July 2012 Car Rentals

[Maliki2]

rates are still high...Hotwire has the best rates I can find. I have never used Hotwire before. Thoughts?

Just keep looking, rates were 300-400 for my time there in July. By some weird chance I booked early in the morning and I now have 2 rates in the $125 range. Its so random and odd...at this point.

 

[gymstx]

Anyone find any price drops?

 

[cjsmoma]

I just booked a midsize from dollar for 157.00 tax included for the week of 7/22-7/28 MCO....no codes used. It's the best rate i have found so far. Hope this helps someone.

 

[poochie]

What exactly is Vroom Vroom car rental codes? I just tried using their code 299851 and go a better rate and upgrade with coupon code AU4234FDA. This was posted on the eariler July Car Rental Thread.

Do I need to belong to something to use this? Has anyone else used this with success and not had to present a card as proof. I do not need any surprises when I go to pickup my rental.

Please advise and let me know all details with this. Looking on line I see that this is a rental website to compare car rentals.

 

[poochie]

American airlines frequent flyer program

I noticed that the AADvantage is no longer valid. When I went to their website there is no longer ALamo coupon codes. Did they drop Alamo as a partner?

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

For all of you who are worried... Remember your best rates will be closer to your travel day. Usually 7-10 before you leave. Thats because the rental companies will release their last minute rates. I never book my rental until it is time to leave and for the last 3 trips I have not paid more that $95 for a weekly mid size rental with Alamo. Take a look at the June rental car thread you will notice when that thread was started months ago those folks were quoted several hundred dollars and now they are getting rates as low at $125

I have a trip planned next week but I am not booking my car till today when Alamo releases their next set of last minute rates.

 

[richmo]

For those of you in the early July timeframe (mine starts July 6), I'm starting to see the expected rapid decrease in rates, at least at Alamo. (I also see Dollar has dropped, Budget not yet). In just the past 3 days, I've seen my 9 day rental drop from $410 total to about $220 for a standard, using Costco code and upgrade from midsize. The drops seem to be most dramatic for common car sizes, not for SUVs, vans, etc. The rates have even dropped multiple times within the day. Of course, I'm hoping they go down a little more, but I doubt I'll get too much lower.

Also, at least at Alamo, the current set of last minute specials went out to June 25, which was yesterday, which leads me to believe they'll be releasing some new last minute (code IG) specials soon. If I remember correctly, the last set of last minute specials for Alamo did not include MCO, but the rates using traditional codes were better than last minute rates anyway. I would also expect Budget to come up with a new "Wendie's special" pretty soon; they've had some real good deals with that.

For those of you in the later July timeframe, you may not be seeing your rates drop yet. Be patient; the trend lately has been good and I wouldn't expect it to change. (Do book something non-binding though!)

Finally, under no circumstances should you lock yourself into a "prepaid" rate, at least for a common type vehicle. Rates seem to be dropping rapidly. Just keep checking and rebooking, right up to the day you leave.

 

[caroli]

For those of you in the early July timeframe (mine starts July 6), I'm starting to see the expected rapid decrease in rates, at least at Alamo. (I also see Dollar has dropped, Budget not yet). In just the past 3 days, I've seen my 9 day rental drop from $410 total to about $220 for a standard, using Costco code and upgrade from midsize. The drops seem to be most dramatic for common car sizes, not for SUVs, vans, etc. The rates have even dropped multiple times within the day. Of course, I'm hoping they go down a little more, but I doubt I'll get too much lower.

Also, at least at Alamo, the current set of last minute specials went out to June 25, which was yesterday, which leads me to believe they'll be releasing some new last minute (code IG) specials soon. If I remember correctly, the last set of last minute specials for Alamo did not include MCO, but the rates using traditional codes were better than last minute rates anyway. I would also expect Budget to come up with a new "Wendie's special" pretty soon; they've had some real good deals with that.

For those of you in the later July timeframe, you may not be seeing your rates drop yet. Be patient; the trend lately has been good and I wouldn't expect it to change. (Do book something non-binding though!)

Finally, under no circumstances should you lock yourself into a "prepaid" rate, at least for a common type vehicle. Rates seem to be dropping rapidly. Just keep checking and rebooking, right up to the day you leave.

Thanks.... fingers crossed!

 

[mareed]

As a data point, I've checked prices regularly for my 10 day rental of either a full-size or minivan starting June 28 and the lowest price was with Alamo booked on April 7 of $212 total for a minivan from Alamo. Pricing the same reservation with their current last-minute special is over $1000!

The next best that I can find right now with any major company would be full-size around $400. So, sometimes the lowest rate is found several months ahead of time!

I agree with not booking a non-cancellable reservation far ahead of time, but recommend booking the best you can find that's acceptable and continue to look for something lower. My first reservation for this trip was booked in Jan 2012 at $400 for full-size, which interestingly enough is the same as the current last-minute specials but twice what it was almost 3 months ago. I have 4 different reservations with other companies that I cancelled and will be keeping the Alamo minivan.

 

[TamaraQT]

Oh Dear

 

[poochie]

18 Days and still not dropping. I keep checking Alamo multible times a day at all hours waiting. My dates are 7/14 thru 7/23. Currently have 2 ressies. A mid size for 352 and a standard for 358. My standard is using the Vroom Vroom code and I am nervous about using this. Do they require some proof of some documentation in order to use this?? I will cancel one or both depending on what is ahead. What is the latest you can cancel with no fee for Alamo?

 

[richmo]

18 Days and still not dropping. I keep checking Alamo multible times a day at all hours waiting. My dates are 7/14 thru 7/23. Currently have 2 ressies. A mid size for 352 and a standard for 358. My standard is using the Vroom Vroom code and I am nervous about using this. Do they require some proof of some documentation in order to use this?? I will cancel one or both depending on what is ahead. What is the latest you can cancel with no fee for Alamo?

Trust me, you will do way better than this. My dates are almost a week behind yours (7/6 thru 7/15) and I've seen my Standard (Costco midsize w/upgrade) go from $410 to about $220 in just the past few days. You should really start to pay attention in the next week or so. It will drop. (And remember to try both with and without your code...sometimes no code works best). It was frustrating to me too to see the rates either stay the same or even rise at a high price for a long time. Its just been in the past 3 days I've seen drops. And I've even rebooked the same reservation 3 times today because of different rates.

Don't know anything about the vroom, vroom code. Generally speaking, at MCO, Alamo does not ask for coupons or documentation. However, if you're using some special code (like one reserved for a corporation), they might. Plus, it might be a good idea to use the kiosk, then the only human you'll deal with is the gate agent on the way out with your car. The official line, of course, is to be able to document the codes you're using.

As long as you haven't prepaid anything, you can cancel any Alamo reservation at any time without penalty. After all, they don't have your credit card. You can even no show with no repercussions, but if there's a reservation you know you're not going to use, I would cancel it as a courtesy.

 

[richmo]

As a data point, I've checked prices regularly for my 10 day rental of either a full-size or minivan starting June 28 and the lowest price was with Alamo booked on April 7 of $212 total for a minivan from Alamo. Pricing the same reservation with their current last-minute special is over $1000!

The next best that I can find right now with any major company would be full-size around $400. So, sometimes the lowest rate is found several months ahead of time!

I agree with not booking a non-cancellable reservation far ahead of time, but recommend booking the best you can find that's acceptable and continue to look for something lower. My first reservation for this trip was booked in Jan 2012 at $400 for full-size, which interestingly enough is the same as the current last-minute specials but twice what it was almost 3 months ago. I have 4 different reservations with other companies that I cancelled and will be keeping the Alamo minivan.

As I said in my earlier post, the rate drops we've been seeing have been for common car types (mostly midsize and standard). I've even seen some of the compacts staying high and things like SUVs and minivans seem to be in demand. You're only a couple of days away, so you'll likely go with what you have. By the way, 10 days for a minivan at $212 is excellent! Someone (probably not Alamo) might come up with something like a $179/week special, but by the time you add in your additional 3 days + fees, it would still be well above what you have.

My philosophy has been as soon as you have your flight times, book something, but never prepay. Especially with the specialty vehicles, you have to be aggressive and persistent. And keep checking until the day you leave; you never know...

 

[Vickie46]

anyone know if I can get a cheap rate to rent in a car in Panama City Beach Florida area? I am also needing mid July.

 

[poochie]

Trust me, you will do way better than this. My dates are almost a week behind yours (7/6 thru 7/15) and I've seen my Standard (Costco midsize w/upgrade) go from $410 to about $220 in just the past few days. You should really start to pay attention in the next week or so. It will drop. (And remember to try both with and without your code...sometimes no code works best). It was frustrating to me too to see the rates either stay the same or even rise at a high price for a long time. Its just been in the past 3 days I've seen drops. And I've even rebooked the same reservation 3 times today because of different rates.

Don't know anything about the vroom, vroom code. Generally speaking, at MCO, Alamo does not ask for coupons or documentation. However, if you're using some special code (like one reserved for a corporation), they might. Plus, it might be a good idea to use the kiosk, then the only human you'll deal with is the gate agent on the way out with your car. The official line, of course, is to be able to document the codes you're using.

As long as you haven't prepaid anything, you can cancel any Alamo reservation at any time without penalty. After all, they don't have your credit card. You can even no show with no repercussions, but if there's a reservation you know you're not going to use, I would cancel it as a courtesy.

Do you rebook and cancel or edit your existing ressie?

 

[richmo]

Do you rebook and cancel or edit your existing ressie?

I've done both...and you don't get a better or worse rate either way.

Working with the existing reservation saves you entering all the dates and codes again (assuming they're the same). One tip though...when you look up your reservation, then 'Modify' it, before you hit 'Continue' on the screen that shows your dates, codes, etc., be sure to wipe out the field that says 'Rate/Product Code'. Its usually something like 'AW9'. If you don't, you'll wind up with the same rate you had, even if there's been a price drop. After you 'Continue', the next screen will show you the old rate and the new rate and you can pick the new one if its lower.

 

[minniemomof3]

I leave on the 7th of July and reserved a midsize for 12 days out of the Dolphin for $343 with National using KLM code and $35 code, can I do better? I don't see the rates coming down and I leave in just over a week.

 

[kiki02]

I leave on the 7th of July and reserved a midsize for 12 days out of the Dolphin for $343 with National using KLM code and $35 code, can I do better? I don't see the rates coming down and I leave in just over a week.

i'm also searching for JULY AND THE RATEs are not low at all.

 

[richmo]

I was looking at Alamo at MCO for your dates and came up with very similar numbers. The weird thing, is if you backed your reservation up one day (July 6 instead of 7) and still dropped on the 19th, you'd see a drop of about $150 (at least for MCO).

It could be you're not quite in the discount window yet, but if that's going to happen, it should be in the next few days.

Things to try: Look at the Car Care Center instead of the Dolphin...sometimes the rates are different. Look at MCO...sometimes the difference is huge enough that its worth dropping Magical Express and just pick the car up at the airport. Since you're picking/dropping at the Dolphin, consider whether you need the car the whole time. Sometimes picking up a day or two later or dropping a day or two early can make a huge difference. Of course, if you look at MCO, you can also look at different agencies.

 

[minniemomof3]

I was looking at Alamo at MCO for your dates and came up with very similar numbers. The weird thing, is if you backed your reservation up one day (July 6 instead of 7) and still dropped on the 19th, you'd see a drop of about $150 (at least for MCO).

It could be you're not quite in the discount window yet, but if that's going to happen, it should be in the next few days.

Things to try: Look at the Car Care Center instead of the Dolphin...sometimes the rates are different. Look at MCO...sometimes the difference is huge enough that its worth dropping Magical Express and just pick the car up at the airport. Since you're picking/dropping at the Dolphin, consider whether you need the car the whole time. Sometimes picking up a day or two later or dropping a day or two early can make a huge difference. Of course, if you look at MCO, you can also look at different agencies.

Thanks. I don't really need the car the whole time, but we like to go off site for dinners and shopping. I'm going to try changing some of the dates and/or locations to see if it makes a difference.