15

Hey Jess. I don't know if you missed it, I did some research for you yesterday on car rental. Take a look at post #8. Looks like it just went through moderator screening so it just popped up in the middle of the feed :) In short, I found you a rental for $386 including ALL taxes, fees AND underage fees.


She just gave us her dates, routes, etc :) We have all the information needed to give her a GREAT answer, no need for a condescending copied & pasted "standard" answer.


Carhire3000 is alright, they have a vehicle available for $374 for her dates, BUT here are my concerns, straight from the rental T&C's:

• Young drivers aged between 21 and 24 Inclusive pay $25-$35 plus Tax per day

That's another $325-$455 + tax!!!

• FUEL – YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PAY FOR A TANK OF FUEL WHEN COLLECTING THE VEHICLE LOCALLY ... it is not necessary to refill the tank before returning

The good old fuel scam... What price will they use per gallon? That surprise awaits you at the rental counter.

• Other optional items & fees: One Way Fees (where applicable)

Really? I just selected one way Las Vegas -- Phoenix, shouldn't this be included in the price then? Well, it seems it might not, because I get the same price of $374 when I look at a return rental to/from Las Vegas...

16

Yeah we might stay in Cambria instead and do Hearst Castle, is it worth seeing?

We're ok with Scottsdale being boring, we want to relax for the end of the honeymoon and just chill cos it's straight back to work for me when I get home. We'll be doing horse riding and maybe a hot air balloon ride but other than that it'll be honeymoon relaxing bliss hopefully!

Yeah we'll have to sit down and see where that extra day is best utilized. I think it's probably best to use it somewhere we're already staying to give us a bit longer break from driving around, maybe Yosemite or the Grand Canyon as people have said before, or maybe pick somewhere along the coast or Dan Luis obispo to stay the two nights.

17

Hi Jess ... you could consider this:

• Fly to Las Vegas (three nights)
• Take a day-trip tour to the Grand Canyon
• Fly to San Francisco (have two nights)
• Rent the car and drive to Yosemite NP for two nights
• Drive to Monterey / Cambria / SLO (or Morro Bay)
• Drive on to Los Angeles

You do not need a car in Las Vegas, for the Grand Canyon if you take a bus tour, or in San Francisco, so the cost of the LAS>SFO flight is met by a reduced car rental period. Worth considering. But if you stick to your original plan, then I would definitely add a night to GCNP and Yosemite NP, with the priority one night GCNP before an additional night Yosemite, but I could be persuaded the other way.

The detail provided by Mad Max is impressive ... if it works it is very valuable I expect. And in terms of Yosemite NP accommodation (whether one or two nights), it might be the place to spend a bit more to get a whole lot better experience.

And given your short time, I would skip the Hearst Castle Tour (it's just one man's egomaniacal folly), and concentrate fully on the natural wonders of the Big Sur coast.

18

The place to stay for a honeymoon is the Ahwahnee. But you pay for it.
A tent cabin in Curry Village is usually cheap, and great location. Get a heated one--it can get cold at night.
Yosemite Lodge is a good option as well, if you want to split the difference.
Book as soon as you nail down your dates.

I'm sorry if you missed it, but it seems the locations for pick up and drop off are still being determined. So no, we don't know "all the information."

Can you do this in San Diego instead?
And you could check to see when the horse rides in Yosemite end. Maybe you can still make them.

19

max_mexico : You're right I did miss the number 8 post, thankfully I went back and say it, thank you for posting again! I really appreciate all your advice. If it works out it will save us a fortune, I definitely owe you! That's fantastic advice. I aprpeciate your help.

bzookaj :

+The place to stay for a honeymoon is the Ahwahnee. But you pay for it.
A tent cabin in Curry Village is usually cheap, and great location. Get a heated one--it can get cold at night.
Yosemite Lodge is a good option as well, if you want to split the difference.
Book as soon as you nail down your dates.+

Thanks, I don't mind paying a bit more for one or two nights since we're getting most of our accommodation for so cheap so that's great. Will look into them!

I'm sorry if you missed it, but it seems the locations for pick up and drop off are still being determined. So no, we don't know "all the information.

The places are pretty set. I'm definitely dropping off in phoenix, as I said I can't change my flight so I will be flying home out of there. Also unless I decide to go for the flight, I will definitely be picking up in Vegas. Thanks.

+Can you do this in San Diego instead?
And you could check to see when the horse rides in Yosemite end. Maybe you can still make them.+

We could do them in San Diego probably, but the horse riding isn't supposed to be as good. Also, we have to be in Phoenix to fly home anyway, so might as well make use of the great hotel in Scottsdale. I do think we will miss the horse rides in Yosemite though unfrotunately.

ianw6705:

Thanks once again for the great advice. We'll definitely have to sit down and look at all options and see whats best for us. You're probably right about Hearst though, no point adding on more when we're struggling to do what we want now!

20

max_mexico Can I also ask, I won't be able to reserve the car until probably August, as I won't be getting my full drivers license til then and as this is pre-paid, if for some reason I don't pass I don't want the money wasted! Do you think this offer code will still be valid then? Thanks!

21

max_mexico Sorry and again, I tried joining USAA but seem to be having some trouble with it, it won't recognize my phone number even when I tick international, it says its not a valid north america area code! So then I tried making one up with an area code and no luck either. I'm gonna leave it awhile and try again, but did you have this issue?

22

My view would be Jess ... just go through one of the brokers, such as the one I mentioned - www.carhire3000.com (but there are others) - I'm reasonably confident the deal will be just as good, or near as dammit. Water finds its own level - and all the promotional codes in the world do not change this iron law of nature. All the rental car companies work on their margins, and most promotional codes are just fluff. Especially if they can be propagated on a forum such as this.

Mad Max might even have good insights into the inner working of he American tourist industry, but we are only talking about a few dollars here. No rental car company is going to rent you a car for too cheap - that's for sure.

23

Well it seems to be working out much cheaper for now even if I did have to pay the underage fee. The cheapest I've found checking orbitz, kayak and carhire3000 is with Hertz at $423.46 and it doesn't say if it includes one way fee and not including underage fee. Or Thrifty at $459 which also doesn't say if it includes a one way fee and doesn't include underage fee. And neither of these on the third part websites include insurance. So the discount is definitely saving me a bit anyway... if the USAA worked too it would save me a fortune with underage fees. Sure all I can do is wait and hope the discount still works, if not then hopefully I'll be able to get a good deal!

24

One-way fees are generally listed on the website in your rates when you book. If you don't see an added fee, you can be 99% guaranteed there isn't one.

25

One-way fees are generally listed on the website in your rates when you book. If you don't see an added fee, you can be 99% guaranteed there isn't one.

Well in the t's+c's when booking it says "There may be an extra fee for one-way rentals" but doesn't give a price or anything. So want to be sure before hand!

26

Maybe, maybe not. If not, I will have another code in August. Or you can use your USAA Hertz promo code that you will be given once you join. (The one I gave above is often a bit better though.) I agree with you btw -- don't book something nonrefundable before you have your license and final plans in order.


You are right, I just tried the same and there's a bug in the signup page. If you can't "convert" your Irish # to US format (by adding/removing digits), I would advise just putting the phone # for the event where you'll get married, some hotel you'll be staying, or the phone # for USAA itself or something. They are not going to call you anyway. You can contact USAA and ask/file a bug report if you insist, but I wouldn't sweat it. On the following page, you will have to put some details about your Irish passport, Irish tax #, etc. This doesn't seem used for anything, but I just filled everything out as best I could and that worked for me.


Even without either promo code or USAA, going through Hertz seems better in this case since carhire3000 charges $25-$35+tax / day underage fees whereas Hertz only charges $15. (According to T&C's.) I think that's a big difference. I would also NOT book with carhire3000 before contacting them and asking about that one-way fee (and the gas price used to fill up the tank too for that matter). It's a pig in a poke.

27

When I book my carhire3000.com rental cars, one-way fees are not included in the original quote, since it is charged locally, but I always email carhire3000 directly to ascertain the one-way fee before I fully commit to the agreement - and they advise what it will be. Everything else is definitely included in the price (all insurances and taxes etc), but I am not under 25, so that doesn't apply.

28

Do all my posts have to go through multi-hour-long screening in this thread? Does this happen to anyone else?

29

Well, apparently not that one. Still waiting for my reply this morning to go through... or not.