Car Hire Insider » Gold Coast

Gold Coast Car Hire: Mouth-watering Specials from Thrifty

Car Hire Insider — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 16:43:45 +0000

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. Remember to double check all terms and conditions.

The Escape Pass Packages

Who?
These packages are a must-check for those interested in visiting TWO of Sea World, Warner Bros Movie World and Wet ‘n Wild Water World, and need to hire a car.

What?
These offers bundle a two-day car hire (adding on more days is possible) with a number of Escape Passes. An Escape Pass allows one to visit TWO of the three theme parks over a THREE-DAY period. The packages vary in terms of size of car and number of passes included. Larger cars are bundled with more passes.

2 x Adult Escape Pass and 2 day Economy Manual car hire for $238 – Check this deal
2 x Adult and 1 x Child Escape Pass and 2 day Economy Auto car hire for $326 – Check this deal
2 x Adult and 2 x Child Escape Pass and 2 day Compact Auto car hire for $415 – Check this deal
2 x Adult and 3 x Child Escape Pass and 2 day Intermediate Auto car hire for $504 – Check this deal
2 x Adult and 4 x Child Escape Pass and 2 day 8-seater Van Auto hire for $643 – Check this deal

We found the final prices are about $10-20 more than those listed above. Still, they present a real bargain.

Benefit?
You’ll save almost the full value of one adult Escape Pass – that’s about $119.99! Not too shabby. And our little side note: If you aren’t fussed about which theme parks to go to, get the most value out of the Escape Pass by choosing Dream World and Sea World (the standard adult entrance fee is $75 for each of these vs. Wet ‘n’ Wild which only costs $55).

Catch?
You’ve got to visit your two selected theme parks over a 3-day period. And most of these packages include child passes – so naturally, you need to have kid(s) to take advantage of them.

The Discount Booklet

Who?
For those who the Escape Pass is not appropriate but still want to visit the theme parks and/or check out other Gold Coast attractions and activities. A three-day minimum car hire is required.

What?
You’ll get a discount booklet from Thrifty which includes all sorts of vouchers valued at over $500. Among them you’ll find:

Buy 1 Get 1 Free adult entrance ticket for Movie World
Buy 1 Get 1 Free adult entrance ticket for Sea World
Buy 1 Get 1 Free adult entrance ticket for Wet ‘n’ Wild
Buy 1 Get 1 Free – 18 Holes at Putt Putt Golf Gold Coast
Buy 1 Get 1 Free Paradise Jetboating ‘Broadwater Adventure’
20% Off entrance tickets for Wildlife Currumbin Sanctuary for up to 6 people
And a bunch of other goodies

Get more information on the Discount Booklet

Benefit?
If any of these booklet’s activities are on your to-do list, you’ll be bagging some sweet savings.

Catch?
You may be tempted into doing more activities simply to take advantage of the vouchers! But hey, you’re on vacation after all.

Other Coupons and Deals

If these aren’t applicable to you, don’t worry. Check out if you can find other more generic car hire coupons that do.

Unleaded Petrol Prices: Today’s Cheapest Fuel

Car Hire Insider — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:40:05 +0000

Below you’ll find today’s best currently available Unleaded Petrol prices within Australia’s major cities, compiled for your convenience.

Click on any of the cities’ badges to display the exact addresses of the petrol stations offering the low prices
Use Google Maps to navigate your way to your chosen station
And save!

Unleaded fuel price data below is manually collected and updated twice daily in the morning and afternoon on Mondays to Saturdays, and once daily on Sundays.

Sydney

Melbourne

Brisbane

Gold Coast

Perth

Adelaide

Hobart

For specific suburb search and prices of other types of fuel, use MotorMouth’s Price Search.

Gold Coast Airport-Surfers Paradise Public Transport

Car Hire Insider — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:25:49 +0000

A taxi ride between the Coolangatta Airport and Surfer’s Paradise could set you back about A$55. Pretty pricey (especially during peak traffic periods) so you may simply want to pick up a rental car. The cheaper alternatives are to take either the public bus to/from the city, or a shuttle to/from your accommodation.

Public buses are operated by Surfside Buslines and depart from the Gold Coast Highway, about 700m outside the airport. A free Airport Link Shuttle drops you off there where you can catch buses that take you directly to Surfers Paradise for A$4.30/adult one-way. While this is much cheaper, if you have a lot of baggage, it could get tedious. You can download the PDF bus timetable (0.7Mb) for Tweed Heads to Southport services here (this route includes Coolangatta Airport and Surfers stops)
The Gold Coast Tourist Shuttle Airport Transfer can offer transportation between the airport and your accommodation for A$21 one-way, A$38 return per adult. Check their site for more information and if you want to pre-book the service

For all other Queensland travel routes and fares, you may want to use the journey planning tool at Translink. Meanwhile, more airport information can be found on the Gold Coast Airport website.

Gold Coast Coolangatta Airport – Surfers Paradise Map

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Gold Coast Airport – Best Independent Car Hire Companies

Car Hire Insider — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:56:48 +0000

Updated: January 2011

At the Gold Coast Airport (Coolangatta), our analysis reveals the following best independent car hire companies. Their off-site location will save you at least 12% in Airport Fees than if you went with the Big Boys located on-site. However, if you still want to stick with the big brands, see our recommendations on the best sites for comparing Avis, Budget, Hertz, Thrifty and Europcar.

East Coast Car Rentals Go To Site

Cheap car hires with unlimited km’s

Being inclusive of unlimited km’s, East Coast Car Rentals has probably one of the best prices you’ll find for Gold Coast car hires. Originally specializing in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Cairns areas, their success has seen them expanding to serve Melbourne and Sydney too. They offer free shuttles to and from the Coolangatta Airport to their depot nearby. You have a choice of of late model Compact hatchbacks, Intermediate and Standard sedans, SUVs, as well as 8 and 12-seater Vans. When available, their “Near New” cars can save you a significant sum.

The rentals carry a standard liability of A$3000 that you can opt to lower to A$200 for A$13.20/day or less (these figures apply to their cars and are higher for larger SUVs and Vans).

Surfers Paradise Car Hire Go To Site

Competitive Compact Auto hatch and Intermediate sedans. Only 100km/day. Ages 18-24, 70+ allowed.

Surfers Paradise Car Hire is a small family-owned company that offers both new and used cars at attractively low prices. Their website is rather bland and could do with a makeover but look beyond that and you’ll find their Compact and Intermediate cars are often the cheapest around. Pick-up and drop-off services to Coolangatta Airport are available. However, their rentals only include 100km/day ($0.39/extra km).

It is worth highlighting in particular that they allow people between ages 18-24 and over 70, and provisional licence holders to rent. Normally, car hire companies almost always require renters to be at least 21 and the age surcharge for those 21-24 is often at least A$10/day (up to a whopping A$30/day e.g. Europcar). For under 21′s or P-platers, it’s very near impossible. Enter Surfers Paradise Car Hire! They charge 21-24 and 70+ hirers only A$4.16/day, and 18-20 and provisional licence hirers A$14.55/day.

For those 25-69, the standard liability is A$3000. About A$17/day gets this lowered to A$550. Outside the age bracket, expect a higher standard liability.

Bargain Wheels Go To Site

Independent companies comparison site. Booking with Alpha Car Hire or ECCR can be cheaper here

Bargain Wheels enables you to search a few of Gold Coast Coolangatta Airport’s off-site independent car hire companies. We have to say, it can be quite a chore to click through the various steps in order to reveal the final price but the rates found here can be attractively low. To help narrow down your options, we discovered the two companies that consistently come up with the lowest prices are Alpha Car Hire and East Coast Car Rentals (the latter of which we already covered above). Still, we recommend you check the price if you booked with ECCR via Bargain Wheels rather than directly as sometimes it works out slightly cheaper.

Ensure you read the Rental and Supplier information provided on each company by Bargain Wheels to understand the terms of your rental. We suggest you give them a call to clarify anything you are uncertain about and get the exact pickup procedure and location.

Airport Rent-A-Car Go To Site

Possible value particularly during discount months. 300km/day

Airport Rent-a-Car doesn’t always have the lowest prices compared to the other independents but is still worth a check particularly during non-holiday months where they often offer 10% off their regular car hire rates – currently being offered in June and July 2011. The rentals come with 300km/day included and will cost you A$0.25/extra km. Standard Collision Damage Liability is A$3300 which can be lowered to A$330 for A$23/day (this is expensive – instead, read up on cheaper alternative car rental insurance). They offer free pickups from the airport to their depot 5 minutes away.

Surfers Paradise – Best Independent Car Hire Companies

Car Hire Insider — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:56:18 +0000

Updated: January 2011

Amongst the Surfers Paradise sea (pun intended) of independent car hire companies, you’ll find the most competitive rates at Surfers Paradise Car Hire, East Coast Car Rentals and Andy’s Auto Rental.

Surfers Paradise Car Hire Go To Site

One of the lowest rates on the Gold Coast. Only 100km/day. 18-24, 70+, provisional licence holders allowed.

Our latest find for Gold Coast rentals, Surfers Paradise Car Hire is a small independent company that frequently ends up with the cheapest rates in our research. The most substantial savings are found on their Compact and Intermediate cars. Their website is rather dull but don’t let that stop you. However, you should bear in mind their rentals only come with 100km/day beyond which they charge A$0.39/km. It is possible to increase your allowance to 200km/day for a small sum. They also allow you to arrange for a pick-up or drop-off service to your accommodation.

What makes Surfers Paradise Car Hire stand out most is the fact they rent to 18-24 and 70+ year-old’s as well as provisional licence holders. This is a significantly noteworthy offering that’s hard to come by. For the most part, it is notoriously difficult for anyone under 21 or P-platers to rent and those between 21-24 often find themselves with an age surcharge of A$10-30/day. SPCH, on the other hand, charges only A$4.16/day for those 21-24 and 70+, while A$14.55/day will allow young 18-20 year-old’s and provisional licence holders the ability to rent at all!

The standard liability is A$3000 for those 25-69 which about A$17/day brings it down to A$550. “Special” age renters will expect a higher standard liability and corresponding excess reduction prices.

East Coast Car Rentals Go To Site

Good value with unlimited km’s

East Coast Car Rentals offers great deals on car hires for 3 days and longer (best from 7 days) particularly on economy, mid-sized cars and vans. Their prices are inclusive of unlimited mileage and their rental cars are mostly brand new. Their A$3000 liability can be brought down to A$200 for A$13.20/day or less.

Andy’s Auto Rental Go To Site

Excellent rates for short-term car hire under 5 days with 200km/day

With competitive rates for short-term car hires, this site deserves a mention. You’ll have to choose the Nerang depot which is about 20 minutes drive west of Surfers Paradise. However, do factor in that the prices only include 200km/day (A$0.28/extra km). Collision damage excess is A$3000 which you can lower to A$300 for A$15.95/day. They also offer a “budget” category for select sizes which are essentially used cars between 3-5 years old. These lower prices come with the trade-off that older cars are more prone to technical problems and may be less comfortable. Also within 25 days of your booking, a cancellation fee will apply.

Best Comparison Site for the Major Car Hire Companies

Car Hire Insider — Sat, 31 May 2008 18:27:21 +0000

After thoroughly reviewing over 20+ popular car hire comparison sites as ranked on Google and Yahoo, we’ve uncovered the Top 2 Sites for comparing the live prices of Australia’s major car hire companies – Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, and Thrifty.

The smaller independent companies can be cheaper (especially for airport car rentals) but either way, you should get the best price offered by Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, and Thrifty to use as a benchmark.

After finding the lowest prices here, remember to check all the car hire coupons we’ve compiled to see if you can bag yourself further bonuses and discounts. Then after booking, be sure to apply our tips for saving $100s on car hire insurance by bypassing the car hire companies.

Update: To make life easier for you, we’ve now incorporated our top picks’ search engines directly onto this page.

Best Comparison Site: VroomVroomVroom Go To Site