Best rates for a rental car … any tips?

autoslash.com

will check it out, thx

yo ... is this legit? you ever used them?

reason i'm asking:
website looks kind of fishy, and there are sending me to a rental company not in the rental car center on gillespie, but offside ... feels like i could be getting mugged there ;-))

yes it's legit I've used them many times.
there are a few companies like Fox that are
a second shuttle away. if you want Hertz or Enterprise or something like that they give you that option.
then you can have them track your reservation and they will alert you if a lower price comes and you can cancel/rebook

+1

Due to the airport concession fees the rates at off airport rental locations (including most major hotels) are usually significantly less. You can take a hotel shuttle or uber from the airport. Qorks best if you are renting for a week or more..

Also if you go on southwest.com they have a car rental tab that will show the rates on all the different rental companies Just enter your travel dates - don't need to be ticketed

The best part of the site is being able to track a rental and being alerted when it's cheaper. Usually for a trip I'll end up rebooking several times. I always book via Priceline that way I'm paying directly w/ the rental company when I arrive and have credit card benefits instead of booking through Autoslash.

I pretty much always use costcotravel.com to book rental cars, if you're a costco member. Also, depending on how long you're renting for, it might make sense to check prices at neighborhood locations rather than just the airport locations. Typically not a big enough savings to cover 2 ubers if you're not renting for a significant time though.

Rent over a Saturday, weekend rates are usually much cheaper than weekday rates. If possible, use a real credit card not a debit card. IME, legit rental companies will more quickly offer free upgrades if they know the vehicle will be covered. Also, avoid airport locations as mentioned, and ask if any of 'added taxes/levies' can be dropped for locals or whatever. Face to face time with the location manager has also worked for me, only renting maybe 2x/year. But I go to the same location every time. Join their frequent renters club. Who cares if they track your rental history?

Great tips, thx to everyone

FWIW last summer I saved a little over $200 on a 10 day rental by picking up at an off airport location - same company and same class of car - but prices fluctuate all over the place

Also make sure your regular insurance covers rentals and then refuse all coverages - I believe some credit cards also offer some protections if you use them but I would make sure beforehand.

I'm using Advantage next week. Sunday-Thursday for $84. I've had positive experiences with them before.
got the offer through autoslash

yeah, did that last time with Dollar i believe it was (at the big rental center on Gillespie), the guy got so aggressive when i refused to buy any extra insurance, won't say he threatened me, but drew all kinds of scenarios that could be really bad for me and wouldn't stop ... kinda unreal bad experience ;-)))

fyi, did some comparison through autoslash and southwest, Fox rental (off site, not in the center) seems to be the cheapest by far for what i need (3 weeks in march)

I'd give up the cheapest option to never have to go to that location again. At least one service guy in the lot stopped me prior to leaving in a car that shouldn't have been allowed to be given out. The car I did get....wasn't much better.

Fox has some pretty crazy reviews too, if I remember correctly

only rented a car once in usa#1 and was over a decade ago, but when we went to pick it up they had all these extra fees that went beyond the booked price, we negotiated them out

Fox isn't great but I've used them a few times and it worked out.

good to know, thx.
after i read this i checked some more reviews, definitely gonna pass on Fox ...

yeah, i just assume the smaller ones don't pay well, and their agents get commission on upsales (insurance etc.), which is why they push so hard

but totally agree with your other point, if it's close, i'l always go with the bigger brand, just feels safer all around.

ps: also, they have way more cars, i always rent the cheapest option, but often the 20$ tip downstairs with the guy who gives you the car works wonders, get a much bigger/nicer one very often

if a car upgrade is of interest to you, last time I rented from Fox, we finished check in for the cheapest option, went out and their lot was almost empty. we were given an option to choose what was on hand, which was a nice big Jeep or a Dodge Charger.