The price of a Hawii car rental varies widely from one car rental company to another, from
one month to another, and from one car size to another. No one car rental
company consistently gives you the best deals, but you can save a lot of
money by following the tips on this page.
Just like hotels and airlines, car rental companies are
constantly offering various discounts and changing their prices. That's why
you need to do a little shopping to get the best deal.
1. Compare several
companies
Go to the web sites (or telephone) each of
the major car rental companies, tell them your travel dates and desired car size, and see who
offers you the best price. The companies with the most choices and the most
locations are Hertz, Avis, National, Budget, Alamo, Dollar and Thrifty. You
have to check several of them, because the company that gave your friend the
best price last month may not be the company offering you the best price
today.
2. Check travel
websites
Go to discount travel websites and see
whether they can beat the best price you found in step #1. Use this
box to easily search multiple discount travel websites at once (the airport
code for Honolulu is HNL, or for Maui is OGG, or for others fill in city
name):
3. Use AAA or AARP
Ask for discounts if you belong to AAA or AARP.
They can provide you with discount code numbers good at the major auto
rental companies. You can fill in those codes on their websites or you can
call each of the car rental companies and ask for discounts based on your
AAA or AARP membership.
4. Recheck, recheck,
recheck
There is generally no penalty for canceling a
rental car reservation, so reserve a car at the best price you find on your
first day of shopping on the web. Then go back to those websites again a
couple weeks later, a month later and again a month before your trip. If
one of the car rental companies has cut their price, make a new reservation
at the lower price and cancel your previous reservation. (It doesn’t matter
whether your new reservation is with the same or a different company than
your original reservation.) This way, if prices drop you get the new low
price, but if prices increase you just keep your previous reservation at the
old low price.
5. Try Costco or
Sam's
If you belong to Costco or Sam’s Club, go to their
website and click on Travel and then on Car Rental. Check the price from
each of the car rental companies offered directly through Costco or Sam’s.
6. Check the Entertainment
Book
The
Entertainment Coupon Book
for most cities and states has coupons for
discount car rentals. If you don't already own the Entertainment Book
for your home area, you can buy the Hawii Entertainment book.
Click here to buy it on the web.
(On that site, enter Honolulu for the city and Hawaii for the state.) It has
discounts on restaurants on all the major Hawaiian islands, in addition to
car rental and other discounts.
7. Avoid spouse
charges
If both you and your husband or wife are planning
to drive the rental car, call the rental car company you are considering
using and ask them whether there is an extra daily charge for your spouse to
be authorized to drive. Often the amount of that charge is high enough to
turn the best deal into the worst deal! If so, either change your
reservation to a different company, or ask how you can get that daily charge
eliminated. Some rental car companies (such as National) don’t charge for
your spouse to drive if you are a member of their frequent-renters
club (see item #10 below). Others (such as Alamo) may not charge for your
spouse if you rent through Costco. Some (such as Hertz) may not charge for
your spouse if you are a member of AAA and use your AAA discount code at the
time of reservation.
8.
Avoid airport fees
Rent your car in town or in the resort area instead
of at the airport, to avoid airport concession fee taxes. For example, on
Maui, if you rent from any of the major companies at their Kaanapali-Kapalua
location, you won’t have to pay the 8% added fee they all have to charge
when you rent from their Kahului Airport location. Of course you’ll have to
take a shuttle from the airport to your hotel, but if you pick up your
rental car the next day you will often save enough on one day’s less rental
to cover the cost of the shuttle. Make sure you return the car to the same
place you rented it, or that there is no drop charge if you are renting at
the resort and returning to the airport.
9.
Check package deals
If you are using a travel agent to help plan your
trip, ask about package plans that include a rental car and hotel or condo
(or air fare) in one package price.
10.
Join the club
If you travel and rent cars at least once a year,
join the frequent renters club (like frequent flyers for the airlines) for
at least a couple of the major car rental companies. I have found the best
discounts for members of National’s Emerald Club, but you should also check
out Hertz #1, Avis Preferred, Budget Fastbreak, Alamo Quicksilver, and
Dollar Express. Membership in these clubs is usually free, but if any of
them ask you to pay a fee to join, they will usually waive that fee if you
just request a free membership. Even if the company you rent from is not
offering discounts to members at the time you are going, there are other
advantages to belonging to their frequent renters club. Most let club
members skip the waiting line when you pick up your car. They have your
paperwork all completed in advance and hand it to you with no waiting.
National even lets you go directly to the car lot and choose the car you
want, without first having to speak to any agent or wait in any line.
And some of the
clubs waive the fee for your spouse to drive if you are a club member.
11.
Avoid off-brands
There are small independent car rental companies on
each of the Hawaiian islands. But I find that they rent older and less
reliable cars. If you use the above tips, you can get a good price on a
newer car from one of the major companies. You don’t have time for car
problems on your vacation.
12.
Don't pay for extra insurance
Don’t buy unnecessary insurance. Call your home
automobile insurance company to verify that they will cover your rental
car. Check with your credit card company too, since many credit cards
provide free collision coverage on car rentals. If your home insurance or
credit card is covering you, then turn down the expensive added insurance
offered by the car rental company when you pick up the car.
