How to get the lowest car rental rate?

My sister is heading out to Vancouver in April and had asked me to help her rent a car. I started my search with CarRentals.com to get an idea of the price for the two weeks she will be there. I like starting there because CarRentals.com will inquire all the car rental companies in the area you specify. I usually enter the airport code (eg. YVR) but you can enter the city and province / state instead. If you do that, CarRentals.com will list all the franchised locations for each car rental company. Here is where you have to use your discretion because if you rent from an offsite location, you will have to get yourself to that location to pick up the car and incur any cost that is associated with that but sometimes, it is worth the trouble and cost.

From the search results, I will take note of each company and price starting with the lowest. Using the list of companies, I will go through each of their websites and enter my travel dates and any coupon codes, contract id’s or corporate codes that I may have. For help with that, be sure to follow my blog or you can always buy me a cup of coffee and I will help you find the lowest rate.

Bon Voyage

I often wonder who reads my blogs. On the topic of saving money, I always have a hard time targeting the people who can benefit the most. For example, my tip of the day only works for people who are Alberta residents with a valid Alberta driver’s licence that will be in Vancouver from February 7 – 11, 2013 and loves boats. If you fit the bill then perfect-o because I have 2 free tickets for you to attend the boat show.

Interesting enough, the show will be hosted at two venues in Vancouver, BC. The first place is at B.C. Stadium where it’s easy to get to and shelters you from the rain. Perhaps the weather will be dry that time of year but I tend to doubt it. It doesn’t always rain in Vancouver but in the winter, it does get more of the wet stuff than most provinces across Canada. The second venue is at Granville Island Maritime Market and Marina, the more likely place for a boat show. At least there, you can see the boats in its natural habitat.

Anyways, to get your free tickets, simple click here and enter ‘Alberta11’ in the promo code. The $12 per ticket will be waived and you will have me to thank you. Bon voyage!

Christmas on a Budget

Everybody is going to budget-minded this Christmas. And talk about Budget, be sure to use BCD code U114800 to save on your Christmas rental. In Vancouver, you can rent a economy/compact car for only $45 for a 3-day rental from December 16th to 19th. I’ve been shopping and comparing with Thrifty’s using the code: LM78 and it comes close. Remember, the trick is picking up the car from a non-airport location to save on airport taxes. In Vancouver, the tax is well over 17% which cancels out alot of promo code rates.

Alot of people are going to strap down their budget and shop for themselves. If you are looking to stock your house, perhaps your new renovated basement with a home theatre, spa or home office, here’s a free visitor’s pass to DirectBuy. We’ve seen the ads on tv where they say you can save up to 50% off all your home remodelling and fixtures.

And if you have golfers on your Christmas list, check out all the golf shirts and windshirts by Antigua and Oakley at savings up to 75% off at Knetgolf. To take advantage of this special, be sure to use the coupon code: SHIRT.

Mystery Bags for $10

If you want to clear some clutter out of your house but don’t have the heart to throw it out (yet) then pack it up and offer it on ebay as a mystery bag or grab bag. At the end of golf season, I was cleaning out my bag and found a bunch of ball markers, divot tools and some training aids that didn’t work for me. I decided to pack it up in a box, marked it ‘grab bag’ then offered it on ebay. I listed the item under golf stuff and in a day, I had over 100 people visit my ad. By the end of the week, I had a bid worth $30 and I sent it off to the highest bidder. 

This morning I found a new golf website that may interest some of you. It’s OOBGolf and they have a mystery bag worth $10. Unfortunately, this offer is only good if you live in the US or if you live near the border (eg. Vancouver, Richmond, etc. and have read my blog about the Letter Carrier) then you’re in luck. The mystery bag can contain anything from a golf shirt to golf clubs. It’s probably worth your $10 to see what you get, considering the sponsors involved such as Adidas, Mizuno, TaylorMade and more. There is a $3.95 shipping charge but what the heck, if they are going to send you a golf club then this is just a fraction of the cost.

This is limited offer good until December 1st, 2008. Mystery bags will be shipped on December 15th, 2008 just in time for Christmas.

Save 50% off the Beach

Until midnight, book with WestJet and save up to 50% off to locations including Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Nassau, Florida, Jamaica and more. And enter the promo code: BEACH to save an additional 15% off tickets to Montego Bay or Nassau, Bahamas. Some great fares include Calgary to Maui for only $259 one-way, Vancouver to Las Vegas for $124 one-way, Toronto to Orlando for $129 one-way. 

My friend in Montreal is itching to get away for Christmas, however she doesn’t know whether she can get a week off. If she has the Dec 15th week off, she can take advantage of the four day deal for $225 that includes airfare, accomodations and taxes. That’s cheaper than a roundtrip flight to Vegas alone. 

My cousin in Vancouver has to work through Christmas because she is in retail so she is taking the $99 return flight to Las Vegas for only $99. She flies on January 1st and has to return on January 8th, 2009.

Last but definitely least, here’s a flight for you, Afsaneh who lives in Toronto. For only $22, you can fly via Air Transat to Orlando, Florida to visit Mickey and his friends on December 7th. This incredible deal is for one-way only but you can be in balmy Orlando and escape the snow.

WestJet – Save 50-80% off today

Like Britney sings, “I did it again” and so I booked another rental car with Thrifty’s using the coupon code on our site to bring down the rate for my week in Vancouver. I managed to get the price down to $100 including taxes and when you pick up your vehicle from the airport, you get dinged with a airport or location fee tax which is up to 21% in some places. That normally knocks off any discount you get using coupons and promo codes.

The forecast is out for the weekend and everybody seems to be on the WestJet site today, trying to escape the wintery cold. Today only, you can save 50%-80% off select cities and up to 50% on all Canadian destinations. If you haven’t picked up your flight home for Christmas, this may be the time to do so. As for winter getaways this weekend, try Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Diego – in exactly this order from lowest fare to highest fare. 

Our golfing friends are heading out to Phoenix tomorrow for less than US$600 per person. This includes roundtrip airfare, 4-star hotel stay and taxes. They tell me all their tee times have been booked and they leave early in the morning. On our site, Orbitz has a 20% off hotel offer. Also, you can save 10% off the already cheapo fares by using the coupon code: TAKEOFF10.

Stay Here, Fly There

With dropping gas prices, travellers are still not seeing better air deals but wait, here is a great deal from Holiday Inn. Book and stay at any participating Holiday Inn location now through December 31, 2008 and get a voucher redeemable for $198 roundtrip between 198 US cities or $298 roundtrip to Canada and Mexico.

What is the catch? Read the terms and conditions here. If you’re ok with it, go and find a location to spend the night then within three weeks after your stay, you will receive the voucher via email. One more condition, you have to book it online with Holiday Inn or by phone.

Sample rates include Scottsdale at $127 per night, North Vancouver at $159 per night, Las Vegas at $129 per night.

BBD is waiting for you

I think it would be foolish of you to think that the BBD (Bigger, Better Deal) is static. I mean, I booked my car for Vancouver next week about 3 weeks ago and thought the BBD was $250 per week. The next week, I checked with Hertz and used a coupon to bring the price down to $206 per week. I was pretty happy saving almost $44 in one week then I decided to check Alamo and found a better price at $185. This week, I looked at Dollar and came up with a rate of $166 but decided to go with Thrifty’s instead at $168. You see, Dollar rents Chrysler Calibers as their compact cars versus the Toyota Yaris that I prefer at Thrifty’s. With the high fuel costs in Vancouver, I think I can around more places with a Yaris with less gas than a Caliber.

The morale of the story is that with car rentals, you have to book, cancel and rebook. Don’t think for a minute that your BBD is it. Try and try again until the last day you fly out. The BBD is around the corner waiting for you. And we will try to help with coupon codes to save you more money. Bookmark our page on car rental to get the latest coupons and promo codes.

Here’s some codes for you to use. Get $15 off a weekend rental at Thrifty’s by using CP87. Or get $25 off a weekly rental at Dollar by using DC103.

Save 50% off today

Today, everything I need is 50% off. If you are planning a trip, book your travel with WestJet today because you can save 50% off trips to Canada, US and sun destinations. For example, you can fly to Vegas from Vancouver on September 17th for only $83 one way. Or fly to Vancouver from Calgary on the same date for $89 one way.

Have you taken the kids to Calaway Park yet? Here’s a coupon to save 50% off admission prices. And if you are looking for a car to rent, check out Enterprise’s Save 50% off weekend rental. Also on our site, is a coupon to save an additional 10% off the already reduced prices at 3Balls Golf. Check out their golf apparel which is at least 50% off MSRP. Take the Cleveland Stormcore Rain Pants that is marked down from $150 to $59.95 or the Callaway Big Bertha Stretch pullover for $34.95, marked down from $80.00.

Back to travel, stay at the Paris Las Vegas on August 27 and 28 for only $79 per night which is more than 50% off.  Or closer to home, stay at the new Copperstone Resort Hotel in Canmore for only $94 ($99 Canadian) per night in a 1 bedroom suite with a 2-night minimum stay, a saving of 55% off regular rates.

Thru the Nose

I’m looking for the best deal for car rentals in September when I go out to Vancouver, BC to visit my folks. I find car rentals to be on the expensive side in Vancouver, but to get around, it’s easier by car than by transit. I keep a little black book with coupon codes and promo codes by my computer and use it religiously whenever I book a car. Today, I started with Alamo and tentatively booked a car for $250 total for 5 days. Pretty expensive, eh? Even with Enterprise 50% off weekend rentals, the total came out to $258. I scanned the prices for Budget, National and Ace and found their rates to be more than what I was quoted by Alamo.

This afternoon, I researched another web offer and stumbled upon a code for Hertz. Usually, I stay away from using Hertz or Avis because I find their prices to be a lot higher for the average joe like me. But with a special code, I managed to get the total down to $223. The code I used was 1770665. It will save you 33% off the online rates.

Try it out wherever you need a car from Hertz. Hopefully, you won’t have to pay through the nose like me in Vancouver.