Are we being charged more to book extra early?

MiserlyMartin

Hi I know Martins advice has always been to book as early as poss, but I just tried booking a weeks car hire around the Easter break. Its £134! - £20 a day. Normally I pay about £5 a day!

Is this just easter or are the car hire firms getting savvy, to cash in on early bookers...? Will they drop as we get nearer to Easter??

Anyone noticed this behaviour>?

budgetflyer

So normally you pay £35 PW for car hire?

richardw

Less than £20 a day is not bad at peak time.

photome

who have you booked with and where for £5 a day?

MiserlyMartin

I paid £24.61 for 3 days hire in Ireland (Skyscanner). That was an intermediate too. OK slight error in my approximation, but £8 a day.

Going by that though the hire for 7 days should be £56. When you hire over a longer time the hire cost per day usually reduces, not this easter!
From £56 to £134 for a compact or £152 for intermediate.!

Anyway who thinks the prices will go down between here and a month before Easter?

peachyprice

I think it depends on the location, holiday destinations seem to be cheaper booking early, cities not so much. I use Avis a lot in Belfast/Glasgow/Bristol. If it try to book any earlier than a week before I need the car it's usually 3 times more expensive than a few days before. Which is fine most times of the year when they have plenty of cars, but I did bite the bullet in Belfast and pay over the odds when I needed a car 3 days before xmas.

babydaisy

We have booked car hire for Easter.

My mum is travelling 2 days earlier than us on 30th March and we have got car hire for her in Portugal for 15 days for £77.

The cheapest I can find for us for 13 days flying out 2 days later so the kids don't miss any school is £256!!!

Complete and utter rip off.

We have booked through a company whereby we can cancel without charge up to 24 hours before we go. So if the prices drop in that time I will rebook and cancel this booking.

PeacefulWaters

Just booked three days in Malta next month.

£4.80 a day.

MiserlyMartin

It doesn't appear to be going down 3 weeks on - only slightly up

antenna

Just wait till you actualy pick up the car before quoting your bargain prices.
You may be in for a costly surprise as a future £35 price suddenly becomes £135 before you drive away.

gingerdad

Have to say i booked a week in Portugal with Avis for £35.00 and that's all it cost me, was an option for the cdw, but declined and for the toll roads but again as wasn't going on the motorway declined that.

so booked for £35.00 paid £35.00 one company was quoting £1.66 for a weeks car - think there might have been some extras with that one.