Secret to Car Rental on Priceline?

[dinanm3atl]

Last time I used Priceline for a car was a wedding in Dallas. 15 a day for economy. My Father in Law is in town for 3 weeks and got 12 a day for a compact from the Atlanta Airport.

I need a car from 3/2-3/6 from the Fort Lauderdale Airport. It seems their prices are 2-3x what any other airport is at. Is there a reason for this? Smaller airport? Less cars? Higher price?

Really at a lose here as to why the prices are so much higher. If I use the regular Priceline site I am getting 40-45 dollars a day.

[Romelle]

I just went through the same problem for a 2/25-3/1 FLL rental. I had gotten to $34 with no success for a 5 day rental. Spent a LOT of time checking alternative sources, all to no avail. So tried a 4 day rental and finally scored at $32. Almost embarrassed to post it as others in other areas were doing so much better.

The weekend days were the problem. But a combo retail rental of 2 days and 3 days separately was actually cheaper than a full 5 day rental.

I guess I can't be of any particular help, other than to let you know you aren't alone.

On other sources I saw some less expensive companies with which I wasn't familiar. Hotwire had some of them. I chose not to go with them.

Romelle

[thereuare]

As with most things in life, prices are a function of supply and demand. As per your Priceline Hotel thread you can see that demand (and therefore) prices in the area are up for these dates... it may not be on account of the event you're in town for, but something is effecting rates.

Perhaps it's this(??):

Miami Beach International Fashion Week

March 3-6, 2011

The largest Latin American and International fashion event in the U.S.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[dinanm3atl]

Didn't realize that was going on. Made two post. Will report back when I win something.

[Colfax]

So tried a 4 day rental and finally scored at $32. Almost embarrassed to post it as others in other areas were doing so much better.

BetterBidding's list of car rental wins--while extremely useful--is also a little misleading because it's biased towards reporting wins. You see all the Priceline wins at $12 and $15 but not all the rejections at $40 or $50, which I think probably outnumber the former. People usually only post their victories, not their rejections.

There are a few markets where I've rented cars regularly over a period of years. In one market Priceline almost always handily beats the best retail price I can find, sometimes by 50% or more. In another market Priceline almost never works, or the savings are minimal.

Supply and demand matter, of course, but in addition some cities for no apparent reason are just better markets for Priceline car rental than others, in busy times or slow...the same as with hotels. I've gotten $12 deals where the rental lots were nearly empty and I've had to pay $40 or $50 where the lots were flooded with cars.

Main thing is you got something, and a better price than anyplace else.

Have fun!

[Romelle]

BetterBidding's list of car rental wins--while extremely useful--is also a little misleading because it's biased towards reporting wins. You see all the Priceline wins at $12 and $15 but not all the rejections at $40 or $50, which I think probably outnumber the former. People usually only post their victories, not their rejections.

There are a few markets where I've rented cars regularly over a period of years. In one market Priceline almost always handily beats the best retail price I can find, sometimes by 50% or more. In another market Priceline almost never works, or the savings are minimal.

Supply and demand matter, of course, but in addition some cities for no apparent reason are just better markets for Priceline car rental than others, in busy times or slow...the same as with hotels. I've gotten $12 deals where the rental lots were nearly empty and I've had to pay $40 or $50 where the lots were flooded with cars.

Main thing is you got something, and a better price than anyplace else.

Have fun!

Thanks Colfax! I missed your kind support as we were in Florida having way too much fun to check computers.

Got a cute bright blue little Ford and put almost 600 miles on it. Boca Raton car show where we actually saw Jay Leno, all around Fort Lauderdale and its canals (water taxi, not car), Miami Beach, South Beach, and clear to Key West and back. While I was frustrated by the bid, I had confirmed I couldn't do any better elsewhere.

In retrospect, with the amount we used the car, it was a fine bargain.

Romelle

[kitty28]

New to bidding on car rentals

What is the best way to bid ?

By a daily rate or do they do the bid for the whole rental period ?

we are looking at renting for 5 days

[Romelle]

You bid by the daily rate.

Do check your PRICELINE "My Rewards" in on Priceline. If you have been bidding on hotels, it is not unusual to find a little bonus money that can be used in your auto bidding - $20 is typical.

And please go through the PRICELINE link up - right corner up above. When someone makes a successful bid, a little bit of revenue is given to this site. That helds keep it in operation.

Romelle

[kitty28]

Thanks

So if I am looking at renting for 5 days I should bid $100, is that correct if I want $20 p/d rental price

[thereuare]

NO... you bid the daily rate, so in your example above you'd bid $20 (but be aware that taxes and fees on rental cars, especially at airport locations, can almost double your total, so factor that into your budget.

If you'd like help with your rental please start a NEW TOPIC.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[kitty28]

Thanks for the explanation

I will check into prices first before bidding