Car Hire Booking - Cheaper in the evening

Just booked the car for this years hols... direct with Dollar


We normally use Airline Network, but their prices have gone up recently and they want £22/day for a full size car instead of the £18/day that they were quoting last month. An increase of £88 for our 22days.

Booking direct with Dollar
has come out at £18/day, but only when booking in the evening, strangely the rates available during the day were just over £22/day.
I thought that I had made a mistake the first time, but I checked the prices on Wednesday evening/Thursday Daytime and then again on Thursday evening/Friday morning. Both times the daytime quote was more expensive.

I guess the answer is to try never to become complacent and always shop around?

The last journey and the one coming up I've found cheaper alternatives which has never been the case before

Hi Jilly
Who have you found that's cheaper than Airline Network? It'd be handy to know [y]

Originally posted by ela123

Hi Jilly
Who have you found that's cheaper than Airline Network? It'd be handy to know [y]

For April I was quite happy with a compact as they'll only be the two of us. Airline network was £467 for the 28 days (Compact) and the Intermediate was £502.

I booked with USrentacar which was a bit dearer for the Compact at £475 but were offering the Intermediate at the same price.

Both companies were 2 drivers and full tank of fuel.

I can't remember the figures for February when I went but I used Premier Travel and they price matched everything else I had been quoted less £5 and undercut Airline Network too. I decided to book with them through Alamo instead as that time I wanted to choose my vehicle.

Jilly

A cheeky tip is try Thrifty.....I found a cheap deal with them at MCO in Sept and they made me a Blue Chip member and on my last couple of trips to the US they have beaten everyone hands down and give silly free upgrades due to my blue chip status.

Only downside is at MCO they are off airport- oppostite the Hampton Inn and next to Hertz- but its only a 5min bus ride and they are on airport at most other places I have been to lately.

Who have you found that's cheaper than Airline Network? It'd be handy to know

Elaine,

As originally posted, booking direct (in the evening) with Dollar on their UK website is cheaper than Airline Network at the moment.

With Dollar a 2 door full size inclusive of all taxes and insurances is coming in at £18/day for July.
Airline Network want £22/day for exactly the same product.

Tim I have just checked the Dollar site direct and they are quite a bit dearer than the prices I had with USrentacar and slightly more than Airline Network.

Dollar's direct site fully inclusive rate does not include a full tank of fuel and you have to price up the Platinum rate - when I did this it worked out more although maybe Saturday evenings prices are higher!

Maybe you were getting a special July offer but I can't get them any cheaper than others rates for my journeys.

Jilly

Tim I have just checked the Dollar site direct and they are quite a bit dearer than the prices I had with USrentacar and slightly more than Airline Network.

Thanks Jilly,
Just rechecked our dates and Dollar are marginally cheaper for us
£396 as against £401 for the inclusive rate on USrentacar.

It looks like USrentacar are a lot cheaper in Florida, but slightly more expensive in California.

Maybe I'm doing something wrong but my daytime quote for a Minivan for 22 days in Orlando over Christmas / New Year is coming out at £827 versus Airline Networks rate of £516. The cheapest Economy car for the period is £474.

Is booking in the evening going to reduce the rate by > £300?

Phil FM

Just as a follow up to this.

I have been looking for a mini-van for Florida over Christmas / New Year. (22 days)

Checking across Yes Car Hire, Airline Network and US RentaCar I have found Yes(prob. Budget)/US Car Rental (Budget) to be cheapest probably at 473/535 (inc/Gold)

Significantly the US Car Rental prices for the Inclusive rate (that does not normally include additional drivers) does include 1 additional driver for Budget and Dollar which changes the comparison somewhat.

As a result US Car Hire(Dollar) works out at 509/560 (Inc/Gold) and Airline Network is 516/563 but significantly I can use the 509 rate on US Car Hire and still have two drivers (all I need) - I can't believe a tank of gas is worth $54.

US Car Rental are also offering an additional $10 off Dollar Minivans this month and/or a £5 online discount.

I could even go the Budget route for £473 - which is almost £100 less than I was going to go with originally on Airline Network. Just not so sure about Budget though.

Phil FM

P.S. Still can't get anywhere near this on Dollar direct and as mentioned US Car Rental offer a price match

Just as a follow up to this.

I have been looking for a mini-van for Florida over Christmas / New Year. (22 days)

Checking across Yes Car Hire, Airline Network and US RentaCar I have found Yes(prob. Budget)/US Car Rental (Budget) to be cheapest at 473/535 (inc/Gold)

Significantly the US Car Rental prices for the Inclusive rate (that does not normally include additional drivers) does include 1 additional driver for Budget and Dollar which changes the comparison somewhat.

As a result US Car Hire(Dollar) works out at 509/560 (Inc/Gold) and Airline Network is 516/563 but significantly I can use the 509 rate on US Car Hire and still have two drivers (all I need) - I can't believe a tank of gas is worth £54.

US Car Rental are also offering an additional £10 off Dollar Minivans this month and/or a £5 online discount.

I could even go the Budget route for £473 - which is almost £100 less than I was going to go with originally on Airline Network - minus tank of gas. Just not so sure about Budget though.

Phil FM

P.S. Still can't get anywhere near this on Dollar direct and as mentioned US Car Rental offer a price match

Try http://www.moneysupermarket.com they compare all the sites mentioned in this post, then go directly to the site that comes up the cheapest and you will find more discount there.

I booked for first two weeks in December direct with Hertz.
For a 4X4 (die planet,die!:-)) it's cost me all in £299.33, which is £21.38 per day