More on discounted rental cars.

• First, do a search on Orbitz because it will do a fairly comprehensive survey of different companies and different types of cars quickly. This will ballpark a price for you that you will then want to beat.
• Then go to Avis.com. There are a few tricks to get better deals. First, as I’ve mentioned before, you can use the Amateur Sports Assistance Program discount (which works out to 20% most of the time for me, but sometimes as much as 50%). Just enter D002807 in the “Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD)” field. You get a discount, and Avis gives credits for free rental days to Olympic hopefuls. That’s the most useful standy code. However, some other useful ones to try are K753401 ($25/day on a compact car via British Airways — just saved me $70 on a 4 day rental in Fresno), A108303 (Costco), and A076600 (Compuserve travel forum).
• While at Avis.com, you should also use coupons. In the coupon code, try each of the following: GUGA001 (free tank of gas on a weekly rental, from AARP), TUGA443 (free weekend day), UUAA195 (free upgrade), T844211 (% discount). Your quoted rate won’t change — coupons are independent of the Internet price.
• Now that you have the best deal you can find (and have booked it, since it can be cancelled), from Orbitz or Avis or Sidestep (which you should have installed after my last post), you can go to Priceline. It’s a shot in the dark — if you bid lower than your best price and Priceline accepts, you’ve saved money and you can cancel your existing reservation. If priceline turns you down, you still have the best available deal.

7/20/03 Update: Looks like the Avis discount codes listed above are expired. So here’s a sleuth of new ones. Just enter one discount code at a time and see which one offers the lowest rate on your rental.

• D086689 American Institute of Engineers
  

• A076600 Compuserve Travel Forum
  

• B116099 American College of Physicians
  

• K860600 This is the Starwood code. Best rates in Hawaii, other places spotty.
  

• B935221 Sam’s Club code.
  
• B335100 British Airways code
  

• D331000 Travelocity code
  

• K817110 American Airlines code
  

• A108325 Costco code
  

• X212600 Qualiflyer code
  

• B973000 Gusto Card
  

• D005620 US Association of Small Business and Enterpreneurship
• J098440 Plastec: the Trade Show for the Plastic Industry
• L237904 Unknown Source

• K501300 Unknown Source
  

• S085400 Unknown Source
  

• B116099 American College of Physicians