rental car problems?

[SnuggleBuggles]

I book Alamo through Costco all the time because the 2nd driver is free. Alamo lets anyone skip the counter. Just go to their website and fill out the trip details. It’ll give you a barcode that you’ll show at exit. You can print it or show on your phone.


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[mmsmom]

Car rentals are ridiculous right now. $2k for a compact for a week! We have a rental this summer I’m concerned about too but I just hope it will be better a couple months from now. I may try to reserve a back up if I can cancel last minute.

[echoesofspring]

Car rentals are ridiculous right now. $2k for a compact for a week! We have a rental this summer I’m concerned about too but I just hope it will be better a couple months from now. I may try to reserve a back up if I can cancel last minute.

I doubled checked with DH this afternoon, it was going to be $500/day for some sort of economy car! It's crazy, I think we are sticking to road trips this summer!

[SnuggleBuggles]

That’s why some markets people are renting U-Hauls, Home Depot trucks...


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[AnnieW625]

I am so glad I booked with National two months ago for our Pennsylvania vacation. I am paying $550 for a week for a mid size SUV and am picking up at one airport and returning at another. We cannot do this trip without a rental. I just had to modify my reservation because our flight times changed slightly and the price was still the same.


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[SnuggleBuggles]

I am so glad I booked with National two months ago for our Pennsylvania vacation. I am paying $550 for a week for a mid size SUV and am picking up at one airport and returning at another. We cannot do this trip without a rental. I just had to modify my reservation because our flight times changed slightly and the price was still the same.


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You might have gotten a good price but no help if there’s no car to give you. It’s a nightmare for some right now. I really considered a trip to like Montana but I was reading some accounts on travel boards of people getting stuck with no car. Then what? At least in an area like cities in PA there are buses, trains, taxis, ride shares... very stressful though


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[3isEnough]

I booked a rental car through Costco last night for Hawaii this summer - $3900 for 3 weeks. It's insane. My sister is living there temporarily so we are trying to figure out if I should just buy a car there for our trip and sell it when we leave (with her help), or some other creative solution to avoid paying almost $4K for a rental car.

[mmsmom]

That’s why some markets people are renting U-Hauls, Home Depot trucks...


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Yes- I also noticed cargo vans were cheaper than cars but they only seat 2.

Also, for the first time I’ve ever seen Costco car rentals are not the cheapest. I always rent through Costco but they were a lot more this time. The car rental determined which airport we are flying into for our summer vacation. There were smaller airports closer to our destination but none of them had cars available at the airport or anywhere in the area. We are flying into a larger airport that had many car options but all $$$ so I rented at an offsite location that saves about $500. We did end up with a full size for $550 for the week so not too bad as long as we can actually get it.

[AnnieW625]

This isn’t the first time I have noticed that Costco isn’t the cheapest rental car option. I have been booking pretty much exclusively with National for the last 4 years or so, but I still check Costco plus Hertz, Thrifty, Fox, and Hotwire sites just in case. I can usually still get a better deal with National though.

I read up on this and a lot of travel blog writers are saying that if you have a reservation in most markets you will be okay; it is people who are walking up to the counter and expecting to have a rental that are running short.

On the west coast there aren’t many places that you can drive to in less than 5 hours so many people fly. If you live in LA you can go to Phoenix, Tucson, or the Grand Canyon in less than an 8-10
hour drive day. Itis a 2 day drive from most of California to Yellowstone, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, and Colorado (plus parts Washington) so if you factor in the west coasters who aren’t driving to save time I bet they make up the bulk of those needing rentals this summer. I am guessing that those who live in the Mid West, and East Coast (based on what I read here) tend to drive for vacation more than most people who live and
travel on the west coast or mountain states for vacation.


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[essnce629]

Also, for the first time I’ve ever seen Costco car rentals are not the cheapest. I always rent through Costco but they were a lot more this time.

I checked Costco when DS1 and I went on our college trip back in March and it was definitely not the cheapest. I ended up getting a car directly through Budget Car Rental, which was cheaper than all the quotes I got through Kayak.

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