Qantas Frequent Flyer Goes Exclusive With Avis & Budget (Promo codes inside)

Significant changes are on the horizon for Qantas Frequent Flyer members. A new exclusivity agreement means that from 19 November 2010 onwards, members will only get car hire discounts and perks when renting with Avis and Budget. So for anyone that favours Hertz or Thrifty, you’ll still be eligible to collect points for rentals that are completed by 18 November 2010, but after that, no more.

This move is supposed to be beneficial. QFF says it will allow them to offer a higher level of offers from their exclusive partners, thereby maximizing savings for their members. However, the obvious major drawback is that we are now limited to a choice of only two car hire companies instead of four.

As a sign of goodwill perhaps, to kick things off, all Australian car rentals three days or more from Avis or Budget that are picked up by 31 October 2010 will earn you an extra bonus 1,000 points on top of the usual points. Below we’ve listed the promotional codes you’ll have to enter to receive this bonus:

Bonus 1,000 Extra Qantas Frequent Flyer Points

Avis coupon code: MPPA074
Budget coupon number: MPNZ010

Let’s just hope QFF wrings out enough goodies to compensate for our lost options.

If you’re looking for a deal, don’t forget to check our collection of other car hire coupons and discounts from Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Thrifty.

CONTEST: Drive A Dream Sports Car For A Weekend!

Feeling lucky? We’ve discovered an opportunity for you to drive a sweet sports car for the weekend!

All you’ve got to do is give your most convincing spiel in 300 words on just why your weekend would be tremendously improved with a sports car. So dust off your creative brain and submit your best entry by 10 September 2010.

The top 3 winners will be picked and informed on 20 September 2010 – 1 winner for each of NSW, VIC, and QLD. The NSW winner gets the Audi A5, VIC the BMW coupe, and QLD the Porsche.

Don’t forget to tick the box for “Sign up to receive information from DriveMyCarRentals.com.au and Hotels.com” – that’s the small catch – for your entry to be valid.

This contest is only open to Australian residents.

Enter the competition here

Good luck!

Gold Coast Car Hire: Mouth-watering Specials from Thrifty

Deal coupons from the various car hire companies tend to blur together given how similar they can be. For example, you often have a choice of 3 or more companies at a time offering free upgrades.

BUT when it comes to the Gold Coast, we’ve gotta say, Thrifty’s one up on everyone else. They have some fantastic deals no one else offers. We checked, double checked, and indeed they are the Real McCoys – you can truly save if you intend on going to theme parks or other attractions that require entrance fees. Read more

Where You Can & Can’t Drive Hire Cars

There is a saying in Australia, when you hit a dirt road that it is made for 4WD’s or hire cars. Of course it is said in jest.  Hire companies, with their 20 plus pages of terms and conditions combined with prominently displayed penalties are rightly a tad scary.

Most people therefore instinctively know that you cannot take your normal passenger hire car off road. But did you know that some hire companies also do not allow you to travel on any dirt roads in a passenger car or take the car to any island? Read more

Car Hire Discounts from Partner Programs

Do you find yourself thinking that you have too many cards in your wallet, too many different loyalty programs and too many point schemes to consider? If so you probably feel you waste hours trying to understand the offers, when you would rather be planning the more enjoyable parts of your holiday.

Car hire is one such area, so we’ve taken a closer look at types of loyalty program tie-ups and point schemes you can find at Australia’s five major car hire providers – Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Thrifty. Read more