Rental Car Woes

[Ca_Silvia13]

I have a family vacation planned in Penticton for August this year. The originally plan was to rent a car August 4-14th to drive there and back with the whole family.

Tried Airmiles to rent a car, needed 10k air miles. I don't have enough

Tried a few mainstream sites but everything is nearing 2k for a large SUV/minivan/truck

Also noticed a few "expedia" type sites for rental cars. They all seem kind of half assed click bait sites. Has anyone used one of these sites? Or have any tips for renting cars on the cheap?

Any help is appreciated.

[Zhariak]

Have you tried calling any rental car places (Budget, Enterprise, etc)?

They have weekly rates, sometimes bi-weekly rates, monthly rates, etc...

[Ca_Silvia13]

Originally posted by Zhariak
Have you tried calling any rental car places (Budget, Enterprise, etc)?

They have weekly rates, sometimes bi-weekly rates, monthly rates, etc...

Not yet, just online comparisons right now

[Euro838]

what I usually do is only book and pay for a full size car. When I go to pick up the car, I will usually ask if they have any deals on upgrades. Usually they will upgrade me to a SUV or mini-van for an extra $10 a day which is way cheaper than if I would have booked that vehicle type on their website.

EDIT
I just went on the Avis website and for a mini-van it's $1158 if you pay now for those dates you have listed above. It is $450 for a full size car for the same dates so if you ask for an upgrade when you pick up, then probably cost you an additional $100-150 or so for a mini-van or SUV.

[ExtraSlow]

Minivans are oddly expensive for reservations.

[dirtsniffer]

Shaw gmc does rentals, might be worth calling them

[Mitsu3000gt]

Try Costco, they were about 30-40%% less than Expedia and the like the last time we booked one, and the secondary driver was free instead of another $10/day or so. Saved $300-400 on our Maui booking compared to every other source we could find.

[taemo]

Originally posted by Euro838
what I usually do is only book and pay for a full size car. When I go to pick up the car, I will usually ask if they have any deals on upgrades. Usually they will upgrade me to a SUV or mini-van for an extra $10 a day which is way cheaper than if I would have booked that vehicle type on their website.

EDIT
I just went on the Avis website and for a mini-van it's $1158 if you pay now for those dates you have listed above. It is $450 for a full size car for the same dates so if you ask for an upgrade when you pick up, then probably cost you an additional $100-150 or so for a mini-van or SUV.
that can be a big gamble though if you're trying to book on a long weekend.
what if they run out of SUVs or minivans on those days

[Euro838]

Originally posted by taemo

that can be a big gamble though if you're trying to book on a long weekend.
what if they run out of SUVs or minivans on those days

yes it is so you need to weigh the risks. LOL, I wonder if there is or anyone come up with a UBER Car Rental App!

[Feruk]

Found a van DT for $1,045. Supplier is National, but rental through Arguscarhire.com. I've used them before. Be careful with the terms and conditions though as some of these companies will write weird "extra fees" in. From a quick scan, the only bad I saw here was that this excludes insurance so you'll have to make sure your CC has you covered.

Link (https://www.arguscarhire.com/book?pkLng=-114.063&rtLng=-114.063&pkLat=51.045&rtLat=51.045&pickupDate=4&currency=CAD&returnHour=10&residencyId=CA&returnYear=2016&pickupYear=2016&returnDate=14&pickupMonth=7&returnName=CALGARY%205TH%20AVE%20SE%20-%20Downtown%20-%20National&pickupMinute=0&returnMonth=7&pickupName=CALGARY%205TH%20AVE%20SE%20-%20Downtown%20-%20National&pickupHour=10&refID=930216578&lang=en&age=30&clientId=313549&returnMinute=0&c=ca&skyscanner_redirectid=cvdsBiIAEeaqSHmdjdS78A&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=Meta&_$ja=tsid:70725|cgn:ca&utm_source=Skyscanner#/vehicles)

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Euro838


yes it is so you need to weigh the risks. LOL, I wonder if there is or anyone come up with a UBER Car Rental App!

Turo

That said, expedia seems to be cheapest for me 9/10 times as long as you avoid crappy also ran rental agencies.

There was a few times where booking directly with Avis/Budget is cheaper that Expedia rate from Avis/Budget.

Be careful on pricing, sometimes they list in USD.

SUV/MiniVan/Trucks are the most expensive to rent. Stay with a a car if you have 4 adults or less and pack light.

[joegrang]

If you are employed, go through your employer they usually have corporate agreements with rental companies for their employees when they travel. The corporate agreements are typically extended to employees on vacation as well.

[Zhariak]

Originally posted by Ca_Silvia13


Not yet, just online comparisons right now

Serious man, call and ask weekly rates.

The pricing online is based off daily charges, hence why it's so expensive for long periods of times. They aren't quoting weekly rates...

You're kinda wasting time by looking online for "daily pricing" on a long term rental, when you should be calling and asking for the applicable rates.

I know this from experience...

[ExtraSlow]

Also worth checking a few locations away from the airport, as airport locations often charge an extra "location fee". For instance in Calgary, North Hill and Macelod Trail Avis locations are $2-10 cheaper per day.

[Feruk]

Originally posted by Zhariak
The pricing online is based off daily charges, hence why it's so expensive for long periods of times. They aren't quoting weekly rates...
If you use a good website, they will quote weekly rates. Link I had provided below clearly states "weekly rate."

I've found for car rentals and flights, I always start and Skyscanner.ca. You can select "Calgary" instead of "Calgary Airport" and it'll show you the cheapest cars and where they are. They search all the dealerships too... To come in here and quote how awesome Expedia is would be the same as telling everyone your Motorola Razr is the bomb.

[Ca_Silvia13]

Thanks guys, lots of options there. I'll check them out. Thanks

[Xtrema]

Side question, i have not rented in Alberta in a long time, is there still a leaving the province surcharge?

[craigcd]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Try Costco, they were about 30-40%% less than Expedia and the like the last time we booked one, and the secondary driver was free instead of another $10/day or so. Saved $300-400 on our Maui booking compared to every other source we could find.

Reserve with Costco regardless, then work all the other options for a better deal. When you reserve with Costco they dont take payment up front so you arent committed.

I have done well with priceline a couple years back, last trip i defaulted to Costco because i couldnt find anything cheaper.

[Thaco]

i find enterprise and alamo to be the best rates

search online for rate codes, they never verify them

[Thaco]

Originally posted by Xtrema
Side question, i have not rented in Alberta in a long time, is there still a leaving the province surcharge? all depends on the company