priceline.

I used Hotwire for a one week rental in January with Hertz at Tampa Airport. I believe the rate for the week was about $150 for a mid-size w/unlimited mileage.