Visit the Rental Cars section of Priceline’s website to utilize their Name Your Own Price bidding system. Enter the city you wish to rent the car in, the type of care you would like and the date of pickup and drop-off. Car types are economy, compact, mid-size, standard, full-size, premium, luxury, convertible, minivan or SUV. State the price you are willing to pay for the rental, give the name and age of the driver and submit your bid. Priceline requires valid credit card information during the process.
You should receive an answer on whether Avis, Alamo, Budget, Hertz or National has accepted your bid within a minute or two. If accepted, Priceline will charge your credit card immediately. If rejected, you can try the same bid again in 24 hours. A third scenario exists where you may receive a counteroffer from the car rental company that is slightly higher than your bid but lower than their standard rates. You can choose to accept or decline the counteroffer.
Think about location and seasonality before placing a bid. Discounts for car rentals in Orlando, Florida, will be less substantial during school breaks. Ski season in Colorado, large conventions and college or professional sporting events will all drive demand up and discounts down. Car rentals in cities that experience more business travel may offer higher weekend discounts, while high tourist destinations may give better discounts midweek. Weekday car rental rates are generally higher than standard weekend rates—noon Thursday to noon Monday—so adjust your bids according to the days you will be renting.
Check current rates on other travel sites that tell you the brand name, such as Travelocity or Expedia, on the same day that you plan to bid on Priceline. Your research will tell you what the going rates currently are for those dates, locations and car rental companies. Check the car rental websites as well to find any online-only specials.
A normal bid should be 20 percent of the best price that you have found while doing your research, and it should always be slightly less than Hotwire. If you make your bid several weeks or months in advance, up the discount to 30 percent or more, regardless of whether it is peak season in that location.
Bid a steeper discount than 20 percent on larger cars and specialty vehicles. Car renters usually go for mid-line cars so you might find the companies accepting higher discounts on these.
Be conscious of the type of amenities that you want in the car that you rent. Compact or economy cars quite often come without CD players, electric windows and locks. If you attempt to switch the car type when arriving at the car rental location, you might be then charged peak price for the rental.
Be diligent about the time you pick up and drop off the car. If you were supposed to return it at noon on a Monday and return it at 3 p.m. instead, the car rental company will charge you for an extra day at peak rates.
Car rentals through Priceline are non-refundable. Priceline does offer third-party travel insurance, but claims usually must be due to severe illness or death.
