HNL Oahu Fullsize Alamo

Working on a rental in Honolulu for 9/16 3 pm - 9/25 7:30 pm

After scouring the web and bidding on PRICELINE (thru the bb link) for weeks I have booked with Alamo using entertainment.com rental codes (Contract ID#: 7014302 and Coupon Code: AD5185JDW). With the $20 off coupon I booked a Midsize for the above time frame for a total price of $173.78.

We prefer a convertible but for the cost I will need a deal on priceline. I started bidding for the convertible at $7 many weeks ago and offering $2 for the compacts; bidding every few days. My most recent bids should be getting close. I started keeping track of the total cost after I had booked the Alamo rental. Different classes of vehicle seem to have different charges. It may be based on the potential rental company.

I will keep bidding and see if I can get lucky as we get closer to the date. The mid size isn't usually my first choice but the value was strong. After taxes and fees it looks like priceline will have a hard time beating the deal. I'll update as I go along.

Any ideas or suggestions are welcomed.

8/23/08 (All Refused)

$17 Convertible

$14 SUV/Minivan/Luxury/Premium

$10 Full Size ($157)/Standard ($163)/Midsize ($162)

$8 Compact ($139)/Economy ($134)

8/24/08 (All Refused)

$16 Conv/Prem/Luxury

$15 SUV

$13 Minivan

$10 Full Size/Standard

$9 Mid Size

$8 Compact/Economy

8/26/08 (All Refused)

$17 Convertible $236.05

$13 SUV/Prem/Luxury All $200.39

$12 Minivan $176.23

$11 Full Size $161.08

$10 Standard ($163.54)/Mid Size ($158)

$8 Compact ($132.05)/Economy ($130.12)

Thanks for trying your bids thru our PRICELINE links.

Have you checked HOTWIRE... sometimes their fees are lower and can make the total cost lower than PRICELINE.

For a convertible, how much more are you willing to pay vs. your back-up?

I think $240 total is my max for the convertible. I'll keep wearing 'em down. Rates for Alamo look like they went up on Sunday. It is now about $25 more than what I have reserved.

Bids for 8/27/2008 All Rejected

$18 Convertible $236.80

$13 SUV $196.49/Minivan-Lux-Premium $200.39

$11 Full Size $175.83

$10 Standard $163.54

$9 Mid Size $143.08

$8 Compact $137.31

$7 Economy $119.36

Rates for Alamo look like they went up on Sunday. It is now about $25 more than what I have reserved.

Which is why a cancellable back-up is always a good idea... nice job for not just sitting and watching this one! :)

Bids for 8/29/08 4 pm All Rejected

$17 Convertible $226.15

$15 Luxury/Premium $224.96

$14 SUV $210.20

$12 Minivan $175.20, Full Size $178.43

$10 Standard $163.54, Mid Size $152.50

$8 Compact $136.60

$7 Economy $126.69

I guess the difference in rates may be due to different potential rental vendors. Anyone know for sure?

It's possible that PRICELINE uses a different fee formula depending upon the car class.

8/30/08 All Rejected

$17 Convertible $226.35

$15 Luxury/Premium/SUV $224.96

$13 Minivan $175.80

$11 Full Size/Standard $175.83

$11 Mid Size $159.75

$10 Compact $155.50

$9 Economy $142.37

8/31/08 All Rejected

$17 Convertible $227.16

$15 Luxury/Premium $224.96

$14 SUV $208

$12 Minivan $174.80

$10 Full Size/Standard $163.54

$10 Mid Size $159.30

$8 Compact $126.87

$7 Economy $126.69

9/3/08

$16 Convertible $226.50 (Priceline rejected but offered $17/day for $237.15 total, I decided to hold tight)

$15 Luxury/Premium $224.96

$14 SUV $212.68

$12 Minivan $188.11

$11 Full Size $167.78 ACCEPTED

Your Offer Price: $11.00 (per day)

Total Rental Days: 10 days(9 days and 4 1/2 hours)

Subtotal: $110.00

Taxes and Fees: $57.75

Total Charges: $167.75

Lowest Published Price: $512.99

Total Savings:* $345.24 (You saved 67%)

Well it took awhile but that's a little better than the $171 for a mid size. I got a little bit bigger car.

You might want to move this to the Priceline Thread. I posted on the wrong page to start.

Congratualtions on your win!

Glad to hear you were ultimately successful and while just about the same price as your back-up reservation, you secured a higher class car. Can you please indicate which car company accepted your bid and we'll add this information to the topic title.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board.

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

Enjoy your stay.

ALAMO RENTAL CAR

Thanks for the follow-up.