Worth Trying Priceline for HNL and OGG

[drj11]

Hi everyone. This is my first post.

So I'm going to Honolulu from 05/22-05/27 and Maui from 05/27-06/1.

I have back up reservations with Alamo for a Jeep @ $199 (HNL portion) and Convertible @ $230 (OGG portion). Both prices are total with taxes and fees. Alamo has a $199/week special for jeep or convertibles in hawaii plus I used a $25 off coupon (The rates are different for HNL and OGG because the fees were different for both islands. I thought that was weird. Also fyi only a jeep was available in HNL).

After a quick look at HOTWIRE / PRICELINE the cheapest rates I saw were $283 and $319 for both portions of my trip for a convertible.

I also made one attempt at bidding on PRICELINE for a convertible for the HNL portion @ $20 day x 5 days + $50 in fees ! = $150 was rejected. Priceline suggested I rebid $26 for a "good" chance and $29 for a "great" chance. The daily fees alone for these higher bids would be $130 and $145 without fees. Now I've heard that priceline fees are super wacky in that they increase without any clear correlation with the bid change alone. So with fees of at least $50 or probably more I figure this would pretty much end up close to the $199 reservation I have.

Should I just be happy with my reservation or does anyone have any tips to approach this differently or knows of any good deals anywhere?

One other question. Alamo says its $9.99/day for an extra driver. Should I expect the same if I wanted to add an extra driver to a priceline reservation.

Thanks!

[thereuare]

I'm not sure where you "heard that priceline fees are super wacky in that they increase without any clear correlation with the bid change alone" but there is a rhyme and reason to the taxes and fees. After you enter a bid amount the total charges will be shown before you actually submit the bid, so you can easily determine how high you should go in order to do better than the rate you currently have.

HOWEVER, one caution i would make is that the $10/day extra driver fee seems a little on the low end, so make sure you leave enough cushion should you receive a different rental company which charges a little more. As well, look to see if any of the "warehouse club" discount codes (such as Costco) offer an additional driver at no extra charge... getting this fee waived can be a significant savings and make your total cost cheaper even if it means a slightly higher rental rate. (could even make buying a membership worthwhile, although some offer a trial membership which you can still use)

Here is a good thread too (doublecheck any info that you rely on for your booking): Additional Driver Rental Car Fees