For the first time in my experience, bidding for a rental car on Priceline.com did not return the best price. The price offered on Orbitz.com turned out to be better by about 20 percent. Lesson learned: Don’t depend on one site to always provide the best price.
When bidding for a rental car in Orlando, Orbitz listed a price for EZ Rent a Car of $16.28 a day plus taxes and fees. I assumed that EZ Rent a Car was off-airport and decided to bid for a car from Priceline.com.
After several experiences in Orlando and my penchant for getting to the airport at the last minute for my departing flight, I have always booked with a rental car company that has a presence at the airport. I have normally stuck with the major car rental companies that have desks at the airport rather than being faced with a bus ride from a distant lot back to the airport and opening times that are not convenient.
Anyone who has read my columns over the years, knows that I am a big fan of Priceline.com. I had no doubt that I could beat any published price by bidding for a lower rate.
In order to get the in-terminal convenience I was willing to pay a bit more. All of the majors (Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, National) had listed prices of $33+. I bid $18 a day for the car through Priceline.com.
Amazingly, my bid was refused! I blinked, then changed the type of car and bid again. Again I was refused! They offered me a rate of $24. I decided that the convenience was not worth the additional $50+ over a three day period.
I then went back to Orbitz and discovered that EZ Rent a Car has an in-terminal location and was open 24 hours per day. I went ahead and confirmed the reservation.
Everything went smoothly and my EZ Rent a Car experience so far has been flawless.
If I were a betting man, I would have lost money on a bet that a Priceline bid would have yielded the best price. Sometimes the price on Orbitz beats anything you can find elsewhere on the Web; sometimes not.
