To Blue Chip or Not to Blue Chip

[Wattle]

We have booked all our rental cars over the internet with Thrifty. Is it worth becomming Blue Chip members? If so what are the advantages?

Thanks

[jerseyjk]

Without a doubt it's worth it. It's free and it gets you past the lines in some of the ports. It was a big help for us in Maui and Hilo. Didn't help a flip in Kauai (although there was a blue chip counter, no one was there).

 

As long as you're renting from Thrifty anyway, join blue chip, enter your license info and they'll have your rental agreement filled out and ready to go.

[PDAZ]

Yes, do so -- definitely made things quicker. We also only had one person at the counter in Kauai, but she took care of the Blue Chip line first before helping the other customers.

[Bucky3]

Yes, it is well worth it! We had great, fast service and even in Kauai there was a person at the Blue Chip desk. Checking in was a breeze.

[Bucky3]

Yes, it is well worth it! We had great, fast service and even in Kauai there was a person at the Blue Chip desk. Checking in was a breeze.

[RSWBADGER]

Express Lines are a hugh advantage, there is no downside to this, no expense, definitely worth signing up for.

[cruiselove-7]

yes, it was great i just was on pride of aloha last week, no wait! blue chip is a must.:)

[CC Help Michell]

I can't see a downside to doing it. It's free -- and even if at your particular port on your particular day there's some kind of delay, what the heck? You are no worse off than if you weren't a Blue Chip member. In the meantime you earn rewards for your bookings, and from these boards you OFTEN save a lot of time/hassle. Have fun on your cruise!

[Wattle]

Thanks everyone for your (as always) wonderful advice. My one concern is that I have to give my credit card details. What if we can't use the car, maybe we can't get into port or something.... will they still bill my credit card......

[jerseyjk]

Thanks everyone for your (as always) wonderful advice. My one concern is that I have to give my credit card details. What if we can't use the car, maybe we can't get into port or something.... will they still bill my credit card......

 

No, they don't bill your card if you don't pick up the car. I had a car reserved in Kona and decided not to use it. No charges to my card for that rental.

[Bucky3]

As a courtesy to the car rental company as well as others who may want to rent, please be sure to call and cancel your car if you are not going to use it even if you must do so as late as the morning of your scheduled pick-up. We always carry the LOCAL rental company phone number with us. We had to do this just last week, and the rental company was very appreciative of our phone call. We hope that this courtesy will help to keep Hawaii car rental rates low!

[KKCruisers]

Hi, I am a Blue Chip member and plan on using Thrifty for our cruise week, but someone had given a link for a place you can book all your cars through and get a discount and now I can't find it. Would someone please post that link again, the rates were great. TIA

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

I used a website that I thought was really good and reserved a car from Thrifty at both Maui & Kauai. Got a mid-size for about $30-32/day. Afterwards, I signed up for Blue Chip and called Thrifty direct to give them my blue chip number to apply to my reservations. Then I later decided to book a car in Oahu and went directly to Thrifty website using my blue chip number and got really good rates, like $30/day. There are several of them that claim low prices

 

http://www.carrentalhawaii.com/?gclid=CK_Fk-aWlowCFQi9VAodeBkiiA

 

http://www.carrentalinhawaii.com/

 

http://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/

[PatriciaF]

We used Blue Chip/Thrifty in Hilo, Maui, and Kauai. Sometimes it helped, other times it didn't. When it didn't, it was because the person ahead of my husband in the Blue Chip line either wasn't Blue Chip, had problems with reservations (e.g., one woman's reservation was pick up in Orlando return to OGG (Maui airport), or needed to change the reservation (add spouse as driver). HOWEVER, every reservation we had we received an upgraded vehicle. I attributed that to being a Blue Chip member.

 

Surprisingly, every island but Maui had lower gas prices than when we left Los Angeles, they were less when we returned, but considering the gas in Hawaii is refined in Los Angeles County, it was a shocker!

 

Have fun.

[Wattle]

By the way, what is the price for fuel in Hawaii? It Australia at the moment it is around a $1.22 + a litre......:(

[PatriciaF]

I took a picture of a Chevron station in Kauai and sent it to our kids showing that gas was 10 cents a gallon cheaper. It was $3.41/gallon for unleaded, self-serve. You will need to do the conversion as I am metric impaired. Gas when we left LA for Hawaii was $3.51/gallon at the lowest cost station near the house. The Chevon near the house was $3.69.

 

Pat

[Yosef42]

US$3.41/gal. / 3.7854118 litres/gal x 1.21758 AU$/US$ = 1.0968 AU$/litre.

 

Google is amazing, isn't it?

 

-Y

[PatriciaF]

good to know that others pay more than we do in Los Angeles where such a high quantity of the oil is pumped AND refined!