I recently got back from a vacation and the rental car research process was genuinely eye-opening. Not because anything went wrong — it didn't — but because of how close it is for a lot of people to go very wrong. If you've ever sorted rental car results by lowest price and clicked on the first result without thinking twice, this post is for you.
If the Price Looks Too Good to Be True, It Is
When I was researching rental cars for this trip I noticed a handful of companies offering prices that were significantly cheaper than everything else on the page. We're talking noticeably lower — not a small gap, but the kind of difference that makes you do a double take.
My instinct was to look into those companies before getting excited about the price. What I found was consistent: terrible reviews. Complaints about hidden fees that showed up at the counter and weren't reflected in the booking price, cars that weren't in the condition advertised, customer service that disappeared the moment something went wrong, and charges appearing on credit cards after the rental was returned.
The tricky part is that some of these companies have managed to accumulate decent overall star ratings despite a pattern of bad experiences. When you dig into the reviews more carefully you start to see why — a suspiciously high number of generic five-star reviews with minimal detail, which is a classic sign of either incentivized reviews or review manipulation. If you're only glancing at the aggregate rating without reading through what people actually experienced, it's easy to be misled.
The lesson I took from this is simple: for rental cars, cheap is a red flag, not a feature. The legitimate companies — Enterprise, Hertz, Avis, Budget, National — are priced where they are for a reason. The outliers at the bottom of the price list are usually outliers for a reason too.
Why I Booked Through Costco Travel
After ruling out the sketchy options I ended up booking through Costco Travel, and I'll be booking all my rental cars there going forward. Here's why.
Every company Costco lists is a reputable, established brand. You're not going to stumble onto a fly-by-night operation through their platform — they've already filtered those out. What you get instead is a clean comparison of legitimate options with transparent pricing across a range of vehicle types and companies.
The pricing was competitive. Not a race to the bottom the way some third-party booking sites can be, but genuinely fair rates from companies I actually trusted. And critically — Costco doesn't charge you at booking. You pay at the rental counter when you pick up the car. That removes the anxiety of prepaying for something you haven't seen yet.
Pickup and drop-off for the options I was looking at were located at the airport, which is exactly where you want to be when you're traveling. No shuttle buses to an off-site lot, no waiting around after a long flight.
My Actual Experience
I booked through Costco and chose Budget for this trip. The car I received had 300 miles on it. Essentially brand new. The process at the counter was straightforward and the amount I paid matched exactly what was shown on Costco's site — no surprise fees, no upsell pressure that actually changed my total. That kind of transparency feels more notable than it should, but after reading what happens to people at the cheaper companies it's something I genuinely appreciated.
Costco also runs promotions periodically where booking through their travel portal within a certain window comes with a Costco Shop Card. On this trip I received a $26 shop card just for booking through them. It's not a huge number but it's a nice bonus on top of an already straightforward experience — essentially a discount that shows up in your next Costco run.
The Rewards Stack If You're a Costco Member
If you're an Executive Member and you use the Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi to pay, the rewards on a rental car booking get interesting.
The Costco Citi card earns 3% back on Costco Travel purchases, and rental cars booked through Costco Travel qualify. If you have an Executive Membership, you also earn the 2% Executive rebate on top of that. So on a $400 rental you're looking at $20 back through the card and another $8 through the Executive rebate — $28 in rewards, plus whatever shop card promotion might be running at the time.
Decline the Rental Insurance — If Your Card Covers You
This is something worth double-checking with your specific credit card before your next trip, but many Visa cards — including the Costco Citi Visa and the Fidelity Rewards Visa — include complimentary rental car collision damage waiver coverage when you pay with the card and decline the rental company's insurance.
Rental companies push their coverage hard at the counter and it's priced accordingly — anywhere from $15 to $35 per day depending on the company and location. On a week-long rental that's easily $100–$245 in fees you may not need to pay at all. Verify with your card issuer before your trip and confirm the coverage terms, but if your card includes it, declining the rental company's insurance is one of the easier ways to save meaningful money on a trip.
The Simple Version
If you're renting a car, skip the race to the bottom on price. The companies that show up at the very bottom of the price filter exist there for a reason and the reviews — the real ones — will tell you what that reason is.
Book through Costco Travel. The companies are reputable, the pricing is transparent, you pay at pickup, and the rewards stack well if you're already a Costco member with the right card. My experience with Budget through Costco was exactly what a rental car experience should be — straightforward, no surprises, and a nearly brand new car.
Sometimes the boring, obvious option is the right one.
Disclosure: This article reflects the personal opinions and experiences of the author and is not financial advice. Credit card benefits including rental car coverage vary by card and issuer — always verify coverage terms directly with your card issuer before relying on them. Costco Travel offerings and promotions are subject to change.