Y'all were right about renting a car early!

[Straitlover]

We are doing a DIY land tour to Denali before our June 2018 cruise. I rented our car (Anchorage RT) about 6 weeks ago for Enterprise via big box-co and then re-booked a week later directly w/ enterprise (price was cheaper on their site using the other's promo code), $35.99/day for full size (total including tax is $173 and change for Wed 8AM - Sat 10PM). Checked this week to see if it had gone down - nope! It is now $134.96/day!!! Holy smokes! :eek:

 

If the three of us could fit in a compact, I could get it for $115 including taxes for Wed AM through Sat PM through Hertz! Three larger ladies with suitcases would be a mighty tight squeeze in a Nissan Versa. :')

[diesel1973]

Have done my fair share of travel and never book anything thru a third party. First of all is you have a confirmation from the business you are dealing with and second of all it usually is not cheaper. Read too many horror stories about people traveling for hours only to find their so called reservations don't exist.

Great job and enjoy your trip!!

[Budget Queen]

We are doing a DIY land tour to Denali before our June 2018 cruise. I rented our car (Anchorage RT) about 6 weeks ago for Enterprise via big box-co and then re-booked a week later directly w/ enterprise (price was cheaper on their site using the other's promo code), $35.99/day for full size (total including tax is $173 and change for Wed 8AM - Sat 10PM). Checked this week to see if it had gone down - nope! It is now $134.96/day!!! Holy smokes! :eek:

 

If the three of us could fit in a compact, I could get it for $115 including taxes for Wed AM through Sat PM through Hertz! Three larger ladies with suitcases would be a mighty tight squeeze in a Nissan Versa. :')

 

I've got a few reservations in myself. But, I have no problem with 3 people in an economy car and always rent the cheapest. It may be a possibility for you to consider it. Not sure how long you are going- but even my 5++ week trip there this May/June, I again only had one 24" bag. My 2 month Europe/Ireland trip next month has the same single bag going. I do take 1 backpak in addition.

 

The bags fit nicely on their sides with 3 across.

[Straitlover]

 

The bags fit nicely on their sides with 3 across.

 

Is that in the trunk or the back seat? Do you recall the make & model of the car(s)? I'm not sure of the size of the others' suitcases. Will need to check on that.

[mapleleaves]

Go to the nearest Enterprise office and sit in a Nissan Versa and Mitsubishi Mirage. See how if feels, look at the trunk.

 

As for the prices, they will continue to change! Check the various web sites frequently and you might catch a price cut. Even with Enterprise prices are different at each of their 4 locations; the airport is usually highest due to the extra fees but sometimes its lower, and sometimes a mid size car can be cheaper than a compact. You just gotta keep on checking every angle, right up until the day you leave.

 

But congrats on the deal you have ! nice.

[Budget Queen]

Is that in the trunk or the back seat? Do you recall the make & model of the car(s)? I'm not sure of the size of the others' suitcases. Will need to check on that.

 

Nissan Versa 4 door. 3 bags in the trunk.

[bottom-dragger]

it's not about booking early, it's about staying on top of your reservation.

 

for domestic rentals, this has worked for me (read that again, this is what works for me) i use carrentals.com to track pricing trends and lock in when I find an acceptable price. It is a third party process but reservations are from the rental agency and payment is made to the rental company at their counter when picking up your vehicle. Continue to track pricing with them and cancel a more expensive rental w/o fee. My credit card has exceptional car rental coverage and I feel better that the charge is shown directly to the rental agency and not a third party.

 

I just checked on my 28 day reservation on Sicily beginning next thursday. Originally made in may @ ~$900 Canadian, I just rebooked at ~$600 Canadian.

[AryMay]

When planning our trip 3 years ago I checked on prices about 9 months out and was totally shocked to find a rate of $10/day out of Anchorage in June. We hadn't ironed out all of our travel details yet so I actually made 2 reservations and then cancelled one once we knew what dates we needed the car.

 

I'm pretty sure this was a mistake but they honored the price when we went to pick up the car. (We were worried that they may not!) Even the guy at the counter couldn't believe the rate and had to show all of the other representatives!

 

The taxes & fees were almost as much as the daily rate, but for a 3 day rental the total bill was only $58.23! Getting the great rate on the car helped ease the pain of all of the other high prices for food & lodging!