Big Drop for my May Car Rental using Budget on COSTCO

I must have changed car reservations over 10 times in the past 2 months trying to following the ever changing rates.

Today (May 6th) I found Budget (via COSTCO Travel website) has dropped their rates significantly for my mid May getaway.

9 Days with a Fullsize Car for base rate of $66.24 and Taxes/Fees of $77.23 for a total of $143.47. Previous best rate I had found was $166 going with Alamo.

I have used Alamo for just about all my past trips to Vegas and I hope that using Budget will be hassle free (Fingers Crossed!).

Wow, thats a darn good price!

I've been finagling rentals past couple days, and making new rezzies.
Most dates I have 2 rentals per trip, depending which Flight I come in on. Choices.

My biggest snafu with using those Costco kind of rates, is that I don't get any SW FF miles with 'em.
And since SW changed their RR system.........my best chance for getting FFmiles is thru partner Rental cars.
So unless I save ALOT more than booking as a Partner? I usually stick with getting the FF miles.

But nice to hear Budget has come down, in any case. I prefer them over Alamo anyway.

"I have used Alamo for just about all my past trips to Vegas and I hope that using Budget will be hassle free (Fingers Crossed!)."

Read my March 1st post "Budget Rent a car Debacle" and you may want to cross more than your fingers as their definition of full size may not be yours

They are called budget for a reason

I had a horrible Expirience with budget through the Costco website. The budget in Vegas is a franchise and they would not honor the Costco coupon and if you read the small print it states that the coupons are not good at all budget facillities so beware.

If Budget books a reservation and includes a coupon in the reservation, it's contractually obligated to honor that coupon, franchisee or not.

Here's the language on a current Budget coupon offered through Coscto:

Offer available at participating Budget locations in the U.S.

If Budget doesn't want the coupon to be used at the location you're trying to reserve at, they have an obligation to reject the reservation request, not take the booking then wiggle out of it when you show up for your rental. If you request an offer based on a coupon, they give you an offer based on the coupon, and you accept that offer, that's a contract.

I don't know what Budget in Vegas does. I rented with them recently at the Costco rate, from the airport and returning at a suburban location, but I didn't use a coupon.

But if what cancer chic describes is accurate, she's got a real beef and should follow up with Costco.

That would be my understanding of the contract also, but with everything in Vegas interpretations can change from hour to hour, or to whomever you talk to. Who wants to spend their first day of vacation using up their time trying to make things right?

Since no physical coupon is required to be presented when booking on the Costco Travel website and the rate is specified, along with car type, and time period in the Budget Reservation System, there would be no way to arbitrarily change the conditions of the rental agreement at time of pickup and be able to make it stick. Only requirement specified is to show Costco card at time of rental. I don't want to but I will spend time on the phone with Costco Travel and/or Budget Corporate if necessary if they won't honor the reservation.

I did notice on their "terms and conditions" that when booking on the Costco website, the dollars off rate of the discount will be applied at the time of reservation, However, for reservations made by phone discounts will be applied at the completion of rental. That difference could also lead to some problems.

The only company I have had an issue with for Las Vegas car rentals (in over 25 trips) has been Alamo, yet I continue to use them if they are the least expensive. With that particular problem, I spent over 3 months dealing with my credit card company and insurance company to get it taken care of. I was not about to be taken advantage of due to some administrative problem at Alamo. Very frustrating experience but I chalked it up to just being my turn.

I have also returned a car forgetting to fill it up and was given a "pass" at check-in for no additional charges which could have been steep. So stuff happens, both good and bad.

Not looking forward to an issue but if there is one I will be more than happy to pass on any potential problems to other travelers.

damn..closest Cotsco to me is in St. Catherines - Canada!!!

I had my printouts with the rates and budget would not honor it and it was not going to happen cause I tried for over a half hour. I just will never use them again. Very aggravating way to start a trip. I've never had issues with Alamo in fact I have a mini van reserved with them. 7 days for $187. Quite a deal especially since it will be split between 6 of us.

CLV to get your miles just take the Costco codes and enter them into the Alamo web site...its always worked for me.

I tried and it requires a costco membership number.