More Consolidation as Hertz To Buy Dollar Thrifty

The consolidation of the car rental industry continues as Hertz is reportedly planning to buy Dollar Thrifty for nearly $1.2 Billion. The combined company (count'em, 3 rental car agencies) offers a more global presence, with Dollar and Thrifty focusing on U.S. markets, while Hertz operates rental offices throughout the world. What's left among the big agencies? Avis, who just happens to own Budget. With less competition, this may mean car rental fees will start hiking up.

Alamo Car Rentals $15/Day - Weekends Only

HOT! A few times a year Alamo comes out with this great promotion where rentals at most U.S. cities are just $15/day (compact) - weekends only. It's that time again. Similar rules as before: Weekend's start from 9am Thursday, and run thru Monday. You must keep the car at least thru Saturday night. Valid for rentals April 15-May 24th, airport locations only. Anything larger than a compact costs just a few bucks more.

Tried a few cities at random - Dallas, Seattle and San Francisco. Works like a charm!

Have friends flying into town? Let them know about this great deal.

Click here for the details and to book.

Tip Regarding "Wear and Tear" on Car Rentals

It's common for car rentals to have minor scratches on the bumper, and perhaps a tiny ding or two on the sides. While many car rental agencies forgive this normal "wear and tear" on a vehicle, do not drive off the rental car lot without the damage documented on your paperwork. Don't let them brush it off as "minor" or "insignificant," and therefore need not be documented. When you return your car, the returning rental car agent may consider the "wear and tear" as something a little more significant, and bill you for damages.

5 Creative Ideas to Saving on Car Rentals

By Mike Grasso

www.inFLIGHTout.com

Sure we've heard the advice to use websites sites as Kayak which search multiple sites at once, enabling you to easily compare car rental prices. Great recommendation, but if you are a bargain shopper (and who doesn't love a great bargain?), it's only a start. Here are five creative tips to ensure you drive off the lot paying some of the lowest car rental rates available:

• Once you locate the appropriate fare and car rental agency, do a web search for discounts that can be applied to your reservation. Literally hundreds of discount codes are available for use, it’s just a matter of finding the right codes. My favorite site for finding these discounts is fatwallet.com. Be mindful of the terms and conditions with discount codes. For example, if you are using a discount code which nets 25% off to Stanford Alumni, you should be prepared to show your credentials.
• Book early and revisit later. Most car rental agencies in the United States do not require prepayment of rentals. So make your reservation early, then revisit as your rental date nears. This allows you to take advantage of any last minute car rental discounts, but also piece of mind knowing if, instead rates happen to spike up, you still have your original reservation.
• Consider Priceline’s, “name your own price” bidding option. When companies have a surplus of cars on their lot, they turn to Priceline to unload these at discounted prices. I’ve easily saved 40% on identical car rental reservations by using this Priceline feature. Drawbacks: You don’t know which car rental agency you are matched with until your bid is accepted. Also, full prepayment is required, and changes are generally not permitted.
• One more place! Check with Hotwire.com – another favorite of mine. Like Priceline, they do not give you the choice of car rental agencies, but they are upfront about the price of the car rental – often heavily discounted. I’ve found $14.99/day rentals at SFO before.
• Finally, just before you click that purchase button, review your itinerary. If you are flying to Seattle, make sure the quoted car rental is for the airport (assuming that’s where you want to pick up), and not a downtown location. Are your dates and pick-up times correct? Are the discount codes being properly applied to your reservation? Sometimes getting so caught up searching so many sites, it’s easy to overlook the small – yet most important details. Resolving issues early on will help ensure a smoother process when you pick up your car later.

inFLIGHTout Travel Tip: Email Important Documents to Yourself

By Mike Grasso

Even what seems the most solid planning and preparation occasionally fails. Take for example a recent trip to Boston: I had booked a car rental with a reputable agency months in advance and armed myself with a copy my itinerary, evidence of such reservation. Well, through a series of unfortunate inflight mishaps, coffee ended up soiling my paper itinerary, causing it to be unreadable. So, when I showed up at the car rental agency, you guessed it, they for whatever reason, had no reservation on file for me, and I no longer had no proof anything existed either. I was ready to fly back home at this point. 

But, the magic of the Internet and an Internet capable mobile device saved the situation. I simply logged into my email account, scrolled to my "active travel" folder and bada-bing, with a sense of pride and accomplishment, I flashed the reservation to the front desk agent who quickly processed my reservation. 

The lesson: A hard copy of all your travel plans are great (airline, car rental, hotel, tours), but also storing an electronic copy, which can be accessed anywhere you have Internet capability, improves on that. With the e-versions of itineraries, I store them in email folders labelled, "active travel" and "past travel" which helps locate files quickly - such as when standing at the car rental counter in Boston.

United Elite Flyers: Earn 2000 Miles for Each Hertz Rental

Here's an offer that's been around for a while, but worth a repost. United Mileage Plus Elite members who rent from Hertz through February 28, 2010 will earn 2,000 bonus miles for full size or larger vehicles rented 1-4 days in length, and 4,000 miles for each rental 5 days or longer. The bonus is in addition to the 50 or so miles Hertz awards for a standard rental. Click here for full details.

Last Two Months for Alamo $10/Day Car Rental Special

Alamo Car Rental continues to offer amazing $10/day rentals to drivers throughout the United States and Canada. But the final two months of this special are upon us. 

If you have travel plans between now and the end of May 2009, definitely consider the Alamo $10/day car rental special - valid for weekend rentals up to four days in length (pick up as early as Thursday). I've personally used this deal twice, once for a local rental in San Francisco, and for a three day stay in Southern California. Works like a charm! 

HOT! $10/Day Car Rentals From Alamo

Last week we brought you the Hertz free rental car offer where you receive a free one day car rental - few strings attached. Allegedly you had to pay a few bucks for taxes and fees, but my experience over the weekend resulted in a completely free rental.

Now Alamo has upped the ante by offering $10/day car rentals - up to four days in length, through May 31, 2009. Pickup as early as Thursday, return as late as Monday. For example, I just booked a four day rental for Honolulu, Hawaii, with a total cost of $52, compared to the previous $147 I had reserved. Best of all, like the Hertz offer, pre-payment is not required. This offer is valid in most U.S markets and it's good for both airport and in-city rentals.

Hertz Free Car Rental Offer (Yes, Free)

HOT!  Receive a free weekend day car rental from Hertz. No minimum rental period requirement. You just pay any applicable taxes and fees. Very little fine print on this one! Offer is valid once per month through March 31, 2009 in most U.S markets (excludes Hawai'i, Florida and New York Metro Areas). Some blackout dates may apply. 

Sound too good to be true? That's what I thought too until I priced some cities out:

Orange County: $2.36

San Diego: $2.13

San Francisco: $22.74 ($4.89 downtown!)

Las Vegas: $6.07 

Austin: $11.23

Seattle: $12.24 

Price above is the total cost for a 24-hour rental contract at airport locations, except where noted above. Many car types are eligible for this offer. 

Click here for the offer. 

Advantage Rent A Car Files For Bankruptcy

On Monday, San Antonio-based Advantage Rent A Car announced it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Citing the sluggish economy and a drop in leisure travel, among other reasons, the company says it will explore strategic alternatives, including a reorganization, sale, or merger to maintain operations.

The company said it will layoff 440 employees and close 21 rental locations nationwide, including a few in Southern California, keeping only its most profitable stores.

In most cases, customers with upcoming Advantage reservations at affected locations will have their reservation transferred to Hertz Car Rental. If you have questions relating to the closed locations call: 1-888-846-0808.

Demand and Disappointment for Fuel Efficient Car Rental Reservations

The spike in fuel costs is driving a big demand for fuel-efficient car rentals. Too big actually. Car rental companies typically offer something for everyone, from the compact Ford Focus right on up to a full size Toyota Avalon (pictured left). Problem is, too many people, it seems, are reserving the smaller, fuel efficient drives only to find they've been (involuntarily) upgraded when arriving to pick up the vehicle.

This article from the L.A times uncovers what car rental contracts say about these less than desired upgrades, and how reserving a compact car may actually start costing you more.

Advantage Rent A Car To Offer 100% 'Green' Fleet

In a press release Wednesday, Advantage Rent A Car announced they plan on becoming America's first 100% green rental car fleet. "Our single ownership and nimble fleet size provide us the ability to make a commitment to reduce our carbon footprint in the United States," says Denny Hecker, Chairman of Advantage Rent A Car. "Advantage will offer its customers an environmentally friendly rental alternative, while trying to make a difference in the places where our customers live."

Advantage's commitment is to turn 100% of its fleet "green" over the next 24 months subject to manufacturers' assistance and vehicle availability.

Although the company does not currently offer rentals in the San Francisco Bay Area, they do have more than 100 locations throughout the United States.

Avis Rental Cars: 50% off Weekend Internet Rates

I'm usually quite skeptical on "half off" promotions; usually they amount to half off the highest published prices (who pays that?) and result in a discount nothing better than using other discount codes readily available on websites such as fatwallet. But, then I tested this Avis promotion in a couple different markets with much success. Steep discounts resulted, when compared to regular Internet rates and other corporate and group discounts.

The promotion is valid for rentals checked-out no later than June 30th, for weekend rentals of at least 2 days, and at select airport locations only. Click here to check rates.

Budget Car Rental: 3000 Delta Skymiles and 20% off when renting a car for 3 days or longer, through December 15th. Click HERE for the offer and T&C