Whittling at the Cost of Car Rentals

As gasoline prices continue their climb, the car rental companies are going that extra mile to keep and attract the hard-pressed vacationer. Most of the biggies are floating major promotions that reward drivers for weeklong rentals, the presumed time frame for vacation travel. The prices vary, as do the dates of availability, but the concept remains the same: Rent with us, and we’ll show our appreciation by enabling you to offset somewhat the high cost of feeding our cars.

The best deal comes from the smallest operator: Advantage Rent-a-Car will slash rates in the Western states for a Chevy Metro (or something similarly small) to $99 for a week. You’ll get the best gas mileage with those ultra-small cars, of course, but if you prefer a ride with more bulk, Chevy Cavaliers (or similar) are on sale for $139 per week. The bigger Dodge Stratus (or similar) can be had for $169.

The offer is good only at Advantage’s 130 offices in California, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Washington. And it’s good only for travel through June 2.

For vacationers planning on high-tailing it out of Phoenix or Salt Lake City, Advantage will give you a Chevy Metro for just $9.99 per day if you will deliver it to one of its other locations. (There’s a list on the Web site.) You pay no drop-off fees with this promotion; you’re doing the company a favor. Each spring most of the rental companies in the Southwest move vehicles from the more popular winter destinations to places that see more summer traffic.

Call Advantage at (800) 777-5500 or go to https://www.arac.com for more information.

In a broader range of locations, Alamo Car Rental will rent compacts in the $139-per-week range, honoring the deal through June 30 (with blackouts May 23 to 27). There’s some tricky language on this one: It’s available at “participating” locations nationwide. How do you know if the office you pick is participating? You won’t until you call, and we’ve often found that the answer to that question can change depending on the time of day, who responds to your request and so on. But it can’t hurt to try. Go to https://www.alamo.com, click on “hot deals” and then again on “Compact car for $139 Nationwide.”

Hertz is charging $10 more in its weekly sale, and it restricts the deal to American Express cardholders. If you fall into that category, Hertz will rent you one of its compact economy vehicles for $149 per week through June 28, again at “participating locations.” (They’re kind enough to let you know immediately that metropolitan New York branches have declined to participate.) Holiday periods will be blacked out. Call Hertz at (800) 654-3131 or rent online at https://www.hertz.com by clicking on “Special Offers.”