Car rental from Kona (KOA) and Maui (OGG)

[mikeerdas]

I'll be needing a 4 day car rentail in Kona (Fri to Tue) and a 4 day car rental in Maui (Tue to Fri). In the past, I've gone with either Thrifty or Dollar (same company now?) and seem to have gotten the best rates.

 

Anyone know of any promotions or codes I could use to get the Dollar/Thrifty rates even lower? I'm signed-up with both of the loyalty programs, so I already get to jump to the head of the line that way. And I know my BJ's Warehouse membership often gets me some small discount off car rentals.

 

Wondering if there's any larger / more significant discount I could look for.

 

I should say that:

 

* I always book an economy, but often get a "free upgrade" to a mid-sized; considered by me to be a *down* grade since I like tiny cars and larger cars guzzle more gas.

 

* I may want to drive to the astronomy center on Mauna Kea and don't want to violate any rental car agreements. I realize I can't drive to the summit in a non 4 wheel drive vehicle. May book an excursion for the whole visit and then the point is moot. But is it the case that many rental car agreements on the Big Island exclude "Saddle Road" completely?

Edited February 1, 2014 by mikeerdas

[Susan-M]

Hi Mike,

 

Not sure if you've checked Discount Hawaii Car Rental for pricing - they often have good prices, but it depends on how close to your trip you're booking. Use the "Immediate Confirmation - Reserve Yourself" link to get an on line quote. It's a bit confusing with the Brand names, but C is Thrifty, D is Dollar (they can't list the names of the agencies on their site, but once you book, you'll see which company it is.) You don't pay until you get there.

 

Costco travel is another good option, if you're a member.

 

I don't think any rental companies prohibit Saddle Road - it's been improved recently. You'll be OK to drive as far as the Visitor's Centre. When you pick up the rental car, you'll get a copy of the Hawaii Drive Guide (if they don't give it to you, ask for one.) There are maps inside the booklet which indicate prohibited driving areas. e.g. if you zoom in on this map, you'll see where it mentions driving being prohibited beyond the visitor's centre, but no mention of Saddle Road being prohibited.

[MMOMOM]

I'll be needing a 4 day car rentail in Kona (Fri to Tue) and a 4 day car rental in Maui (Tue to Fri). In the past, I've gone with either Thrifty or Dollar (same company now?) and seem to have gotten the best rates.

 

Anyone know of any promotions or codes I could use to get the Dollar/Thrifty rates even lower? I'm signed-up with both of the loyalty programs, so I already get to jump to the head of the line that way. And I know my BJ's Warehouse membership often gets me some small discount off car rentals.

 

Wondering if there's any larger / more significant discount I could look for.

 

I should say that:

 

* I always book an economy, but often get a "free upgrade" to a mid-sized; considered by me to be a *down* grade since I like tiny cars and larger cars guzzle more gas.

 

* I may want to drive to the astronomy center on Mauna Kea and don't want to violate any rental car agreements. I realize I can't drive to the summit in a non 4 wheel drive vehicle. May book an excursion for the whole visit and then the point is moot. But is it the case that many rental car agreements on the Big Island exclude "Saddle Road" completely?

 

We usually do Hawaii, no matter what island, on a land vacation and I always look up 'Cheap Hawaiian Car Rentals' on google. They are very good. We usually get a jeep, and yes, can be a little more expensive, but worth it where you say you want to go as well as the exploring we enjoy doing. We've done Saddle Road before with the jeep. A lot depends on the weather and you have to use your head. Now things may have changed since we did that, but we had no problems. Book early tho, as jeeps (all cars actually) sometimes aren't available for when you want them. Most times we end up with Thrifty, but get the better price by going thru the 'cheap rental place'. We actually got a jeep for 2 weeks last year on Oahu for roughly $750. We also have an 'add on' with one of our cc's that literally covers you for everything. Good luck and have a wonderful trip! :)

[mikeerdas]

We usually do Hawaii, no matter what island, on a land vacation and I always look up 'Cheap Hawaiian Car Rentals' on google. They are very good. We usually get a jeep, and yes, can be a little more expensive, but worth it where you say you want to go as well as the exploring we enjoy doing. We've done Saddle Road before with the jeep. A lot depends on the weather and you have to use your head. Now things may have changed since we did that, but we had no problems. Book early tho, as jeeps (all cars actually) sometimes aren't available for when you want them. Most times we end up with Thrifty, but get the better price by going thru the 'cheap rental place'. We actually got a jeep for 2 weeks last year on Oahu for roughly $750. We also have an 'add on' with one of our cc's that literally covers you for everything. Good luck and have a wonderful trip! :)

 

Thanks for the reference MM. I'm not really a Jeep person, although I appreciate the places "four wheelin'" can take you that other vehicles can't. Once did a trip out to Moab, Utah with a four-wheelin' friend of mine. The deal has half hiking (my preference), half crazy jeep trails. Hair raising to say the least--but definitely got out to some incredible otherwise-inaccessible locations with the Jeep.

 

Anyone here ever used Priceline bidding for rental cars on the Big Island or Maui?

Edited February 2, 2014 by mikeerdas

[mikeerdas]

Thank you Susan! Using Discount Hawaii Car Rental (DHCR), I saved around $100 total on my two car rentals. That's $100 less than even the 20% off rate I got with Dollar via my BJ's Warehouse Membership.

 

Didn't even have to go with a Brand X. The lowest price with DHCR was explicitly stated as being with Alamo and provided an Alamo confirmation #. The only downside is that I saw no place to input my Alamo Insider loyalty program #. I don't know much about Alamo, but enrolling in Dollar and Thrifty's loyalty programs, and including the # on the reservation, has always allowed me to cut to the head of the line; or at least use a shorter, special line than non-members.

 

This has saved me tons of time in airports over the years.

 

Hi Mike,

 

Not sure if you've checked Discount Hawaii Car Rental for pricing - they often have good prices, but it depends on how close to your trip you're booking. Use the "Immediate Confirmation - Reserve Yourself" link to get an on line quote. It's a bit confusing with the Brand names, but C is Thrifty, D is Dollar (they can't list the names of the agencies on their site, but once you book, you'll see which company it is.) You don't pay until you get there.

 

Costco travel is another good option, if you're a member.

 

I don't think any rental companies prohibit Saddle Road - it's been improved recently. You'll be OK to drive as far as the Visitor's Centre. When you pick up the rental car, you'll get a copy of the Hawaii Drive Guide (if they don't give it to you, ask for one.) There are maps inside the booklet which indicate prohibited driving areas. e.g. if you zoom in on this map, you'll see where it mentions driving being prohibited beyond the visitor's centre, but no mention of Saddle Road being prohibited.

[mikeerdas]

I'm also going to use AutoSlash.com to track my reservations. Evidently AutoSlash is great at checking rates several times a day and emailing you if the price goes down. Then you can rebook at the lower price if you'd like. I know from personal experience that car rental rates can fluctuate--just like cruise ship cabin prices--and that it can pay to check for price drops often. In this case, AutoSlash checks for me. Never used the service before, but we'll see how it goes.

 

The rate is already pretty low. But the more money I save, the more I can spend it on other things (food, gas, etc).

[Susan-M]

Glad that DHCR worked out for you. Our experience with Alamo on Maui was excellent - I'm an Insider's member, but didn't use it for my booking. You might be able to contact Alamo and have them apply it to your reservation ... I'm always concerned that it will affect the rate because I've booked through a discount site (DHCR or Costco) and not sure if you can get the further advantage of using your Insider's program - let us know if this works for you.

 

On the odd occasion, I've also seen Insider rates booked directly through Alamo at the same price as Costco or DHCR. Lots of checking ... but as you say, better to save on the car rental and spend it on something better!

 

One thing I really like about Alamo is that they give you a choice of cars within the category that you've booked ... so you get to look at the vehicles on the lot and pick the one that looks good to you. Also, the Alamo agency at OGG was well staffed, so we were in and out quickly.

[PCWalton1]

Hi Mike,

 

Not sure if you've checked Discount Hawaii Car Rental for pricing - they often have good prices, but it depends on how close to your trip you're booking. Use the "Immediate Confirmation - Reserve Yourself" link to get an on line quote. It's a bit confusing with the Brand names, but C is Thrifty, D is Dollar (they can't list the names of the agencies on their site, but once you book, you'll see which company it is.) You don't pay until you get there.

 

Costco travel is another good option, if you're a member.

 

I don't think any rental companies prohibit Saddle Road - it's been improved recently. You'll be OK to drive as far as the Visitor's Centre. When you pick up the rental car, you'll get a copy of the Hawaii Drive Guide (if they don't give it to you, ask for one.) There are maps inside the booklet which indicate prohibited driving areas. e.g. if you zoom in on this map, you'll see where it mentions driving being prohibited beyond the visitor's centre, but no mention of Saddle Road being prohibited.

 

We also used Discount Hawaii Car Rental in 2012 and are using them again later this year. Great discounts.

[mikeerdas]

Thanks so much Susan, and thanks also to Bill.

 

I've already gotten at least one price drop alert from AutoSlash.com, lower than DHCR. Not significantly lower to switch though. Also, DHCR seems to claim that, on my rental, they've negotiated a no-fee for second driver (would be my wife) and unlimited miles. Not sure what Alamo typically does, but ordinarily I'd think many rentals are unlimited miles + spouse drives free.

 

Thanks for the feedback on Alamo in Maui. Sounds great! The only reason I'd want to attach my Insider's number to the reservation is to potentially get my car quicker. Don't know if there's a special line for Insider's members--I've actually never rented with Alamo before.

 

But with Dollar and Thrifty, being in their loyalty program, having my account # on the reservation sometimes saves me up to 30 minutes of waiting in line for a car.

 

Case in point... recently, while flying into Orlando International Airport, I had a reservation with Thrifty and am a member of their Blue Chip loyalty program. Joining is free like with most Auto Rental programs.

 

I arrived at Thrifty's counter--long line, but there was a placard telling Blue Chip members to proceed directly into the parking garage. Did so and walked right up to the agent in the garage, checked in, and was allowed to choose any car.

 

I don't have any special status with Thrifty--it really seems to be enough to sign up with all the major auto rental company loyalty programs and keep account #s handy for any future reservations.

 

Glad that DHCR worked out for you. Our experience with Alamo on Maui was excellent - I'm an Insider's member, but didn't use it for my booking. You might be able to contact Alamo and have them apply it to your reservation ... I'm always concerned that it will affect the rate because I've booked through a discount site (DHCR or Costco) and not sure if you can get the further advantage of using your Insider's program - let us know if this works for you.

 

On the odd occasion, I've also seen Insider rates booked directly through Alamo at the same price as Costco or DHCR. Lots of checking ... but as you say, better to save on the car rental and spend it on something better!

 

One thing I really like about Alamo is that they give you a choice of cars within the category that you've booked ... so you get to look at the vehicles on the lot and pick the one that looks good to you. Also, the Alamo agency at OGG was well staffed, so we were in and out quickly.

Edited February 6, 2014 by mikeerdas

[mikeerdas]

Just as a data point, I found two emails in my in-box this morning from AutoSlash. These were for my two Dollar Rent a Car reservations for Kona and Maui, alerting me that the ~$200 each rentals could now be booked with Thrifty at ~$150 each. So I went through the process and rebooked. Big bonus is that it asked me for my Thrifty Blue Chip account #.

 

The rental prices are now about the same, or a few dollars less, than what I have with Discount Hawaii Car Rental (DHCR). If AutoSlash provides even more opportunities re-book at lower prices, I'll cancel my DHCR-brokered reservations.

 

Love AutoSlash because you never have to commit to anything--they just send any price drops and ask if you want to re-book through them. No credit card required either--nothing prepaid.

 

This is the clear winner so far. I doubt DHCR contacts customers pro-actively with price drops. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[mnchkn11]

I found a discount code on this message board before we went on our cruise in March 2013. It cut the prices in half. I think we paid $40/day for the cars on most of the islands. I don't remember what the code was, but if you search these message boards you should find it somewhere. I have seen it more than once.

[mikeerdas]

I found a discount code on this message board before we went on our cruise in March 2013. It cut the prices in half. I think we paid $40/day for the cars on most of the islands. I don't remember what the code was, but if you search these message boards you should find it somewhere. I have seen it more than once.

 

Thanks. Believe my rate is currently $26/day for both the Big Island and Maui. No new price drops have come through via AutoSlash. However, I suspect to receive at least one more as it gets closer to my trip (May 2014).

[mikeerdas]

Thanks. Believe my rate is currently $26/day for both the Big Island and Maui. No new price drops have come through via AutoSlash. However, I suspect to receive at least one more as it gets closer to my trip (May 2014).

 

Things seem to be holding steady. No new price drops have come through. Though might see one last one. It's now around 60 days until my trip begins.

[mikeerdas]

Things seem to be holding steady. No new price drops have come through. Though might see one last one. It's now around 60 days until my trip begins.

 

AutoSlash just automatically rebooked my 3 day car rental in Maui:

 

"You were originally booked at $152.57, and the price has now dropped to $126.11. We've automatically re-booked your rental at the lower rate. You've saved $26.46 without even lifting a finger!"

 

Now less than 50 days to departure.

 

So far, I am around $75 ahead of what Discount Hawaii Car Rental had quoted me on the Maui rental alone--their price was around $200. And I am around $50 ahead on the Kona rental. Total savings so far over Discount Hawaii Car rental for the entire trip: $125 after-tax dollars. Nice. :-) Why pay more for a commodity service?

Edited March 29, 2014 by mikeerdas