A woman who booked a weeklong car rental for a Colorado trip learned the hard way that she should’ve checked the prices through Costco first.
TikTok user Alex Petrakieva (@alexonabudget) posted a video with her car rental regret story last week. “I am not sure who needs to hear this, but I’m sure somebody does,” she says to start the video.
She explains that she and her husband went to Colorado for a visit and booked a car rental after looking online and comparing prices. Ultimately, the couple chose Alamo and paid a total of $677.72, she says. That total included a time and distance of $430.88 and another $246.84 in taxes and other fees.
“I posted it online, and a bunch of you started messaging me,” she says. “They’re like, ‘Alex, you use Costco. Why did you not use Costco for car rentals?’ I didn’t know Costco had rentals, OK?”
Costco Car Rental Comparison Shopping
Petrakieva decided to go onto the Costco Travel tab and look up the same car for the same period of time (on a different week, of course). “Let me show you—the same car, the same company, the same timing—how much it costs on Costco,” she says.
She shows a screenshot of her results. An intermediate SUV for a week with unlimited mileage and an additional driver would cost Alex $290.98. She puts a hand to her forehead to indicate that she’s disappointed she didn’t know this sooner.
“So if you’re traveling, take it from me and just use Costco,” Petrakieva says. “Somebody told me the best quote ever. Costco is a mindset. And I just need to adopt that.”
Viewers React to the Costco Car Rental Price
In the comments section, viewers expressed gratitude for the Costco Travel deals on flights, rental cars, vacation packages, and more.
“Between me, Costco, and ChatGPT, I planned the PERFECT Disney vacation,” wrote one person.
“Costco is a lifestyle,” a second user agreed.
Several viewers said they booked honeymoon trips through Costco Travel. “We just rented one in Glacier National Park notorious for high car rentals,” wrote one person. “Costco: $600. Everyone else: $1,400-$1,800 for a week.”
“I tell everyone,” another person said. “If you have a Costco membership, the car rental service is king.”
Costco Members Swear By Its Car Rental Service
The comments section isn’t the only place where Costco members are raving about its rental car deals. A Redditor posted to r/Costco last month to urge other travelers to check Costco before booking their next rental car.
“My favorite part of using Costco Travel for car rentals is you can continue monitoring the site since prices fluctuate, and if your booking gets cheaper, you can cancel and rebook with zero hassle,” wrote one redditor. “You’re never locked into a higher price.”
A second person backed them up. “We always book our car rental, then keep checking the price,” they wrote. “More often than not, the price comes down and we book the updated lower option, then cancel the previous one.”
Motor1 reached out to Petrakieva via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We also reached out to Costco via online contact form for comment. We’ll update this if either responds.
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