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Preview: Best Deals On Rental Cars in Orlando For Rest of 2010

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We’re updating the Unofficial Guide’s Orlando rental car coverage to see which rental companies have the best deals for the remainder of 2010, including Christmas and Thanksgiving.  The full article should be done in about two weeks, but here’s a quick preview of the best discounts we’ve found.  We compared on-site and off-site rental companies using discount codes found on Mousesavers.com, for economy, mid-size and minivan vehicles, for one week Saturday-to-Saturday stays each month for the rest of 2010, including Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The fastest way to the cheapest rates appears to be this:

1. Start with Thrifty’s airport location (airport code MCO) with corporate discount number 004C005932. Typical savings are around $40 per week versus other companies, but we’ve seen as much as $250 per week during holidays. Thrifty has the cheapest rates for Thanksgiving and Christmas 2010 as of now.

2. Next, check Dollar at the Orlando airport (MCO), using MouseSavers discount code KISSE.

3. If getting the absolute rock-bottom price is critical, check Budget’s DoubleTree location at the Downtown Disney Resort Area with discount code W810011. Budget offers free local transportation to and from this location and you can occasionally save $10 to $30 on a weekly rental here versus the airport.

If you’re aware of any other deals or discount codes, especially for summer and holidays, let us know. Thanks!

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Len Testa

Len Testa is the co-author of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, and has contributed to the Disneyland and Las Vegas Unofficial Guides. Most of his time is spent trying to keep up with the team. Len's email address is len@touringplans.com. You can also follow him on Twitter: @lentesta.

27 thoughts on “Preview: Best Deals On Rental Cars in Orlando For Rest of 2010

  • Hi there, I found your website by means of Google while looking for a similar matter, your website came up, it appears to be like good. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.

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  • I need some help please. I’m trying to get a car at MCO from Dec 28-Jan 7. The prices are ridiculously high. Does anyone have any suggestions?

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  • Dollar has great prices for Premiums, Mid Size SUVs, SUVs and Vans for October. I just got a Premium for $140 cheaper than an economy!!

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  • This code from mousesavers for Dollar.com has been unbeatable for me:
    Use Corporate Discount code oi1054 for a special discount from Dollar. Good in Florida only. Source: Orlando Magicard. I would recommend taking your Magicard with you when you pick up the car. Click here to download a FREE Orlando Magicard instantly online.

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  • I tried the Enterprise code for the WDW Marathon weekend (6th-11th Jan) and it was not recognised

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  • I tried CAR on enterprise for June 19-26 and it didn’t work. Any ideas?

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  • I usually stick with Dollar because they’ve always been the cheapest with discount codes. But, when I was looking into getting a car for my August trip Dollar was charging more than I wanted to spend so I checked Alamo with the AP discount and they were much cheaper. Still haven’t decided if we are going to get a car or not, but just wanted to share what I found.

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  • It’s not working for me either.

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      • When I try the code for MCO or LAX, it says it’s not recognized at that location. If I switch to the Disney-Royal Plaza location, then it seems to take it. Maybe they’ve changed the code so it only works at non-airport locations?

        Checking on 9/27-10/4 with these codes, I get Enterprise: $243.87, Dollar: $416.48, Budget: $242.09, and Thrifty: $224.34. In all my years of checking for rental cars at WDW, the Dollar KISS codes have _never_ done me right.

      • Hmmm…I’ll check about the non-MCO locations. That’s interesting.

        Thrify does pretty well there.

  • Len, the corporate code for Enterprise, “car”, does not work. It told me that I had an invalid code.

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    • Hey Bonnie, let me know the dates you’re trying, please.

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      • I was trying Dec 6-14. Maybe that’s too far in advance?
        Thanks!

  • I love National’s Emerald Aisle also. I like that I can double dip to get the best rate and use a coupon. I have found that the Entertainment Coupon Book has very good deals. I spent a good amount of time last year trying all of the tips at Mousesavers.com, and ended up using the Entertainment Coupon Book to get the best deal. I might have used my AAA contract code along with the Ent. Book coupon, I can’t remember. The thing about the Emerald Aisle is that you can pick ANY car in the Emerald Aisle designated rows. They have suv’s, a few mini vans, sedans…nothing smaller than a full-sized catergory car for the same price. The price we got last October was for a mid-size sedan, and then was discounted for the weekly rental, AAA, etc. We got a Ford Flex, and it had a fold-down 3rd row of seats, which gave it a lot of available cargo space. We rented a scooter for my mom, who is 71 and was recovering from a lumpectomy, and it fit in there with no problem. It was ideal, and I think we got a great deal.

    I agree with checking back periodically, I reserved a good rate 5 months out, and then got an even better rate 2 months out on the same rental.

    We have family friends nwho use rentalcarmama.com and swear by it, but we haev never used it. I love being able to pick my own car at National.

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  • The last time we rented a vehicle in Orlando (2007), I checked with our local AAA a couple of days before departure to see if they could get us a better deal. I was surprised to see that they could beat it by 40%. So AAA members, it doesn’t hurt to check with your local office to see what they can do for you.

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  • Len,
    While I do not have a top ten list for this one, I am not sure discount codes are the best way to go.
    I have found a few ways to really save dollars in Orlando:
    1. Even if you do not rent often, join the rental agency’s preferred customer program (Quicksilver, Emerald Club, etc). Discounts are built in to the rates when you query the reservation system. Some other discount codes do not work when you do this however.
    2. Entertainment coupon books may allow you to use your frequent renter discount with additional discounts.
    3. Costco travel provides some discount but adds a perk that can really save money: free second driver.
    4. If you plan ahead, get a reservation at what you think is a reasonable rate, then keep checking regularly and book again if the rate drops. I saved $75 by doing this during Spring Break and got a compact for $188
    for a week at the MCO Alamo.
    5. It is hard to get a van at a discount. With a large group we have sometimes rented two smaller cars for less than a van for the same rental period.
    2.

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  • Len: might want to also remind folks to check with their employer to see if they have a negotiated rate that can be used for personal travel—that can often help with peak time pricing.

    I’m a National addict as well, but luckily Michigan has a contract with them…

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  • The discount for Enterprise is asking for a corporate number?

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    • Use “CAR” as the code. I’ll update the text. Thanks!

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  • Sad to say it, but I’m addicted to Emerald Aisle. Also, National lets you stack discounts. You can use BOTH a Contract ID and a Coupon Code. That coupled with the incredible amount of time saved on pick-up has me hooked for pure value.

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  • Are you sure code 5000304 isn’t for National?

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