Switching gears:

Whenever we go out to our place in AZ, after we nail down the air portion, the car rental is the next hurdle. There have been times when they wanted to charge me more for a week's tiny car rental than the airfare! (I mean tiny! Think clown car!)

Over time I have found these to work best:
Priceline. Yes, it can save money, but you really have to do some research before bidding and expect to bid again and again. If you have the time, it can work. Just always have a back-up plan.
Hotwire: this has been my favorite for a while. generally, very good prices, but you don't know who the rental company is and you get no airline miles unless you use an airline card. (same w/ Priceline) They have been my go-to until this next trip!

Early on, Hotwire had a great deal on a SUV. I didn't need a SUV, but the deal was so good.... By the time I had my air nailed down, the SUV deal was gone & everything was overpriced! Very overpriced!

So, off to Costco.com. Yes, they have travel stuff! I found a car (compact) for $20 less than the Hotwire SUV deal but about $175 better than I could find anywhere else. AND they won't hit the credit card until I sign at the counter! So worth the annual fee!

Just my experience & I wanted to share. Have any of you found the best way to rent cars?

BTW, many of you know that I run a web site (Shelterdoggies.com) where we raise money for animal shelters. I am happy to tell you that Hotmail has just agreed to partner with us. What that means is that starting next week, if you visit Hotwire via the link at Shelterdoggies.com, we will get a small commission on whatever you buy. Animal shelters will benefit.
But, as you can see from the above, you have to shop!

good luck! Doug