Cheap Car Rental Deals and Review of Car Rental Companies

I moved to Edmonton from Toronto about a year and a half ago. I didn't want to buy a car so renting a car seem like the best way to go for when I needed to get around. I needed the car mostly for the weekends. I tried every single rental company in Edmonton. I found that most of them lack in customer service but I did manage to find one that offered great customer service and was by far the cheapest. The rates go as low as $9.99 per weekend day, which is very cheap I think!

One extra expense when renting a car is the insurance that could ran to be $15 to $25 per day. However, certain credit cards offer car rental insurance coverage. Generally you do have to pay an annual fee for those cards, but often renting a few times pays for that. I have a CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite, which costs $129 per year and has the rental insurance coverage (plus, I get to collect a lot of aeroplan points, which also more than pays for the fee in the long run). If you have one of these cards, then you can waive the insurance and just pay the basic rate (e.g. $9.99).

Overview

Enterprise - This company is my personal #1. It's just great! They offer pick ups and drop offs all the time. All you have to do is call them ahead of your reservation time and they will pick you up, if they cannot pick you up they will send a taxi to get you. Then, when you drop the car off, they'll take you wherever you want to go. To get the best with them, the key is to book online. Lately, they've been having a lot of promotions for $9.99 (unlimited kilometres) on the weekend (has to include Saturday night). The weekend rate can be extended for up to two days (ie you can rent a car from Thursday until Tuesday at that rate).

I always get one weekend day for free since I have the Entertainment Card. It is not too expensive and is very well worth it. So, for four days of car rental, I am generally pay $34 after tax. If I decide to rent for 3 days, then we are looking at approximately $23 in total. You really cannot go wrong with this.

Another major plus about Enterprise is that they are very nice to you all the time, and by that I mean ALL the time. I rent on a weekly basis from them and I cannot think of one time that they did not deliver great customer service. They will also do price matching and you can drop off your car anywhere in Alberta for no extra fee (excluding airports - that's $50).

You do have to be 25 years old or over to rent a car and have a major credit card. But, that's pretty standard.

Budget - It's good for collecting air miles. In my experience, the customer service is horrible. Don't be fooled by their "free pick up service" on their website. This is not true. It should read "we pick you up sometimes". I've never actually been picked up by them, and I've been told that they don't do it... or that only some locations do it... I am not sure what the real story is there. They run a special every once in a while for renting a car for $9.99 for one day. So, if you are only looking to rent for one day, then maybe consider them. If you have a Costco Executive membership, they will waive the extra fee charged if you are between 21 and 24.

Thrifty - Their customer service is not bad and sometimes they have good specials. They've had a $11.99 per day special for their economy car on the weekends. They will pick you up if they are not busy. Unfortunately, most of the time they are busy, so you are on your own for getting there.

Rent-a-wreck - Their slogan is "Drive a good bargain". I don't agree with it. There is nothing special about their prices. This company is good for one and one thing alone. They will rent a car to people that are not Albertans and that do not have a credit card. You do need to leave a $500 deposit. Their rates are not cheap, but this is the only company in Edmonton that will rent to people with no credit cards and from out of province; so there is no much choice there. Sometimes they run a special daily rate for $19.76 for their basic car, but this rate is still pretty high in comparison with others. They don't have a large float of cars, and their cars don't tend to be on the newer side.

Avis - They have nice cars. I find their prices to be on the expensive side. They do not pick you up, and their customer service is questionable.

Alamo - The good thing about this company is that, like Budget, it will rent to people between the ages of 21 and 24. You will have to pay and extra $30 for it though. Sometimes they have a weekend special for $13.71 per day on ther economy cars. The downside for them is that in Edmonton they are located in the airport only, which means extra taxes (about $20 just in taxes for a weekend rental). They do not pick you up.

National - Expensive, expensive, expensive. They have VERY nice cars, but their rates are through the roof.

If looking to rent during the week, you will find that most car rentals offer very similar rates. Check the internet first, find out how much it costs, then call them to ask if they will give you a special. Also, try to find coupons online. The entertainment card has coupons for most rental companies. If I find a cheap rate with someone else, I usually just call Enterprise and ask them to match the price of whichever company is the cheapest. (A lot of the time, I don't eve have to do this as they are the cheapest). I choose to call them because they will pick me up and because of their great customer service. In Edmonton, I usually use the 101 & 106 location downtown. They are never super busy and the people working there make renting a car a very smooth process.

We've rented from Enterprise in Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, Chicago and Los Angeles. We've found that their rates are still the best.