Best way to rent a car in Tampa FL....

[mjmamma]

We're not frequent travelers and have planned a trip for six of us to the St Petersberg area. It seems like a mini van will cost us close to $1,000, with taxes, fees, etc, for nine days. Say it isn't so!

[ett]

Are you a Costco member? We get the best deals on car rental through them.

[sweetsue98]

We are going to st petes beach as well in a couple of weeks. I used orbitz and got a $500 quote for 7 days for a mini van. I have also used my mariott credit card reward points to get a reduced rate.

[jerseygirl07067]

Wow, that is high!! Try checking out an Enterprise off the airport location. They can come pick you up at your hotel (provided you have a way to get there....shuttle service maybe?) and and bring you there to get your car. Going off airport should save you a lot, though minivan selection may be more limited. Even so, I find Enterprise is often more reasonable than the other big companies.

When we go up to NJ over Thanksgiving we often have to a $450 for 5-6 days. For a minivan this year, to accommodate my mom it was $650! I even looked ahead two years from now, still ridiculously priced. So much so that we may just drive up next time! (that will save us on airfare, which is double that too)

[mjmamma]

Wow, that is high!! Try checking out an Enterprise off the airport location. They can come pick you up at your hotel (provided you have a way to get there....shuttle service maybe?) and and bring you there to get your car. Going off airport should save you a lot, though minivan selection may be more limited. Even so, I find Enterprise is often more reasonable than the other big companies.

When we go up to NJ over Thanksgiving we often have to a $450 for 5-6 days. For a minivan this year, to accommodate my mom it was $650! I even looked ahead two years from now, still ridiculously priced. So much so that we may just drive up next time! (that will save us on airfare, which is double that too)

Great, Ill check the options. Ill be happy to spend $50 for a Costco membership if it saves hundreds. I'll look into Enterprise and Orbitz too. Im surprised how high it can go. Thanks!

[urquie]

Are you a Costco member? We get the best deals on car rental through them.
:yeahthat: I can't find better prices than costco. After booking, I occasionally check the rates... If they go down, I make a new reservation and cancel the original one.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I just booked a full size sedan through budget at TIA by calling and using my AAA card. It was like $275 or something for 6 days. They offered me a small SUV for like $5 more, but I haven't taken it yet. Call and ask over the phone what the cheapest way to get a car to seat 6 would be. They were very helpful to me. ETA: the price I reserved the car at was way cheaper than the priceline "bargain" I won. Usually priceline will not cancel a purchase, but they did for me since Delta canceled my flight and changed my trip around. Also, there are rentals RIGHT there at baggage claim. So convenient vs. taking a shuttle to an offsite location, IF you are flying.

[JBaxter]

When are you traveling if its one of the "hot spring break weeks" that might be the issue but check with your reward points, AAA & Costco

[MSWR0319]

Does anyone in your party travel for work? DH has an "awards" card for a few car rental places because of his travel. We booked using his card number from work and it was significantly cheaper than anywhere else we checked. We got a large car for $250 or so for 7 days. I can't imagine a mini van would be $750 more!

[cagey]

try going through hotwire.com. You dont know the company you'll get until you pay, but all of the vendors are on-site (i.e. no shuttle to the car) and you can get some good deals.


We go to Anna Maria Island each year, sometimes w/ a van rental, and its always been the easiest way to do it. and yes, if ifs the week before/after spring break, expect about a 200% increase in cost for both plane fare and rental cars. (which is why we're doing the Amtrak auto train this year!!)

[amatahrain]

We're not frequent travelers and have planned a trip for six of us to the St Petersberg area. It seems like a mini van will cost us close to $1,000, with taxes, fees, etc, for nine days. Say it isn't so!

Try Payless car rental. It's off property - probably a 5 minute or less ride and they have a shuttle service. We use them every time we fly to Tampa. The shuttle service was super easy to use and we couldn't beat their prices. Also, I book about a month in advance and check their site a few times per week right up to our departure date. Their rates DO fluctuate pretty drastically but it is crazy easy to change the reservation online to get the lower rate.

Here's their site https://www.paylesscar.com/ and it's the Westshore location. Also you can check retailmenot and slickdeals for discount codes. Be sure to check with your insurance company and credit card company before hand to verify you'll be covered. You can easily end up spending $20++ per day on insurance if you buy it through a car rental company.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Just wanted to see what you ended up with! I went back to check on mine, and I rented a full size car that fits five for $235 for 6 days by calling Budget.

[khalloc]

Try some car rentals that are not on airport property. You pay loads extra to rent right at the airport.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Rent through Costco. They saved us a ton last year (though didn't got to Tampa).

[almostmom]

I always go to Orbitz to look for rental cars. You don't need to give a cc to rent, and so I sign up for the cheapest I can get, and then keep checking back in. If I find something cheaper, I reserve that and cancel the first reservation. We were just in FL and used it for this (got a car through dollar/orbitz), and am doing the same thing for a trip to Denver in April. The Costco price is way higher for the Denver trip - much better price for the SUV we need on Orbitz. And this week I was able to find a rate $200 less than what I got 3 weeks ago...

[mjmamma]

Since there are six of us, only the minvan will accomodate us, unless we rented a luxury SUV..thats half the price battle. We are traveling the week after school (MA) vacation and well after spring break. We planned these dates to avoid peak flights and rentals. I used Costco's site to compare agencies and there is an Alamo approximately 4 miles away that will cost us $500 without the membership, and the membership would save us approximately $50. Im hesitant to buy the membership again because the impluse is too great in Costc ;) I didnt know my options and will look into the Payless (thx amatharain!) before making a decision. I really appreciate all your input and will let you know once I book it.

[mjmamma]

I always go to Orbitz to look for rental cars. You don't need to give a cc to rent, and so I sign up for the cheapest I can get, and then keep checking back in. If I find something cheaper, I reserve that and cancel the first reservation. We were just in FL and used it for this (got a car through dollar/orbitz), and am doing the same thing for a trip to Denver in April. The Costco price is way higher for the Denver trip - much better price for the SUV we need on Orbitz. And this week I was able to find a rate $200 less than what I got 3 weeks ago...

And obviously I need to keep an eye on Orbitz! thanks-