Comments on: Upgrade declined: Travelers turning down car rental upgrades

By: Avoiding airport rental markups » Upgrade: Travel Better

Avoiding airport rental markups » Upgrade: Travel Better — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:36:24 +0000

[...] to car rental late-return grace periods? – Reader roundup: More tips for car rental deals – Upgrade declined: Travelers turning down car rental upgrades – Reader mail: Watch your prepaid rental car fees – Chicago to align short-term car rentals and [...]

By: Claire Walter

Claire Walter — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:54:08 +0000

I like small cars. I’ve always liked small cars. I’ve always owned small cars. I always rent small cars. And when a rental firm tries to do me a “favor” and upgrade my vehicle, I always say, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Claire @ http://travel-babel.blogspot.com

By: visa

visa — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:45:12 +0000

Think carefully about what kind of vehicle you’ll need. If you’re traveling with children or with a lot of gear, you may want a large sedan or SUV. If you’re simply looking to save money on rental rates and gas, you’ll want to reserve the smallest available model.

http://www.americanfianceevisas.com

By: Oliver

Oliver — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:39:18 +0000

Bill… oh please, I am not in SoCal, but up here in the Bay Area we see tons of Minis and nowadays even Smart cars cruising down the highways. Don’t be a chicken

By: Bill

Bill — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 18:21:27 +0000

I recently researched car rentals at LAX and in almost all cases the SUVs were cheaper than all categories below it. I did rent a Toyota Highlander SUV at Alamo for $39/day and was glad I did. I filled up twice for a total of $100 for gas. There is no way I would have driven Southern California freeways in a small car. Too intimidating.

By: Carla

Carla — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:32:20 +0000

Must be something about the Denver Airport. I paid $17/day over the July 4th holiday for an economy rental. When I got to the counter I was offered a Hyundai Santa Fe or Jeep Grand Cherokee. I was happy to take the upgrade, since I was whitewater rafting in the mountains, but had this been the city I would have tried to decline also.
There were at least 2 others at the counter arguing that they didn’t want to drive the SUV upgrade that they were given.
Luckily the Santa Fe was extremely fuel efficient.

I love your blog by the way, always keeps me informed.

By: Dan Hill

Dan Hill — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:02:25 +0000

Avis in Denver tried recently to upgrade me from a compact to a Hummer!

By: Jason H

Jason H — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:59:15 +0000

Just a note, you can reserve a specific car if you reserve a car from the Hertz collection series (such as the Green collection). It costs a couple dollars more, but you are reserving a specific car.

Instead of seeing “Mazda 6 or similar” when you book a Green Collection car you see “Ford Fusion.” None of the “or similar” nonsense. If they can’t provide that car they have to provide a car that gets a similar EPA MPG rating.