Any Rental Car Tips for Las Vegas ?
Thread Rating:
Any suggestions / tips ?
Right now, I have an Enterprise reserved at the Westin Hotel for just 1 day to get out to Springs Preserve, the Pinball Musueum, and to switch hotels 1/2 way thru the trip.
They're an old company but new to Vegas and
they have brand new Honda's and really cheap
prices. No lines, they're in their own building
almost across the street from the car center.
They have a lounge area, very nice people working
there. Take the shuttle from the airport to the
car center and a SixT van will take you down the
block. The Honda I had was new, less than 500 miles
on it.
2. Book the cheapest/ least objectionable.
3. Check the rates daily (or more than once a day). At some point it time a few weeks prior to your trip one of the companies will drop their price and some of the others will drop theirs in response.
4. Book the lower rate and cancel the previous reservation. There is no penalty for re-booking.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until time for your trip or until you are satisfied with your rate.
Careful with Firefly! The first time I rented from them there was no line and a got a great car/great service. The second time there was a long line and horrible service and the line wasn't moving. I had to go over to Hertz and rent from them. (They honored Firefly's contract and rate since Firefly is a subsidiary of Hertz). They do often have the cheapest rates.Quote: rdw4potusFirefly (Hertz's newest low-end incarnation) has GREAT rates in Vegas. My total rate for 4/24-4/29 is under $120 for a "standard" car.
I will never rent from FOX again. Bad personal experience.
Quote: EvenBobI used SixT a month ago and they were fantastic.
They're an old company but new to Vegas and
they have brand new Honda's and really cheap
prices. No lines, they're in their own building
almost across the street from the car center.
They have a lounge area, very nice people working
there. Take the shuttle from the airport to the
car center and a SixT van will take you down the
block. The Honda I had was new, less than 500 miles
on it.
EB, have you or others used SixT in other locations. I noticed them the last time I was up in WA and wondered what they were like.
And be prepared for a very long line. It might not take that long, but it could. Seems kind of random to me. I once spent two hours in the middle of the night at the Dollar counter. You might slip by because I used EZ and walked up to the counter while Payless was a mile long.
Quote: ParadigmEB, have you or others used SixT in other locations. I noticed them the last time I was up in WA and wondered what they were like.
Only Vegas for me. They're trying real hard, their
customer service was top notch. They even gave us
coffee and a donut. Very attractive and helpful
girls with EU accents.
Quote: teddysCareful with Firefly! The first time I rented from them there was no line and a got a great car/great service. The second time there was a long line and horrible service and the line wasn't moving. I had to go over to Hertz and rent from them. (They honored Firefly's contract and rate since Firefly is a subsidiary of Hertz). They do often have the cheapest rates.
I will never rent from FOX again. Bad personal experience.
I also had a bad experience with Fox. It took a long time to get them to answer the phone after I broke down and even longer to show up. They credited me one day's rental which I thought was nice but not worth the hassle.
2 satisfied customers out of 3 ain't bad...?
Quote: BozCheck Yelp for Sixt ratings across the country and world. "Avoid them like the plague" is my personal favorite. As a disclaimer, I have never rented from them.
All I can do is relate my dealings in Vegas. By
far the best rental car experience I've ever had.
Quote: JimRockford
3. Check the rates daily (or more than once a day). At some point it time a few weeks prior to your trip one of the companies will drop their price and some of the others will drop theirs in response.
Thanks all. I looked up FIREFLY and they seemed like they had a very cost competitive rate. I got "TOTAL APPROXIMATE CHARGES: 217.49 USD" for 1 week for a Full Size Chevy Impala near the end of March. I think (hope) my arrival time in the morning on Friday will avoid the worst of the lines. I come in a day before the family, so even though I hate waiting in lines, at least they won't have to also wait.
http://www.caesars.com/content/landing_pages/landing-pages/tr-getaways.html
There are car companies that I won't use again but Kayak let's you exclude them.
Quote: ChampagneFireballWhoever you use, be prepared to get badgered about the insurance. Generally the cheaper the rate, the harder they press you for it. Talking about Vegas driving conditions and loss of use charges. Asking your insurance deductible. If you show any weakness, you could be saying no for a while. Turning it down is the best gamble in town, +EV.
Either Enterprise has instructed their folks to tone down the hard sell on the insurance, or I have just gotten lucky last few trips. A simple "no" has worked pretty well.
Quote: JohnnyQI'm headed out in several weeks but haven't found a "great" deal on a Rental Car yet ( FOX has some terrible reviews on-line ). If it was just me, I would probably not bother with a car, figuring that some walking is a good counter-measure to the extra Eating and Drinking. But I'm bringing the family along this trip.
Any suggestions / tips ?
Right now, I have an Enterprise reserved at the Westin Hotel for just 1 day to get out to Springs Preserve, the Pinball Musueum, and to switch hotels 1/2 way thru the trip.
I just booked a car for March 17 in Las Vegas. Full Size for 8 days from Budget: $198 including all taxes. Here's my advice:
Step 1: Search Google for "car rental coupon codes". (Or specify the rental car company, i.e. "Hertz coupon codes" or "Avis coupon codes" etc.) Some of the coupon codes will work, some will be bogus or expired or not applicable for your date/location. It's entirely trial & error. You'll either decide that it's a waste of time... or you'll get addicted to it like a slot machine junkie. For my reservation, I used Budget's BCD code D464700 combined with Budget coupon code MUGZ165. I was also getting good results with Budget BCD U330593 combined with coupon code MUWZ032. On Avis' website, there's a list of all the partner airlines and the Avis coupon codes for each airline. I was getting the best results using the coupon codes for American & United, but it varied.
Step 2: When you find a good quote, reserve it. Unlike airline tickets, you can make multiple reservations and cancellations if you find a lower quote later. (But if the quote requires a pre-payment in advance, be careful about cancellation fees. I lose $10 if I cancel.)
Step 3: Even if you reserve a great quote, search again in a couple days. Don't give up. I had originally reserved a full size from Budget for $259, which I was delighted about. A couple days later I found the same car for the same dates from the same company using the same coupon codes for $198! Weird.
Bonus Tip 1: I tended to get the best quotes directly from the rental company's website. The car rental quotes from the airline websites and the online travel agencies (Orbitz, Expedia) weren't as good. In 2011, Travelocity totally lied to me saying the quote included all taxes, when actually it didn't.
Bonus Tip 2: business travelers often have a staffer back at the office make their reservations for them, and those offices are on 9 to 5 hours, so the car rental companies will quote higher rates during the day, and lower rates at night for leisure travelers. I made my reservation at 10pm Eastern.
Quote: NareedFor a solo traveler staying largely, say 90% of the time, within Downtown and the Strip, including the north and south outlet malls, would a car make for faster transportation than the buses?
Much faster, especially if you use valets, and tip.
Tourists walk around gawking or drive around gawking. Much better to have a taxi than pay even those relatively low rental fees, though admitedly Springs Preserve would be a whopping taxi fare.
Your rental car will sit on casino parking lots most of the time anyway.
Good luck.
Quote: bwMuch faster, especially if you use valets, and tip.
It's not that obvious. Valets take time. if you don't use the valet, then walking to and from the parking place takes time, likewise walking to the garage, etc.
I just wondered if anyone has tried both means. For example, I found usually the bus is faster overall and more convenient, not to mention cehaper, than the Monorail. The bus is faster because most monorail stations require a very long walk between casino and station . the exception is the LVH, which lets you off pretty much at the casino.
Quote: renoStep 1: Search Google for "car rental coupon codes". (Or specify the rental car company, i.e. "Hertz coupon codes" or "Avis coupon codes" etc.) Some of the coupon codes will work, some will be bogus or expired or not applicable for your date/location. It's entirely trial & error. You'll either decide that it's a waste of time... or you'll get addicted to it like a slot machine junkie. For my reservation, I used Budget's BCD code D464700 combined with Budget coupon code MUGZ165.
Hey Reno:
Thanks a bizillion, or at least 50 bucks worth of thanks, which is what this saved me for a 7 day rental starting March 21st compared to Fire-FLy. My rate is $ 168 including all fees and taxes for a "full size" Chevy Malibu or similar.
And as a free bonus, I also get a year's subscription to Outside Magazine.
And the fine-print says the Mrs can drive for no additional charge, although she flies in a day later and the fine-print may have said we both have to be there when the car is rented.
- JQ
Quote: NokTangWhat about with no credit card? Which ones accept cash ?
I've used Budget in New York City, but I guess that they'll also accept cash in Las Vegas. I chose them because that's what I got as a suggestion in my hotel, so no promises. They were pretty cheap, that's all I can remember.
Quote: bwMuch faster, especially if you use valets, and tip.
As someone who travels alone and has pretty much relied on the buses in Vegas on every trip, I would agree - especially if you're headed to the outlet malls, which, IIRC, aren't served by the Deuce (the SDX does serve both). The only reason I have avoided rental cars up to this point is, I tend to stick to places served by the buses, and they're much cheaper (about $7/day). The OP mentioned "90% of the time"; that other 10% can be a problem, especially if you choose a route (e.g. to Silverton or (except in the afternoon) Aliante) that's only one bus per hour.
A car has a major advantage over the buses where malls are concerned - you don't have to worry about lugging all of the stuff you buy onto, and then off of, a bus.
Quote: renoI just booked a car for March 17 in Las Vegas. Full Size for 8 days from Budget: $198 including all taxes. Here's my advice:
Step 1: Search Google for "car rental coupon codes". (Or specify the rental car company, i.e. "Hertz coupon codes" or "Avis coupon codes" etc.) Some of the coupon codes will work, some will be bogus or expired or not applicable for your date/location. It's entirely trial & error. You'll either decide that it's a waste of time... or you'll get addicted to it like a slot machine junkie. For my reservation, I used Budget's BCD code D464700 combined with Budget coupon code MUGZ165. I was also getting good results with Budget BCD U330593 combined with coupon code MUWZ032.
Yep, worked like a charm again ! I didn't get quite the low rate I got this past spring, but I can keep trying. If I find something a lot lower, I will take the $ 10 penalty and re-book.
Quote: reno
Bonus Tip 1: I tended to get the best quotes directly from the rental company's website. The car rental quotes from the airline websites and the online travel agencies (Orbitz, Expedia) weren't as good. In 2011, Travelocity totally lied to me saying the quote included all taxes, when actually it didn't.
rentalcars.com in my experience, always has the same rates at the car companies web sites, I use this site as a baseline before couponing on the companies websites.
I am renting a car from Advantage for one day. Advantage has an agent at Boyds properties, and you can pick up at the airport and drop at any Boyds property (well, only one downtown) for an extra $10. I'm using Goldcoast because I am staying center strip. Total cost for mid size $31.35, plus a couple $ for gas, about the same as a taxi and I can go to the grocery, Lotus of Siam and a decent carne asada burrito before I return the car. Coupon code DC3190 got me 10% off.
Quote: Miles1Lotus of Siam and a decent carne asada burrito before I return the car..
Sorry to be off topic, but where can you get a good carne asada and in fact, good Mexican food in Las Vegas if you have a rental car? Thank you so much.
Quote: NokTangSorry to be off topic, but where can you get a good carne asada and in fact, good Mexican food in Las Vegas if you have a rental car? Thank you so much.
You can get a decent carne asada burrito, asada fries, relleno burrito, at felipitos at Trop and Maryland SE corner near the car wash, open 24 hours. Tacos El Gordo is good, don't need a car though. I had a good meal at Lindo Michoacan, don't remember where exactly. Any of the Roberto's are OK too, but probably because I can't get the TJ style border food I grew up on where I live now.
Got a "great" deal on Budget 2 years ago, stood in line for 90 minutes to pick it up. Not worth it to save $20 over Hertz rates. However, if you look at rates via Hotwire, Orbitz, etc, Hertz will show much higher rates than they do via the Delta website.
Thanks BBB. That's a great tip. It seems there is a similar deal with United Airlines. I just checked an arbitrary literary a couple of months out. For thee days the standard Hertz rate was $309 total including fees and taxes. Booking through United Mileage Plus site, the total is $130 for the same car. I'm never fooling with the counter again.Quote: beachbumbabsThis has been my exact mode when booking. Hertz gold (free) book on Delta using their skymiles visa, 40% discount. rental cars intermediate/full for less than 300/week (Vegas, last 5 trips - rate varies by destination). Even got an SUV for that rate on my 12 day trip last year. And getting skymiles out of the booking, not just for the dollars, but bonus 500-1000 skymiles for the Delta website booking.
Got a "great" deal on Budget 2 years ago, stood in line for 90 minutes to pick it up. Not worth it to save $20 over Hertz rates. However, if you look at rates via Hotwire, Orbitz, etc, Hertz will show much higher rates than they do via the Delta website.
Quote: KateBennetThink carefully about what kind of vehicle you'll need. If you're simply looking to save money on rental rates and gas, i'd recomnend using this app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=hotels.car.rentals.flights.ukasoft&hl=en
Please elaborate and tell us of your personal experience with this. Thanks.
Quote: renoAnyone have any experience renting from Silvercar?
Here's my Silvercar update: loved it. The Audi A4 is a fantastic vehicle. Since it's the only vehicle they rent, you're guaranteed to get it.
The Silvercar experience is indeed first class: when it came time to return the car, I was instructed to swing by their warehouse where the "concierge" took the wheel and drove us (still in the Audi) directly to our airline's ticketing curb. No rental car shuttle bus with multiple stops, no lugging the suitcase on & off the shuttle bus.
I'm too much of a stingy penny-pincher to use Silvercar on really long trips, but for a short weekend trip the marginal cost above Hertz or Avis is worth it to rent an Audi A4 as opposed to, say, a Chevy Impala.
Quote: renoHere's my Silvercar update: loved it. The Audi A4 is a fantastic vehicle. Since it's the only vehicle they rent, you're guaranteed to get it.
The Silvercar experience is indeed first class: when it came time to return the car, I was instructed to swing by their warehouse where the "concierge" took the wheel and drove us (still in the Audi) directly to our airline's ticketing curb. No rental car shuttle bus with multiple stops, no lugging the suitcase on & off the shuttle bus.
I'm too much of a stingy penny-pincher to use Silvercar on really long trips, but for a short weekend trip the marginal cost above Hertz or Avis is worth it to rent an Audi A4 as opposed to, say, a Chevy Impala.
Did you rent in Vegas? I checked the Silvercar website and didn't see a Vegas location from the drop down menu? :/
