Has Anybody used Costco to Rent a Car?

[Asithappens 974]

I'm flying into the East Bay area (read: Oakland) next month and will probably need to rent a car. There will be 6 adults, all told, so might have to get a minivan. 

Don't care about fancy; just need transportation. 

Looked on the Costco website and it seemed pretty good. Almost too good. 

Any thoughts?

[elfenix 34332]

aren't they just contracting with hertz/avis/someone?

is there anything costco does that it doesn't do well?

[Gil Bang 26020]

I use them every single time. 

Prices cannot be beat.  And the rental is through one of the majors...Budget, Hertz, etc.   

My  friend went to CO and needed a 4x4...best rate he could find was $259/day.  I found it for $88/day on costco. 

[Asithappens 974]

43 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

I use them every single time. 

Prices cannot be beat.  And the rental is through one of the majors...Budget, Hertz, etc.   

My  friend went to CO and needed a 4x4...best rate he could find was $259/day.  I found it for $88/day on costco. 

Wow.

The Costco prices for what I'm looking for aren't that dramatically better, but they are much better than the non-Costco prices.

Thanks.

 

[Asithappens 974]

1 hour ago, elfenix said:

aren't they just contracting with hertz/avis/someone?

is there anything costco does that it doesn't do well?

Not that I've seen. 

I, for one, welcome my Costco overlords.

[Gil Bang 26020]

My personal best was getting a full-size car in Miami for $7/day

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

Use it all the time. Can't beat the price. I have to think they've got a 15-20% below lowest advertised rate deal.

Beware Alamo is going to give you a hardcore added insurance spiel.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

5 hours ago, elfenix said:

aren't they just contracting with hertz/avis/someone?

is there anything costco does that it doesn't do well?

Alamo, Avis, Budget(Avis' economy subsidiary), and Enterprise.

[Asithappens 974]

9 hours ago, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

Use it all the time. Can't beat the price. I have to think they've got a 15-20% below lowest advertised rate deal.

Beware Alamo is going to give you a hardcore added insurance spiel.

Ok, let's talk about rental car insurance.

Do you need it from the rental agency?

 

[Nonbryan 173]

I have always heard that if you play with a credit card, the credit card company will cover with insurance.  Can anyone confirm or deny that?  Also, doesn't your personal auto insurance transfer coverage?

[XYZ 2154]

1 hour ago, Asithappens said:

Ok, let's talk about rental car insurance.

Do you need it from the rental agency?

 

No.

[XYZ 2154]

Here’s a rule of thumb: if somebody is trying to push something on you, you don’t need it.

[UnivTex34 1763]

OK, so I was looking a few weeks ago for a trip to Seattle end of next month. Costco was not cheaper. I look again today, some brands are cheaper, some are not. 

Edited January 25, 2019 by UnivTex34

[ohchaucer 1443]

13 minutes ago, UnivTex34 said:

OK, so I was looking a few weeks ago for a trip to Seattle end of next month. Costco was not cheaper. I look again today, some brands are cheaper, some are not. 

Okay, keep us posted. 

 

[shakahorn 1645]

Are you allowed to accrue points with the frequent-renter program of whoever the actual company is, e.g., Avis Preferred?

[Asithappens 974]

4 hours ago, XYZ said:

Here’s a rule of thumb: if somebody is trying to push something on you, you don’t need it.

Hmm, maybe true. Maybe not.

I'm sure they are making a profit off it (insurance). But the question, to me anyway, is what are the risks/costs if something goes tits up? 

Which is, imo, the entire concept behind insurance.

[NeverMarryAStripper 21921]

Some credit cards cover you if your charge the rental on the card and some don't.  Also all credit card insurance programs are not the same.  On some programs you will have to front the cost of a claim and then get reimbursed.  You can enroll in a coverage plan on some cards that will charge you a small fee (much less than the rental place) when you charge the rental to that card and then give you premium coverage.  Review you card benefits and plan ahead.  The insurance sold by the rental car places is outrageously expensive and you can usually do much better on one of your credit cards.

[JimmyHoffa 1188]

6 hours ago, XYZ said:

Here’s a rule of thumb: if somebody is trying to push something on you, you don’t need it.

 

Except for those Best Buy extended warranties on that $499 flat screen, you absolutely need to pay $199 for two more years of coverage on those bad boys. It's a no brainer.  

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

17 hours ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

Some credit cards cover you if your charge the rental on the card and some don't.  Also all credit card insurance programs are not the same.  On some programs you will have to front the cost of a claim and then get reimbursed.  You can enroll in a coverage plan on some cards that will charge you a small fee (much less than the rental place) when you charge the rental to that card and then give you premium coverage.  Review you card benefits and plan ahead.  The insurance sold by the rental car places is outrageously expensive and you can usually do much better on one of your credit cards.

Mine won't cover pickups or SUVs on pickup frames(Suburban/Expedition/etc).

Edited January 26, 2019 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2740]

Insurance provided by your cards are typically not primary nor do they cover Loss Of Use or Diminished Value.

I get it and drop the keys off with no questions to discuss when I’m done.