Clarification please on how to bid for a car

[MPileggi]

Hi everyone,

I have never bid for a rental car before (have been very successful with hotels). I will be on Oahu and the Big Island in October. Do I bid based against the base daily rates that are advertised (not adding fees)?

I'm interested in an economy car for Honolulu and a 4WD for the Big Island.

Thank you!

Monica :)

[MPileggi]

PS: I looked on several car rental web sites. The best price so far for the Big Island for a SUV (4WD?) is $284.90 plus all the taxes/fees for a total of $398.92. This is for pickup in Hilo around 11:30AM on the 19th of October and drop off on the 25th in Kona at 9:00am, 7 days.

Do I just take the $284.90 = $40.70 and bid lower against that price?

thanks!

[thereuare]

One-way rentals are not available thru the 'opaque' version of Priceline.

Have you tried out Car Rental Checker to search for a multitude of prices at once?

[MPileggi]

Thanks for the information! I'll check out the web site you provided.

Monica

[MPileggi]

Good morning,

I will need to rent a car on Oahu, picking up and dropping off at the same location. So, back to my original question: I place my bid on priceline based on the BASE price?

Thank you,

Monica

[thereuare]

Your bid amount is before taxes and fees.

The total amount will be shown on the confirmation screen seen before you actually submit your bid.

[MPileggi]

Your bid amount is before taxes and fees.

The total amount will be shown on the confirmation screen seen before you actually submit your bid.

Thank you very much!!

Monica

[MPileggi]

I would like to go ahead and bid on a car for Honolulu airport, October 15 - 19th. I'm familiar with bidding for a hotel and their "free zones" but I need your advise how to bid for an economy car (or compact as second choice).

I would like to pay $15-$16/day.

Thanks!

Monica

[thereuare]

The only 're-bidding' available for car rentals is to change your car class... so first try for the higher star rated car and then lower the car class.

[MPileggi]

If I start wtih compact, then go to economy, how much is the typical "raise"?

[MPileggi]

PS: I called our USAA bank and they had an Avis special.

Your Base Rate for a 3 day(s) 18 hour(s) rental is: 68.00 USD

Surcharge : 21.78 USD

[thereuare]

Seems ok to me... but why not try to beat that rate? (nothing to lose)

As well, if the rate above is cancellable then you should reserve it and continue to try to beat it (again, nothing to lose)

[MPileggi]

Could you please suggest a bidding strategy? I would like an economy or compact car.

Thank you!

Monica

[thereuare]

I'm not able to "name your own price" for a Car Rental from Honolulu... which it would seem to me that there is no opaque inventory (as it automatically diverts to the 'shop and compare' screen). I would just book the above from your bank and if the above is cancellable, see if Priceline offers opaque bidding closer to your arrival date.

[MPileggi]

I'm not able to "name your own price" for a Car Rental from Honolulu... which it would seem to me that there is no opaque inventory (as it automatically diverts to the 'shop and compare' screen).  I would just book the above from your bank and if the above is cancellable, see if Priceline offers opaque bidding closer to your arrival date.

I found out you can still "name your own price" by adding "Oahu" rather than HNL (airport code), then choosing HNL. So, could you please help me with a bidding strategy? Do I start with economy, then compact, or the other way around? If I had to add a third type of car, do I add an larger/more expensive type knowing I wouldn't it (say convertible)?

Thank you,

Monica

[Governator]

I found out you can still "name your own price" by adding "Oahu" rather than HNL (airport code), then choosing HNL.  So, could you please help me with a bidding strategy?  Do I start with economy, then compact, or the other way around?  If I had to add a third type of car, do I add an larger/more expensive type knowing I wouldn't it (say convertible)? 

Thank you,

Monica

First off, I agree with theruare, I think your Avis deal is a good one, you may just find that is the best you'll get. If you want to underbid it, it is still worth a shot.

Rental car bidding is different from the hotel bidding, you are only bidding on one type of car at a time, not adding car types like you can add hotel star levels to a bid. For example, you could bid $15/day for a compact. After you enter your bid, you can see the cost including fees by proceeding to the next screen where you would verify your credit card. The total cost will be listed on that page. Compare that to your total cost from Avis before deciding to proceed. If the bid is not accepted, you could try a larger or smaller car and increase the bid amount. Or you could wait your timeout period and keep trying for a compact. For rental cars you have to wait seven days before rebidding, but you do have lots of time until your trip.

Hope this helps a little. Like you've probably seen elsewhere, Priceline is not the greatest for rental cars, but sometimes can give you a deal.

[MPileggi]

Thank you so much for the information! This helps me. I do think the Avis is a good deal but figure since I have plenty of time I could try priceline. At least I could cancel Avis if I needed to.

I'm still checking prices for the Big Island since I'm doing a one way rental. I've read that one should have a 4WD and prices for this type is expensive!! I might have to just bite the bullet.

Thanks again!

Monica