Woman Tries To Rent A Car From Enterprise. Then She Checks Out Her Options At Costco: ‘I Was Literally Shocked’

A mom says she cut the cost of her family’s rental car nearly in half after booking through an unexpected source for a road trip.

Gingy (@toldbygingy) shared the money-saving tip after comparing rental car prices for an upcoming family vacation and discovering that using her Costco membership dramatically lowered the price.

“Roadtrip with kids hack: Rental Car Edition,” she wrote in the text overlay of her video.

Gingy says she was looking to rent a Chrysler Pacifica minivan, or a similar vehicle that seats up to seven people.

Her initial quote came to just over $1,000 for the rental. But after booking through Costco Travel, she says the price dropped to $570.

“Same mini van. Same company. Over $400 in savings. Just by having a Costco membership,” she added.

In the comments, Gingy explained how she found the deal.

“I went to the website for Costco and clicked the travel tab!” she wrote. “Put in my dates and when I wanted to return it, and this came up. I went to Expedia for the second quote, and it was less expensive than the car place itself, but Costco membership really paid off.”

As of this writing, her video has over 4,600 views.

Is Costco Cheaper For Rental Cars?

Gingy’s video points to one of the easier-to-miss perks of a Costco membership: rental car discounts through Costco Travel.

Costco Travel works with major rental companies, including Alamo, Avis, Budget, and Enterprise, and advertises “exclusive Costco member rates” on rental cars. The company also says members can book now and pay at the counter, with no cancellation fees.

That flexibility is a nice touch, as rental car prices can vary widely depending on dates, location, vehicle class, and demand. If a better rate appears later, Costco says customers generally need to book the new reservation first and then cancel the old one, since existing rental car bookings cannot be modified.

There is another perk that can make a big difference for families: the fee for a second driver is waived on many Costco Travel rental car bookings. “All additional drivers must meet the renter requirements, including age, car class, and location requirements,” its website states.

That does not mean Costco will always be the cheapest option, however. It is still worth checking with the rental company directly and comparing prices on other travel sites before booking. Drivers should also look closely at taxes, fees, insurance, mileage rules, and pickup location, because the cheapest base rate doesn’t always equate to the cheapest final bill.

For a family road trip, though, where a larger vehicle can get expensive fast, checking Costco Travel before booking elsewhere is a pretty easy way to see whether the membership pays for itself.

Viewers Say The Savings Is Worth The Membership

Several viewers said they’d seen similar savings through Costco Travel.

“This is legit,” one commenter wrote. “We needed to rent a van for a small vaycay and literally got a membership bc it was $300 cheaper than renting without one.”

“Isn’t it wild???” Gingy replied. “I had to share because it was so much cheaper, I was literally shocked lol.”

Others wanted to know exactly how she found the lower price.

“How did you get it at half price,” one viewer asked.

“I went to the website for Costco and clicked the travel tab!” Gingy responded. “Put in my dates and when I wanted to return it, and this came up. I went to Expedia for the second quote, and it was less expensive than the car place itself, but Costco membership really paid off.”

One commenter jokingly questioned why she rented a minivan instead of buying one.

“For me specifically in this situation?” Gingy replied. “I needed to rent a car for an upcoming trip. I was not able to buy a whole new car for the trip, just needed to rent it to get around while I’m gone.”

Motor1 reached out to Gingy via TikTok direct message. We’ll update this story if we hear back.