Feb 09 2009
Finding Hawaii Car Deals In 2009
Getting a good deal on a car rental, especially in Hawaii, takes time, skill and luck. This past week for example, I rented a car at Kahului, Maui for $30 a day. If I’d rented the same car without doing the work below, the cheapest price was more than double. I have another car rental next week in Honolulu, which I found last week for $31 a day. Now the best deals I can find are $65.
Last year, I did another post on the subject, Our Top 9 Car Rental Strategies, which also still describes the situation well.
Here are best tips on finding a car at a reasonable price this year:
Select your favorite car rental company.
- Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Budget, and National have worked the best for me in Hawaii.
- Alamo, Thrifty, and Enterprise I try to avoid.
Using discount codes is a mixed bag.
Sometimes it can save you 50 percent or more. At other times, and seemingly without reason, it can just add to the price. There are also times when merely using your frequent renter number can either substantially increase or decrease the price. Best advice: check the rate with and without your code to make sure you have a deal.
Give these sites a try to find the best code.
- Island Air
- Costco (often includes a free second driver)
- Car Rental Momma
- Fat Wallet
- Car Rental Codes
Timing is Everything.
As soon as I know I need a car, I get the best reservation I can find. Thereafter, I check every couple of weeks or so, to see if I still have the best deal. I’ll change reservations if I find something better which may even be with the same company.
Other Tricks
Well, it isn’t so much a trick as it is being diligent. Try all of the options, and book the best deal you can. Then try all the options at various points closer to your rental, and see if you still have the best deal.
When renting a car I start someplace basic, whether Orbitz, Travelocity, or a similar site and get an idea of pricing. From there, I go to the individual car rental company sites and try reserving both with and without codes. I don’t let the pricing I initially find keep me from trying each company’s site. Sometimes the company that is most expensive can become the cheapest with the right code. Learn to get quick at checking all the variations and don’t make it a big deal. You will definitely save yourself a ton of money over time.
Another idea is to try bidding for cars. Before doing so, I like using Bidding for Travel. This site has a car rental forum where people share their winning strategies on Priceline.
Have fun and let us know how it works.
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I almost always use priceline and bid for car rentals. Often times much cheaper. Another option I use is Hotwire if the bidding process isn’t working out.
It is always a great idea to check rates with and without a car rental discount code to make sure that you are getting the best deal. There are hundreds of membership programs and professional associations that offer car rental discount codes to their members. You can find a list of car rental discount codes for 8 major car rental companies, at best-car-rental-tips.com.
Interesting that you chose the car companies you did.
We have always rented through “Discount Hawaii Car Rental” in Honolulu (discounthawaiicarrental.com) and invariably end up with Thrifty (is it a ‘front’ for them? – perhaps you know) which has always been at a really good price, has given us the best of service, and a second free driver. I’d be interested in why you don’t care for them.
But I will certainly try looking into your preferred ones first next time (Mar. 4). A friend who recently returned from Maui couldn’t get a car for the first three days he was there, and when we went back to put a second driver (who had just arrived in Honolulu) on our car, the line-up for cars at Thrifty was horrendous.
Always enjoy your information, Jeff!
Thanks for the good input in your comments.
I’ve tried bidding a few times recently and it hasn’t worked out nearly as well as with code variations (though that won’t stop me from trying bidding in the future).
Thrifty has almost never worked for me. From waiting to long for shuttle and while renting, to roach infestations in the car here in Hawaii. I would be hard pressed to try them again, even though it is the same company as Dollar.
Jeff
I took advantage of an apparent website glitch. I just got a car rental ressie via Island Air – Dollar Car for this summer 7/4 – 7/11/09. The weekly total for a standard SUV ended up at $73.96! Too good to be true, so I’ll book a cancellable back-up as well in case they do not honor this reservation.
In the past I’ve used “Discount Hawaii Car Rental” as well as Priceline to get deals, and second both to be just as good. I don’t know why you dislike Thrifty, but I’ve had no problems with them.
Why do you dislike Alamo? I am getting the best prices from them right now but you have me worried.
Hi Bill,
I use Alamo on the mainland, but here in Hawaii, it just has not worked out too well. Customer service, wait times for the bus, condition of cars. And at HNL, they are located off-airport. That about sums it up.
Jeff
I love hawaii and will be using these tips in my next visit thanks =)
I just booked a full size car on the big island for $10/day on priceline. (dates were beginning of Feb 10) Pretty sure that is an unbeatable deal! I ALWAYS use priceline when booking for Hawaii.