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Post by lavawalker on Apr 12, 2016 16:36:10 GMT
I've rented a car out of Tulsa International Airport previously, but just cannot believe the jump in prices since last time (a few years ago...). The flights i booked are a lot cheaper this time, but the car rental prices.......  Does anyone have any suggestions for me on how to save money? I know I can save using Priceline, but there's no way I can book a non refundable rate. I need the flexibility to change if needed. Also, I've checked several rental car companies and none come with GPS?!?!?! Seriously?!?!?! In this day and age, they want up to $14 a day for a GPS..... Yes, I can use my phone, but still I'm in shock 
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happymomma
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,078 
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Post by happymomma on Apr 12, 2016 16:42:32 GMT
Do you belong to AARP?
You don't have to be a senior citizen to belong, and you can get discounts on lots of stuff like this.
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Post by lavawalker on Apr 12, 2016 16:44:03 GMT
Thanks, I'll look into it!
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 13, 2024 9:04:37 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2016 16:48:38 GMT
Even if you get an acceptable price, you might ask when you check in for your car. We rented a car for a long car trip and I shopped around a lot, but when we picked it up, I asked if it was the best possible deal. The agent managed to get it a little lower for us right on the spot.
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Post by kellybelly77 on Apr 12, 2016 16:48:58 GMT
I was shocked also! I rented a car at the Orlando airport for one day about a year ago. It was about $100! I thought maybe it was because it was Orlando and they have a racket going with all the Disney tourists.
We went to Charlotte last year and rented a car and used my work corporate code for a discount. We got a large car for the 5 of us for about $380 for an entire week!
Do you have access to a work discount?
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oaksong
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,164
Location: LA Suburbia
Site Supporter
Jun 27, 2014 6:24:29 GMT
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Post by oaksong on Apr 12, 2016 16:51:55 GMT
Someone recently mentioned Costco as having great rental car deals. We have a vacation coming up where we will need to rent a car for 2 weeks, so I'm going to check it out.
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Post by buddysmom on Apr 12, 2016 16:53:13 GMT
If you go offsite from the airport it is sometimes cheaper.
Also, are you picking it up/dropping it off at different locations? (even in the same city?)
Last summer we rented a car out of Oakland, CA and wanted to drop it off in/near Napa. It was about three times as expensive so we drove back to Oakland.
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Post by lavawalker on Apr 12, 2016 16:54:43 GMT
I was shocked also! I rented a car at the Orlando airport for one day about a year ago. It was about $100! I thought maybe it was because it was Orlando and they have a racket going with all the Disney tourists. We went to Charlotte last year and rented a car and used my work corporate code for a discount. We got a large car for the 5 of us for about $380 for an entire week! Do you have access to a work discount? No, unfortunately.... |
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Post by Minty118 on Apr 12, 2016 16:55:35 GMT
I tried Costco and the price was about $100 higher than just going to the car rental's website. I don't know if I did something wrong, but I was quite shocked that it was so much higher.
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Post by stampnscrap1128 on Apr 12, 2016 16:55:55 GMT
I've had some good luck using Hotwire.
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Post by lavawalker on Apr 12, 2016 16:56:49 GMT
If you go offsite from the airport it is sometimes cheaper. Also, are you picking it up/dropping it off at different locations? (even in the same city?) Last summer we rented a car out of Oakland, CA and wanted to drop it off in/near Napa. It was about three times as expensive so we drove back to Oakland. No we are picking up and returning at the same location. I've heard offsite is cheaper, but I don't have any way to get to the offsite location. Need the car right from the airport. |
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christinec68
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,128
Location: New York, NY
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Post by christinec68 on Apr 12, 2016 17:36:07 GMT
Car rental companies will have shuttles to their off sight locations. Sign up for the car rental company's membership it's free and will sometimes give you discounts. Check rates through all the travel sites (orbitz, expedia, kayak, costco, BJs, AAA, etc). I've read on the Disboard transportation forum that www.vroomvroomvroom.com/ sometimes has really good rates. Maybe check out Mousesavers.com - they have coupon codes for all the car rental companies and might work even though you aren't going to Orlando. Try going through your airline. We went to FL in December and I had to call Jetblue about a credit they owed us and they asked if we were renting a car which we were. They were able to beat our already killer deal by 20%. One other thing I noticed is that the rates always start out high, drop for a while then go back up. So keep checking. The beauty of car rentals is that there is no penalty for cancelling and rebooking. I would only prepay if I was leaving in the next couple of days and couldn't beat that price by then. This is like a sport for me when we go away..ha! Good luck!! |
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Post by lumo on Apr 12, 2016 17:47:11 GMT
Check Dollar. They will sometimes have city specials. I just booked a Jeep Compass w/them for a week for $130.
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Post by gracieplusthree on Apr 12, 2016 17:48:01 GMT
as for the GPS check out your local rent to own places, you know where you can get furniture or a refridgerator.. often they will have them and it may only cost you $15 a week.. I once rented a car tv/dvd thing for a week just so we could take it on a trip with us.
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Elisabeth
Full Member
Posts: 106
Jun 25, 2014 19:27:52 GMT
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Post by Elisabeth on Apr 12, 2016 19:12:14 GMT
are you a member of costco? last time we rented a car we did it through costco. they had the best prices
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Post by lily on Apr 12, 2016 19:18:37 GMT
We usually pay about $41 a day....are you being quoted more than that?
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Post by krc11 on Apr 12, 2016 19:58:14 GMT
I just booked a Camry for my DH at Denver airport for $30/day. They did charge him a deposit which they better give back.
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Post by mikklynn on Apr 12, 2016 20:05:21 GMT
We were paying about $112 in Chicago out of Midway for a 26 hour rental. It's ridiculous.
This was with my corporate discount. With DH's medical issues, taking the train was not an option.
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Post by elaine on Apr 12, 2016 20:34:07 GMT
All rental cars come with Bluetooth connection to your phone now for hands-free calling. Because of this, I think it is easier to use your phone as your GPS rather than a separate unit.
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Post by annabella on Apr 12, 2016 20:37:05 GMT
Just bring a clip to attach your phone to the dashboard and you can plug your phone in while you drive so it doesn't drain the battery while you use it for GPS. These days I don't know anyone that has a stand alone gps anymore.
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Post by kristi on Apr 12, 2016 20:40:19 GMT
Look at weekly rate vs daily - sometimes less expensive to book longer.
If there is a big difference away from the airport - look into taking Uber & picking up at a different location.
Most credit cards & insurance companies have rental car discounts (USAA, AAA).
Google the car rental company name & coupon code - likely to find a coupon code on the internet.
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Post by lily on Apr 12, 2016 20:43:03 GMT
I just went into Egencia.com and it is showing Budget Rent a car at Midway starting at $41 a day for a compact car, up to $97 a day for a minivan.
For Tulsa airport it is showing from $63 to $78 a day depending on size of car (things like Premium SUV's are $158)
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Post by lavawalker on Apr 12, 2016 21:35:48 GMT
Check Dollar. They will sometimes have city specials. I just booked a Jeep Compass w/them for a week for $130. I got quotes from 5 rental places at Tulsa airport, and Dollar is the most expensive, at $392 a week.... |
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Post by lavawalker on Apr 12, 2016 21:36:27 GMT
as for the GPS check out your local rent to own places, you know where you can get furniture or a refridgerator.. often they will have them and it may only cost you $15 a week.. I once rented a car tv/dvd thing for a week just so we could take it on a trip with us. No i don't need one. Was just shocked that it was extra.... |
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Post by lavawalker on Apr 12, 2016 21:38:54 GMT
I just went into Egencia.com and it is showing Budget Rent a car at Midway starting at $41 a day for a compact car, up to $97 a day for a minivan. For Tulsa airport it is showing from $63 to $78 a day depending on size of car (things like Premium SUV's are $158) Yes, that's what I'm seeing and find super expensive compared to just a couple years ago. Like twice as much, yet my flight is $200 cheaper than last time.... |
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finaledition
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,896
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Post by finaledition on Apr 12, 2016 21:40:06 GMT
I mentioned Costco before and thanking the peas for helping me get such an awesome deal. And I'm renting again this weekend-3 full days for $54 out the door. Can't beat that.
And you can cancel if necessary.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 13, 2024 9:04:37 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2016 21:51:55 GMT
I was just able to save $60 in Houston for a Thurs-Tues rental...basically 5 days by going through Costco over my normal rental car website. I had heard about it here, but hadn't tried it yet. I am just happy to save the $60!
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Post by ktdoesntscrap on Apr 12, 2016 22:02:30 GMT
Always check Enterprise I often find a weekend rate for $9 a day you cant go far... but it usually works for me for a weekend.
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Post by freecharlie on Apr 12, 2016 22:37:08 GMT
Sign up for their programs, they will give you a discount.
Also it depends in when you are renting and if there is a high demand.
They don't keep as many GPS anymore because most people will use their phones even if it eats data and battery.
I price check all of the places and then go to the review sites.
We are paying right at $600 for a minivan for 10 days
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Post by monklady123 on Apr 12, 2016 22:44:35 GMT
I don't have any advice because I rarely rent cars, but my ds just told me his "omg" car rental story. Next month he and a roommate are flying from Atlanta to Denver for the roommate's mom's Air Force retirement event. They live about two hours outside of Atlanta so they were going to drive in together, leave the car at the airport, fly to Denver, etc. The "etc" part is that after the retirement thing my ds is staying on for a few weeks to visit his uncle, and roommate is flying back to Atlanta. So roommate will be taking the car that's waiting at the Atlanta airport. Ds thought he'd just rent a car to drive the two hours from Atlanta back home. Nope. It was so expensive to rent that they'll be driving two cars from home to Atlanta. Seems silly, wastes gas, etc. But it's cheaper to pay for two cars' worth of gas, and pay for two cars worth of parking fees at Atlanta's airport than it is to rent one car for a two-hour trip.  |
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Does anyone have any suggestions for me on how to save money? I know I can save using Priceline, but there's no way I can book a non refundable rate. I need the flexibility to change if needed. Also, I've checked several rental car companies and none come with GPS?!?!?! Seriously?!?!?! In this day and age, they want up to $14 a day for a GPS..... Yes, I can use my phone, but still I'm in shock 
