Avoiding High Rental Car Prices at McCarran

We visit Vegas 5-6 times per year, generally for a week at a time.
We always rent a car, simply because we often stay at multiple properties in a week, taking advantage of free room/free play offers. Some of the properties are off Strip, such as Red Rock and the M. Therefore, having a car is a necessity for us.

Occasionally, the cost of renting a car at McCarran is outrageous, as we discovered in planning our upcoming trip in mid-July.
So, we are doing what we have done at times in the past: We reserve a car for pick up at the MGM Grand. From McCarran, ground level zero, we take the WAX (*Westcliff Airport Express bus) for $2 per person (there are two of us travelling). For $4, it takes us nonstop from McCarran to the corner of Tropicana and Las Vegas Blvd.
Walk inside MGM, proceed to Avis counter, collect rental car, and save $100 for the rental.

The WAX only runs once an hour from McCarran, so the flights have to coincide to avoid long wait times. With luck, we should deplane and be on board the bus within 20 minutes, if all goes as planned.

Have any of you done this, or is your vacation time in Vegas not worth the cost savings? Just curious . . .

Do you have to drop the car off at MGM or can you take it to the McCarran Rental Car Facility for drop off?

I always just use the Airport rental cars because it's never been outrageously expensive. I would be tempted if it was a $200 difference.

Lots of us have done this, we talk about it in the Transportation forum on occasion.

I tend to do it with Hertz at the Plaza (though I think that closed recently) and Budget either across from Orleans or at Four Queens (Golden Nugget?). It can be a good frugal strategy.

Never had to deal with a drop charge at LAS.

Agree, there is never a drop charge at LAS.

And for us, saving $100 is worth it!

Ooops, didn't know there was a "Transportation forum" here on this board . . . .

i've seen that method recommended but never tried it. for a $100 I would though. and btw, prices could still come down before mid-july. I hope the $100 you saved will be parlayed into a lot more! good luck!!

I rented a car Hyundai Sonata last week for 9 days from LAS Dollar for $228 all in. That doesn't seem outrageously high to me.

Nice tip.

I've been aware of other rental spots in the city - but I just assummed the shuttles were for hotel guests only. Where do you pick up the WAX shuttle? Is there a sign somewhere?

The Westcliff Airport Express ("WAX") is a public bus. It picks up outside baggage claim at both terminals.

Here's a dated video of how to find the stop at Terminal 1. They've since added a stop at Terminal 3.

Indeed, as Chilcoot states, the WAX bus is on zero ground level. Same level as where the hotel limos park. Best part: time saved because after you collect your luggage from baggage claim, just take the escalator down one level, and walk a few yards to the bus. We have found that the bus to the Consolidated Rental Car Facility at LAS (once you've waited for the shuttle bus) takes at least ten minutes, sometimes more if there is a queue for the shuttle.

For the WAX, note that you need to have exact change ($2) and just pay on the bus.

There are other rental car companies besides Avis that are near the intersection of LV Blvd and Tropicana (i.e. Excalibur has Hertz, I think). So, the WAX is quick, maybe ten minutes at most from McCarran to its first stop outside MGM Grand.

this is just the kind of stuff I like about this forum. useful, time-saving, money-saving, frustration saving tips. being an frugal or savvy consumer is something that most of us have in common in this forum. I do like to gamble, so the less I spend on hotel/car/food.. etc, the more bankroll I will have when I hit the casinos! the political posts and vicious comments are what I could stand to see a lot less of. as always, thanks for the useful info and keep it coming.