Ever use Costco.ca for car rental?

[MarcJ55]

I've booked a car rental on Costco.ca for 2 reasons: (1) it was cheaper than anywhere else, and (2) they allow spouses to drive for free.

Just wondering if anyone else has ever used Costco for their car rental? How did it go?

 

[Hemlock]

I have several times. No issues. In fact, I have another reservation (Costco/Alamo) booked for Matrch 2018.

 

[prairiesarah]

I've only ever booked through costcotravel.ca for car rentals it it's always been great (Florida and PEI trips). Its way easier to find the best deal than looking on the individual car rental sites IMHO. Also, if you do book through there, continue to check prices and re-book if the price goes down. I got a price on our last Florida trip a couple hundred $ less than the original booking by doing that.

 

[starvenger]

I usually book using costco first, irrespective of price, so that I've "locked in" a rental. Then I keep looking there and elsewhere to see if I can get a better rate, cancelling the rental as needed.

Budget is my current favourite as their Fastbreak program allows me to skip lineups, pick up my rental agreement and go.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I've used them a few times. If you're an Executive member, you'll get 2% back at the end of the year when you get your membership bonus, too. I wouldn't book any other way now. I also book through their sites for local rentals (that drive to Ottawa from the GTA, for example), as well as rentals in MCO.

 

[starvenger]

I actually just upgraded to executive. Did the math and figured that we were likely to spend the $3000 required to make up the cost difference.

 

[friedela]

We also booked with Costco for our trip in Feb so I have no experience to speak of yet but have always heard good things from others

 

[Cottager]

Just wanted to highlight that only Alamo and Enterprise show that an "Additional Driver is Included" for Costco Canada members (look at the bullets when you select the type of vehicle on the search results page). If you look at Budget's website in the U.S., it indicates that your immediate Spouse is included as an additional driver for free but anyone else will incur an extra charge. We confirmed the free spouse coverage with Budget (nothing to do with Costco) in Orlando a few weeks ago. No idea about Avis. One observation we've noticed about booking through Costco is they don't seem to bug you about extra insurance coverage etc. at the checkin counter and you never have to worry about the discount codes you may have found on the internet being valid. As mentioned above, keep checking back on their site daily for rate reductions. I've seen rates for Orlando airport lower at 5:30 am but rise later in the same day. We've also noticed the lowest rates tend to show up a couple of weeks prior to our trips...but that may just be our experience.

 

[ottawamom]

I had a real argument with the check-in person last fall when we used Costco/Alamo. I ended up not getting the insurance he insisted I needed by saying I would take my chances. There were no issues and I would have been covered if something had happened. It just depends on who is behind the counter and how much they really know or need the bonus for getting people to take the insurance.

 

[Silvermist999]

We used them for the first time last May. No issues whatsoever.
The only thing I would suggest is if you see a good rate for the vehicle size you want, book it. We waited a bit longer to book, hoping for lower rates. In the end, Costco.ca was the cheapest but we could have saved much more had we booked right away, the rates actually went up.

 

[LAV]

i've used Costco car rentals a number of times. It's really easy to compare prices, book & cancel/re-book if/when price drops.
For our upcoming trip I originally booked with Costco, but later found a cheaper rate via Undercover Tourist.

 

[pigletto]

I had a real argument with the check-in person last fall when we used Costco/Alamo. I ended up not getting the insurance he insisted I needed by saying I would take my chances. There were no issues and I would have been covered if something had happened. It just depends on who is behind the counter and how much they really know or need the bonus for getting people to take the insurance.

We’ve been given the hard sell insurance pitch at all of the car rental places in MCO. Like you mentioned, they are pushing for commission/bonuses and they WILL lie to you to get you to buy the insurance. I suggest everyone check their policy for exactly what they are covered for and go in prepared. Our policy covers us for a rental and we know exactly how much coverage we have. I think most people are covered.. but check.

OP, we have booked through Costco many times, or we book through the company we are using directly. Basically we go with the best rate we can find. They will fluctuate often so it’s best to book a rate you can live with (don’t prepay) and then cancel and rebook when you find something better.

 

[musika]

For those who rent with Costco, how did you pick up your car? I'd like to take advantage of DME and pickup from somewhere on the resort if possible.

 

[starvenger]

Remember one thing when looking at rates - Costco Travel lists in USD. Other places list in CDN so look carefully at the currency when comparing prices.

And don't forget to cancel any reservations you don't intend to use. While Costco does not require a credit card for reservations, I have my CC on file with Budget and they WILL charge me if I don't cancel a reservation.

 

[FLVacationGirl]

I booked 2 suv rentals through CostcoTravel.ca last year for a Fort Myers/Universal trip. We had zero issues with the booking. We did have issues with the Avis counter at the Double Tree hotel next to ours for the drop off (their hours weren't accurate) but everything was great on the Costco end. I have another Costco suv rental via Alamo for Fort Myers for next week. (No Disney for us until Dec!)

 

[deedubb]

I had booked a minivan through Costco for our Xmas trip for a little over $200 whereas everywhere else I looked was in the $600 range. Very strange as I've never seen that much of a price difference. In the end I canceled it as we just decided to use DME and Disney transportation, and Garden Grocer instead of driving to Walmart or Publix. I find it to be a much more relaxing vacation if I don't have to drive.

 

[C&B Young]

We've booked through Costco every time. Searching the US and Canadian sites used to yield different rates, but it seems that they're identical nowadays. Book early, and then rebook & cancel the old reservation if the price drops. Plus with Alamo you can pick up your car using the automated kiosk and avoid the hard sell on upgrades by a desk agent.

 

[mab2012]

I usually get a great corporate rate with Avis, and it's rare that anywhere else beats it, including Costco. I do look up the Costco coupon code though (it's in the fine print), and apply it when I book directly with Avis. I've done this numerous times in several different locations, and it's never been questioned. I *am* a Costco member, so I figure it's legitimate enough. It usually saves me an extra $30 or so on a week-long rental. Just something to consider trying for those who book at Costco but continue to shop around!

 

[ranman1973]

Like many others here, +1 for Costco car rental. Easily the best rate most often. That's what I love about Costco.

 

[Canadian Harmony]

It was great! Plus, I checked back on the costco site about two weeks out and got a lower price for the car, so I booked that one and canceled the first one and saved $20!