Since we had a poll question up this week about rental cars, I thought I would provide my perspective on renting cars in Las Vegas. My thoughts are below, but I would enjoy hearing other perspectives as well.
First some background about me... My wife and I have been to Las Vegas many times (I think it's over thirty tripos over the past ten years). During all these trips, there were only three occasions for which we did not rent a car. The first was when I was with a company convention and they shuttled the employees everywhere, and everywhere else I walked. The second was our deliberate attempt to use public transportation (i.e. the bus, taxi's, and monorails). And the third time, I drove to Las Vegas and had my own car. The rest of the time, we have rented from practically all the different rental car companies in Las Vegas before and after they moved to the new center.
In general, there are two primary factors for us renting cars: convenience and low expenses. First of all, we drive all over Las Vegas (Station properties, The Strip, Downtown, North Las Vegas, Boulder Highway, etc.). You name the casino, we've most likely played or stayed there. With a car, we have the flexibility of going anywhere at anytime. We could use taxi's, but they're so expensive. This leads me to my next point which is that rental cars can be very cheap to rent. We book on the Internet and get great deals. Our next trip has us with a compact (we don't need anything larger since it's the two of us) for five days with an after tax total of $85. That's a total of $17 per day taxes included. Having a compact also means we save on gas. Unless we go to Laughlin, we typically only use less than a tank of gas. So figure another $40 or $8/day. That makes a grand total of $25/day for transportation. If we were to use Taxi's, I guarantee that our transportation costs would be far greater considering the places we like to visit.
Our preferred rental car company is now Alamo. As I mentioned earlier, we get great deals by booking online and have had consistent experiences with their cars. To get the low rates, we check early and often to find the best deals. For example, our current base rate (before taxes) started at $125 about two weeks ago. Since then, we checked everyday and got the base rate down to $82.52 about five days ago. With this base rate, we received a 10% discount for using Alamo's loyalty card. You can save 10% by pre-paying too, but you can't use both. Also, if you're changing your reservation often, you really don't want to have the pre-pays and refunds on your card. Next, we got a $30 off coupon for a weekly rate courtesy of Alamo. This was sent to us because we have the loyalty card and they send us offers via e-mail. This took our $82.52 rate to $44.27. However, you do have to pay taxes, so add $41.34 to the rate and we get $85.61. Like Mr. Monopoly says, "I hate taxes." We continue to check everyday for good rates, but this was the best we've seen and was 16 days before our reservation. This rate held for about three days and then the rate jumped to over $140 and has stayed there since. I think there may be a pattern here with their rates, as I have gone through similar maneuvers on previous rentals. The point is, good rates are available, you just have to find them.
Also, another reason we like Alamo is the Kiosk check-in. We hate lines and that has what made us loyal Alamo users. The last time we didn't use Alamo, we used Dollar at the new rental car center, and had to wait over thirty minutes to speak with a counter clerk and get our paperwork for our car. With Alamo, you go to the Kiosk, punch in your information, and your paperwork is printed out. There's rarely a line, and they often have somebody there to help you if you get stuck with the kiosk. However, if you can book a rental car online, you won't have any problem with the Kiosk. Another new feature that we haven't tried out yet, but may try this trip, is checking in online. It looks like Alamo now allows you to print your paperwork at home before you get to the airport. Once you check-in and print your documents, you won't even have to go to the kiosk; you'll go directly to the parking garage and pick-out your card. BTW, Alamo also owns National, and they've had something similar for the Emerald Club members for sometime. So I'm glad to see a similar application at Alamo.
Now, I haven't talked about the cars yet. I may not be too particular, but the cars at Alamo are decent. They typically are new and have few miles. I have seen a couple of cars that were past 10k on miles, but they seem to be an exception. I rent economy and compact cars, and these cars do not have a lot of options. However, I'm often surprised by what is considered standard these days: automatic door locks and windows, HD and/or satellite radio, keyless entry, etc. Every once and a while, we find a bare bones model with crank windows and manual door locks, but these are rare. Also, if you don't like what's available, there are usually a few different makes and models for each category. Another option available with Alamo (or other rental car company) is the complimentary upgrade.
As I mentioned earlier, we use the Kiosk, so there's not really an opportunity for an agent to grant us an upgrade. Usually, these upgrades are a discount from the normal rate for the larger car, and that means you're going to pay more. The only time these are offered by agents for free are when they are out of your reserved car class. Since the Kiosk seems not to track inventory at Alamo, you may find yourself looking at an empty stretch of parking garage for your car class. Don't worry as an Alamo rep will notify you that you can pick another car from a different class at the same price. If you come to Las Vegas mid-week, you are not likely to find this situation occur. But if you come in late Friday or Saturday, a lot of the cars will be rented. You'll often find yourself in a car that is two classes above what you rented for the same price. One thing to remember though, is that the better car class may not have as good fuel economy, so there is a small trade-off.
Speaking of fuel economy, we have learned to be price conscious in regards to gasoline. Most rental companies (including Alamo) will give you options when you check the car out. These include pre-paying for a full tank of gas in advance or returning the car full. If you select to pre-pay, the rates they charge for gas may be the same or higher than local stations, and they will charge you for a full tank regardless of how much gasoline you use. Because of this, we always select to return the car. When returning the car, we usually fill-up several miles from the airport. This gives us much better fuel pricing. Also, when filling up the car, it doesn't have to be 100% full. As long as the gauge is at or past the F mark, you're golden. And with an economy car, that means you could potentially drive ten miles or more after filling up.
I've rambled long enough, but I really would like to read other members' stories about their experiences renting cars in Las Vegas.
First some background about me... My wife and I have been to Las Vegas many times (I think it's over thirty tripos over the past ten years). During all these trips, there were only three occasions for which we did not rent a car. The first was when I was with a company convention and they shuttled the employees everywhere, and everywhere else I walked. The second was our deliberate attempt to use public transportation (i.e. the bus, taxi's, and monorails). And the third time, I drove to Las Vegas and had my own car. The rest of the time, we have rented from practically all the different rental car companies in Las Vegas before and after they moved to the new center.
In general, there are two primary factors for us renting cars: convenience and low expenses. First of all, we drive all over Las Vegas (Station properties, The Strip, Downtown, North Las Vegas, Boulder Highway, etc.). You name the casino, we've most likely played or stayed there. With a car, we have the flexibility of going anywhere at anytime. We could use taxi's, but they're so expensive. This leads me to my next point which is that rental cars can be very cheap to rent. We book on the Internet and get great deals. Our next trip has us with a compact (we don't need anything larger since it's the two of us) for five days with an after tax total of $85. That's a total of $17 per day taxes included. Having a compact also means we save on gas. Unless we go to Laughlin, we typically only use less than a tank of gas. So figure another $40 or $8/day. That makes a grand total of $25/day for transportation. If we were to use Taxi's, I guarantee that our transportation costs would be far greater considering the places we like to visit.
Our preferred rental car company is now Alamo. As I mentioned earlier, we get great deals by booking online and have had consistent experiences with their cars. To get the low rates, we check early and often to find the best deals. For example, our current base rate (before taxes) started at $125 about two weeks ago. Since then, we checked everyday and got the base rate down to $82.52 about five days ago. With this base rate, we received a 10% discount for using Alamo's loyalty card. You can save 10% by pre-paying too, but you can't use both. Also, if you're changing your reservation often, you really don't want to have the pre-pays and refunds on your card. Next, we got a $30 off coupon for a weekly rate courtesy of Alamo. This was sent to us because we have the loyalty card and they send us offers via e-mail. This took our $82.52 rate to $44.27. However, you do have to pay taxes, so add $41.34 to the rate and we get $85.61. Like Mr. Monopoly says, "I hate taxes." We continue to check everyday for good rates, but this was the best we've seen and was 16 days before our reservation. This rate held for about three days and then the rate jumped to over $140 and has stayed there since. I think there may be a pattern here with their rates, as I have gone through similar maneuvers on previous rentals. The point is, good rates are available, you just have to find them.
Also, another reason we like Alamo is the Kiosk check-in. We hate lines and that has what made us loyal Alamo users. The last time we didn't use Alamo, we used Dollar at the new rental car center, and had to wait over thirty minutes to speak with a counter clerk and get our paperwork for our car. With Alamo, you go to the Kiosk, punch in your information, and your paperwork is printed out. There's rarely a line, and they often have somebody there to help you if you get stuck with the kiosk. However, if you can book a rental car online, you won't have any problem with the Kiosk. Another new feature that we haven't tried out yet, but may try this trip, is checking in online. It looks like Alamo now allows you to print your paperwork at home before you get to the airport. Once you check-in and print your documents, you won't even have to go to the kiosk; you'll go directly to the parking garage and pick-out your card. BTW, Alamo also owns National, and they've had something similar for the Emerald Club members for sometime. So I'm glad to see a similar application at Alamo.
Now, I haven't talked about the cars yet. I may not be too particular, but the cars at Alamo are decent. They typically are new and have few miles. I have seen a couple of cars that were past 10k on miles, but they seem to be an exception. I rent economy and compact cars, and these cars do not have a lot of options. However, I'm often surprised by what is considered standard these days: automatic door locks and windows, HD and/or satellite radio, keyless entry, etc. Every once and a while, we find a bare bones model with crank windows and manual door locks, but these are rare. Also, if you don't like what's available, there are usually a few different makes and models for each category. Another option available with Alamo (or other rental car company) is the complimentary upgrade.
As I mentioned earlier, we use the Kiosk, so there's not really an opportunity for an agent to grant us an upgrade. Usually, these upgrades are a discount from the normal rate for the larger car, and that means you're going to pay more. The only time these are offered by agents for free are when they are out of your reserved car class. Since the Kiosk seems not to track inventory at Alamo, you may find yourself looking at an empty stretch of parking garage for your car class. Don't worry as an Alamo rep will notify you that you can pick another car from a different class at the same price. If you come to Las Vegas mid-week, you are not likely to find this situation occur. But if you come in late Friday or Saturday, a lot of the cars will be rented. You'll often find yourself in a car that is two classes above what you rented for the same price. One thing to remember though, is that the better car class may not have as good fuel economy, so there is a small trade-off.
Speaking of fuel economy, we have learned to be price conscious in regards to gasoline. Most rental companies (including Alamo) will give you options when you check the car out. These include pre-paying for a full tank of gas in advance or returning the car full. If you select to pre-pay, the rates they charge for gas may be the same or higher than local stations, and they will charge you for a full tank regardless of how much gasoline you use. Because of this, we always select to return the car. When returning the car, we usually fill-up several miles from the airport. This gives us much better fuel pricing. Also, when filling up the car, it doesn't have to be 100% full. As long as the gauge is at or past the F mark, you're golden. And with an economy car, that means you could potentially drive ten miles or more after filling up.
I've rambled long enough, but I really would like to read other members' stories about their experiences renting cars in Las Vegas.
