Since we were coming in from Singapore and not too familiar with car rental policies, much research was to be done online to learn more about this. Below are some of what we did. Do leave comments on what you did too, so others – us included – will know more the next time we do this again!
We were told to try expedia.com. we also looked at vroomvroomvroom.com, and several other ‘mashup’ sites.
But I don’t think they were useful.
The first thing we decided on was the type of car. We chose a compact, for two people it was fine. It would be the Ford Focus if we used Hertz.
Why Hertz? Hertz is actually the most expensive of the car rental companies, but for assurance we chose it. That said, my other Singaporean friend is comfortable using Thrifty, and has had no problems since.
Below is a small summary of these companies that originated in the United States:
- Hertz is the biggest player and the most expensive.
- National too is big, with more than 3000 locations worldwide.
- Avis is next in line, with about 2000 locations worldwide.
- Alamo and Enterprise come next, with about 1000 locations worldwide.
- Dollar Rent a Car, Budget and Thrifty are the smallest players. Just from their names you know they are much cheaper.
In the end, we realized that, if booking with Hertz, there are alot of discounts to be had. E.g. if you are an AAA member or have an HSBC card.
