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Frequently Asked Questions

Priceline Car Rental Bidding

1. What rental car companies does Priceline use?
2. What's the minimum age for renting a Priceline rental car?
3. How late can I book?
4. What should I bid?
5. How can I avoid overbidding?
6. What if my bid fails?
7. Can I change or cancel my reservation?
8. Will I have to pay taxes and fees when I pick up the car?
9. Can I bid on cars in Canada?

1. What rental car companies does Priceline use?

Priceline uses the top five: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, and National.

Typically, these have well-maintained cars and the most convenient airport locations.

2. What’s the minimum age for renting a Priceline rental car?

Twenty-one, instead of the usual 25.

3. How late can I book?

That’s a hard question. Currently, Priceline.com allows you to book as late as ONE hour prior to pick up.

Nevertheless, you have no guarantee that discounts will still be available if you wait that late.

See Winning Rental Car bids in Top Cities from $12/day!

4. What should I bid?

When bidding on car rentals, size matters. The larger and more luxurious the vehicle, the greater discount you can get on Priceline.

• For smaller or midsize cars, make your Priceline bid 20-40% off the rates on sites that tell you brand name and retail price in advance.
  
  
• For larger and more expensive vehicles, bid at least 30% off these sites' prices.

Think about the discount in three ways:

• Are you traveling at a peak period like spring break in Florida?
  

• Have you time to wait and rebid 24 hours later (Priceline's rule), if your first lower bid fails?
  
  
• Or, are you willing to change car size or date, in order to have an aggressive first bid and then be able to re-bid immediately, if the first bid fails?

5. How can I avoid overbidding?

Compare total prices.

You’ve probably already checked the rates on a discount sites like:

AirportRentalCars.com from $12/day

Also make sure you bid less than you would pay on Hotwire.com, Priceline’s main competitor.

Like Priceline, Hotwire does not tell you the rental company name until you pay, but it does list prices.

When you see Hotwire’s price list, refine your search with pick up and drop off times and whether using a credit or debit card to make sure these rates apply to you.

6. What if my bid fails?

You can’t bid again for the same size car and for the same dates within 24 hours, even if you are willing to increase your bid.

However, you can rebid immediately if you change a particular of your bid, such as

• Car type (size)
• Pick-up date
• Drop-off date
• Airport
  

As Priceline says,

"The major rental car companies would not allow you to save so much money with Priceline if you could try again simply by changing your pick-up and drop-off times or raising your price until it is accepted."

If you want to stay with the same size car and dates, you can always go back to Hotwire (above) to grab a low price, within the deadline it gave you.

7. Can I change or cancel my reservation?

No, that’s the risk you take for Priceline's low prices.

Keep in mind that you can "Name your own price" up to one hour before pick up time. As long as discounted cars are still available, you can wait to bid until your plans are firm.

Nevertheless, you may not want to wait if traveling during spring break in Orlando or similar peak times!

8. Will I have to pay taxes and fees when I pick up the car?

An advantage of Priceline "Name your own price" is that taxes and fees are added to your bid before you pay. You rarely face unexpected costs when you pick up the car at the airport, unless there's been a last-minute increase in airport fees.

Make sure you take your Priceline receipt and confirmation with you to the rental car counter to show that you have prepaid everything.

Even though you've prepaid, the rental car company will probably obtain an authorization on your credit card, in case you return the car late, etc.

Be sure that your card has sufficient credit available.

9. Can I bid on cars in Canada?

Yes.