My question is, do the points have a big decision in your choice of rental company?
I fly out every other week and stay gone for the whole week. During that time I rent a car, but it is used only for transportation to and from the hotel to where I am working that week. To me, a car is a car as long as it is in good condition and you dont have to worry about it breaking down. I have used Avis Priority & Hertz Gold. Both of them get me out of the airport reasonably quick (vs standing in line for a rental).
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To me the big deciding factor is what kind of bonus points can I receive since the price is usually the same and my company allows me to choose my own rental company.
So, do most people rent for the points or for other reasons like customer loyalty, etc.?
dhammer
I switched (primarily) to Avis because they generally are cheaper (with the right codes) and as a Preffered Select I almost always get upgraded to a car that matches or is better than Emerald . I also found myself in some Emerald locations having to race another renter to the only available one.
Hey Jabez,
I completely agree with not spending more than needed of my company money. Although a few dollars difference will not make the decision, a big price difference will make my decision up front.
I guess that my preference is not to have the best car available (as I don't drive much while there, all I want is a dependable means of transportation) but focus more on what I can get for my personal life outside of work (miles/points for family vacation, etc.) if all other things (location, etc.) are fairly similar.
I have seen people in my office pick a rental company based just on the nicest car they can get and to heck in a handbasket with the points/miles they can get.
George...
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Originally posted by fixthed*mnthing.com:
My question is, do the points have a big decision in your choice of rental company?
[...]
To me, a car is a car as long as it is in good condition and you dont have to worry about it breaking down. I have used Avis Priority & Hertz Gold. Both of them get me out of the airport reasonably quick (vs standing in line for a rental).
To me the big deciding factor is what kind of bonus points can I receive since the price is usually the same and my company allows me to choose my own rental company.
So, do most people rent for the points or for other reasons like customer loyalty, etc.?
For me--& I assume it is true for many--under normal circumstances, it comes down to the overall mix of cost, convenience, & perks (e.g. miles, points).
Cost (including any stupid frequent flyer tax they choose to throw @ a customer), for obvious reasons.
Convenience, for obvious reasons, but also a potentially key factor if minimizing time spent getting to the car (e.g. off airport location) &/or processing the reservation (e.g. waiting in line vs. going right to the vehicle) is "crucial".
Miles & points are always considered, & if I find comparable rates btwn different rental car companies, the miles & points aspect can be the determining factor--particularly if Avis is in the picture, as I value a particular points-based perk (Starpoints) available w/ them. If the rental will be lengthy, & there is a justifiably applicable (e.g. won't raise the price) double or triple miles promo, then earning miles will likely win out (vs. Starpoints), given the potentially greater value, in the end. Additionally, I know that special promos can affect (& possibly be the determining factor in) the decision (e.g. American Airlines 20/20 partner promo, additional Starwood bonus points for x-day minimum Avis rental).
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[This message has been edited by ILTE_Miles (edited 08-18-2001).]
My first interest is to get with Avis the good rates that I do not always find by others. If Hertz is better, I 'll use Hertz Gold (I am Avis Preferred).
On international, when I can, I try to use a code with double or thriple miles if any, but ONLY if this does not raise the rate.
On national (I mean France), I grab Avis Mille Merci Points, between 100 and 150 per rental, and 1200 is enough for a free rental for a week-end, so, yes, in this case, Points are really incentive. That is the only case they are for me.
The main reason I stick with Avis is the flat 500 British Airways Executive Club miles for each rental. That's become an unusually generous offer in the rental-car world. And this year they ran a stepped bonus mile scheme with BA tied to rental frequency. Avis probably gets me 15k BA miles per year.
The biggest discouragement to using Avis is not price but convenience. Even with a Preferred card, at an increasing number of cities now, renting and returning a car takes an unacceptably long time. SFO in particular is hideous. The new "rental car center" is miles from the airport, and you're required to queue for generic/common buses and get BACK on the freeway to be driven to/from your flight! Last month my co-worker groused so much about the extra 30 minutes that we'll just take taxis next time. There go some BA miles I would've had otherwise... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif
In essence, I agree,if comparing the top 3. But many locations that I travel to there's a real problem with the location of the rental company. Since I rarely see Hertz beat Avis' price (National too), it easy to choose them first.I, however, usually do a quick cost comparison. A marked difference may sway me. My first priority is to not unnecessarily spend too much of my firms money,then I look at points,etc.
Originally posted by jabez:
I wouldn't choose one that I got no points with,but I don't switch because of special points promotions.I generally check Avis and National. Avis, with the right discount number, almost always is cheapest. I only want an airport on-site location. Some of the deep-discount ones can have inconvenient locations. As a Preferred Select I now find that I get upgraded at almost every location. This is a nice benefit.
Hello Jabez,
I have only used Hertz (I am Gold) and Avis (Prefered). Although if the points/miles bonus was high enough and the price was similar, I would use a different rental company.
As far as location goes, if Hertz or Avis is onsite at the airport. Then other rental companies will be there also, so location is usually the same.
As far as upgrades are concerned, I always rent something I would be happy with if I didnt get an upgrade so this is also something that is decided by the bonus. Though being in both of the status clubs, I do get an upgrade at both places.
I have to rent a car everywhere I go, although I don't spend much time in it during the week (to and from work, though if I was traveling in the car this would make a difference). As such, with the price being close (I have the final decision with what company I rent from) I have to have something that is the deciding factor = points.
For years I've used Avis because we had a corporate discount. Since joining FT I've learned that our discount isn't so wonderful as I had thought, so I've broadened out to Dollar and Enterprise, with others in the future.
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Middle_Seat
I wouldn't choose one that I got no points with,but I don't switch because of special points promotions.I generally check Avis and National. Avis, with the right discount number, almost always is cheapest. I only want an airport on-site location. Some of the deep-discount ones can have inconvenient locations. As a Preferred Select I now find that I get upgraded at almost every location. This is a nice benefit.
Bear,
Just for the record, SFO is a bad place to rent from ALL the car rental people. I hate the new system.
Years ago, I moved away from Avis to Hertz and National. I especially liked National because you can pick any car off the Emerald aisle. Sometimes you get lucky. Many times at LAX, all they have is 1 type of car!! But I get to pick the color!! (big deal)
Dan
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Points... the reason for your rental???