Help with LAS car rental for 12/8-12/16-09

[millwoch]

Perfer mid-size or standard but can go smaller as only my wife and I will be traveling. Hotwire rate for same week is $19 compact and $23 Mid-size through full-size. Bidding advice is greatly appreciated.

Location: LAS

Dates: 12/8 through 12/16/09

[thereuare]

With time on your side i would start by bidding $8 for a Compact and $12 for a Midsize... increase each bid by $1 every 24 hours.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

Good luck and keep us updated.

[500Rooms]

Las Vegas in July... I have a (changeable/non-prepaid) reservation with Payless Car Rentals for a 5 day trip in July for a mid-size car costing $18.65 a day ($130 total for 5 days with taxes and fees) Hotwire is showing $23.99 a day for a total of $175.01 and Priceline has not accepted bids that are anywhere below my Payless reservation. I will keep trying right up until I leave but suspect I will end up with the Payless Car Rental company. I also signed up as a Payless "Perks Member" (which is free) and that saved me $6 off published rates. Payless is not one of the "5 major companies" but is accessible from the airport with a shuttle, the same as the Hertz, Alamo etc.

[roughnready]

Right, Payless is in the same McCarran rent-a-car center with all of the other big companies and uses the same shuttle from the airport. The shuttle leaves very frequently. The only company that seems to be off-off airport is Fox, which requires a second shuttle ride.

It's also worth noting that *some* of the rental car counters are NOT open 24 hours, just in case you get in very late. (The majority are open all day, though).

Here's the official rental center brouchure that lists all of the companies that are on-site:

http://www.mccarran.com/pdf/SR25201RentACarBrochureWeb.pdf (PDF)

[500Rooms]

I read some VERY bad reviews about Payless Rental Cars so it sounds like they could be iffy to deal with. I jumped on a Simply Wheelz (Hertz) deal that was a little more expensive but they had no bad reviews or complaints. Both Priceline and Hotwire have been higher than I could get from a regular discount car rental company, which seems surprising to me. I've tried for weeks to get a decent deal with the bids in the ball park of previous winners. No luck. I ended up with a mid-size car in LAS for 5 days for $158 from Simply Wheelz.

[thereuare]

Thanks for the update.

Sometimes the deals just arent' there for a particular rental, which is why it's important to always check rates thru conventional methods to make sure you don't overbid. The car companies set rates based upon their rack rates, and after you include the PRICELINE / HOTWIRE booking fee, and account for any coupons you have for a direct booking, sometimes you can find a direct rate that can't be beat.

This isn't to say that you shouldn't try PRICELINE and HOTWIRE for rental cars, as very often they will be your best deal, but it emphasizes the need to do your research beforehand.

As well, this rental isn't until the end of Decmeber, so assuming your rate thru Hertz is refundable, you should continue to try to beat the deal you currently have... just like hotel rates, car rental rates can fluctuate a lot. Also note that your dates above coincide the the NFR (rodeo) so that could be affecting car rental rates and keeping them high at the moment (as you get closer to your dates of travel rates will likely be adjusted, upward or downward, based upon demand that the rental companies are seeing)

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[millwoch]

I booked with Alamo for a weekly rate of $122 for a compact(Nisson Versa). Used a $25 dollar off coupon code AD6974JDM and with tax the total was $166 for Dec. 9-16. I can cancell this rate if PRICELINE drops from the $18-21 dollar rate currently available.

[thereuare]

Thanks for the follow-up and keep updated if there are any changes.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.