Priceline Rental Cars-Tampa FL

[bgk]

Hi,

I'm new to this. I was hoping I'd find some advice on renting cars from Priceline.com because I need one in Tampa FL when I go this month. I've never used Priceline and some online reviews have been questionable regarding hidden fees Priceline charges so I figured this site might be more helpful. It seems like this forum mostly deals with hotels..is there any rental car advice? I'm not sure if I'm looking in the right places.

Thanks,

bgk

[valree]

I bid on an economy car at TPA a few weeks ago. The total charges for my car were supposed to be $73.87. When I picked up the car at Budget, the agent told me that the total charges were actually going to be $15.75 higher. I was in such a daze when I rented the car that I didn't even question it. I had completely forgotten about that until I just saw your post! So yes, you may end up paying more than what is listed on your Priceline bid.

There's a rental car forum here. Maybe one of the mods will move your post to that forum.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

[Colfax]

Welcome to the board, bgk.

As valree noted there's a section of the board dedicated to Priceline Car Rental bidding. A moderator will probably move this thread there when they see it. Car Rentals are below Hotels on BetterBidding's homepage.

To better assist you:

What are your rental dates?

What car class or classes are you looking for?

What's the best rate you've found so far through conventional routes?

valree,

The total charges for my car were supposed to be $73.87. When I picked up the car at Budget, the agent told me that the total charges were actually going to be $15.75 higher.

Unless you upgraded to a higher car class or purchased some optional item like insurance or a GPS there shouldn't have been any extra charge. What does your Budget receipt say the charge is for?

[bgk]

Valree and Colfax,

Thank you for the replies. I was hoping that there wouldn't be any additional fees but was nervous because of a few reviews I saw saying that their charges ended up being twice as much with additional fees seen at the counter. I was also suspicious of the low amount I was allowed to bid per day on a car (see below)

Looking to rent March 13-18th from Tampa Airport or nearby if cheaper.

Economy size is fine. as long as it will fit 2 ppl and luggage.

$5/day was an accepted rate with priceline ($25 total + $26.82 taxes/fees = $51.82)

Conventional routes rate: between $150-190 at avis a few miles from the airport.

Will Priceline actually accept that low a price??

Thanks,

bgk

[valree]

valree,

Unless you upgraded to a higher car class or purchased some optional item like insurance or a GPS there shouldn't have been any extra charge. What does your Budget receipt say the charge is for?

I didn't get any extras for the car so I'm not sure what the extra charges were for. I was in town to see my friend who was in the hospital so I wasn't really "with it" and didn't ask about the extra charges at the time I was picking up the car (not a smart move). I'm going to call them tonight to find out.

[Colfax]

bgk,

$5/day was an accepted rate with priceline ($25 total + $26.82 taxes/fees = $51.82)

Conventional routes rate: between $150-190 at avis a few miles from the airport.

It's possible $5 was accepted in Tampa for other dates but your dates are Spring Break and rates are extremely high.

The lowest conventional rate from I can find from a "Big Six" car rental company is $381.83 from Dollar, for a Standard car. Smaller classes like Compact and Midsize actually cost more.

There are lower rates like $259-$330 from smaller companies---Ace, U-Save, and Payless. Personally I like to stick with the "Big Six".

Hotwire's Compact is $67.95/day, or $442 total. Priceline usually beats Hotwire on price, so it's possible a Priceline bid in the $45-55 range for Compact could be accepted. But $5/day is out of the question for these dates.

If you can rent from Avis off-airport for $150-190 that might be your best bet. Unless rates drop significantly I don't think Priceline or Hotwire will beat that.

[Colfax]

I didn't get any extras for the car so I'm not sure what the extra charges were for. I was in town to see my friend who was in the hospital so I wasn't really "with it" and didn't ask about the extra charges at the time I was picking up the car (not a smart move). I'm going to call them tonight to find out.

If the Budget agent charged you $15.75 at the counter there will be a separate charge to your credit card from Budget, not Priceline. They should have given you a receipt when you returned the car that said what the $15.75 was for. Good luck getting through to Budget Customer Service. I've found them difficult to reach. If you find out let us know what that extra charge was for.

[valree]

I just got off the phone with Budget (twice) and Priceline.

I called Budget first. The agent that answered the phone first tried to tell me that I was charged the extra money because I turned in the car about 30 minutes late. She somehow completely missed the fact that I ended up turning in the car almost a full day early! This was a 2-day rental for 2/14-2/16, and I ended up returning the car on 2/15. I asked her how Budget would have known that I would turn in the car late at the time when I was picking up the car.

Her next excuse was that Priceline only paid Budget $45.58 so the difference is what I still owed on the car. Nevermind the fact that her math is completely off, but why would I be getting in the middle of a Budget-Priceline fight? She was pretty rude when I kept asking questions and told me to call Priceline. No problem. I am home sick today, so I can play this game all day.

I called Priceline next. The agent that helped me was very nice. He told me that the only reason I would be charged extra was if I rented a car seat, GPS, etc. I didn

[bgk]

Valree and Colfax

(Valree- no apologies necessary! and I'm glad you were able to argue that charge. It's nice to know there aren't actually additional charges. I think I was looking at Priceline incorrectly.) Colfax, I think you are right about the priceline bid of $5 being too low.. I guess that i just assumed after i entered a dollar amt per day, the next page seemed to accept my price but this was before I put my credit card info in. I was hoping that I could get a definitive price quote before I committed to the price. Is this not the case? If not, that explains why I thought the prices were so low. I never put my card info in because I was insecure about using Priceline. The other rule I should keep in mind is that I can't rebid for another 24 hours if the first one is not accepted?

Thanks again for the advice!

bgk

[bgk]

Looking for economy-sized car to pick-up from the Tampa area (3/15/11 - 3/18/11)

So far I have bid as high as $25/day but this was too low and I have to wait 24 hrs.

Have not seen many recent Tampa bids for March. Anyone recently done this but hasn't posted anything?

Thanks,

bgk

[Colfax]

valree,

I hope you get your money back!

bgk

I was hoping that I could get a definitive price quote before I committed to the price. Is this not the case?

Hotwire gives you a final price prior to purchase. Priceline doesn't. On Priceline you bid and your bid is accepted or rejected.

[Colfax]

You've got another car rental thread going for 3/13-3/18. Have your dates changed or typo?

[bgk]

You've got another car rental thread going for 3/13-3/18. Have your dates changed or typo?

Thanks, that was a typo. I actually need an economy car in Tampa for 3/13- 3/18

bgk

[Colfax]

A moderator will merge this with your other thread. Then please keep all posts about this car rental in the same thread. Thanks.

Rates were high before and they've gone higher still since I checked four days ago. Hotwire's Compact is now $76.95/day (vs. $67.95 before). Hotwire's Economy is up to $75.95/day.

With rates this high my offhand guess is you might have to bid $50 or more to win an Economy car on Priceline.

You said you can reserve at Avis off airport for $150-200. Even if you have to pay roundtrip cabfare from the airport that off airport Avis will probably turn out cheaper than Priceline or Hotwire in this instance. You might check rates at an off airport Enterprise too.

[valree]

Got my money back!

Budget sent me a message:

I am sorry for all your concerns in this matter and you are correct, the taxes were included in your rate. I have advise the appropriate area and they are working on this issue, you should be receiving the credit shortly.

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Budget Customer Service

Yay! I checked my credit card, and the credit of $15.75 is there!

[bgk]

Valree,

That's great! I will keep that in mind for the future. I kept trying to get a lower price with PRICELINE than the other places I got quotes from but it's going to be more expensive than just going directly through Thrifty at the airport. $35 was the highest I tried and no go. I got a Thrifty deal through some discount website for about $37/day.

Thanks again for all the info!

[Colfax]

valree,

Congratulations on your refund from Budget. Your persistence paid off!

bgk,

Priceline isn't always the best deal for car rentals. Dollar and Thrifty don't participate in Priceline and it's not uncommon for one or the other to beat Priceline rates. Sometimes rates drop at the last minute so it may be worthwhile trying a couple more Priceline bids a day or two before your trip. Either way, have fun in Tampa!