Alamo Car Rental Program: Is Alamo Insiders Worth It?

Renting a car can often be an overwhelming task, especially when you’re faced with numerous rental companies and loyalty programs, unsure of where to begin. We’ve previously provided in-depth guides on programs like Avis Preferred, Budget Fastbreak, Enterprise Plus, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, and National Emerald Club. Now, we turn our attention to the Alamo Car Rental Program, specifically the Alamo Insiders program, to see what it offers.

Understanding the Alamo Insiders Program

Unlike many car rental companies that boast tiered elite status and point-based reward systems, Alamo takes a different approach with its customer loyalty program. The Alamo Insiders program is designed for simplicity and immediate savings. It’s not about accumulating points for future upgrades or chasing elite tiers. Instead, it provides straightforward, instant benefits.

By signing up for the Alamo Insiders program – which is completely free – you unlock a guaranteed 5% discount on all your Alamo car rentals. This discount applies regardless of the rental duration or car type, and there’s no limit to how much you can save over time.

If you’re seeking a more traditional car rental loyalty experience, complete with points earning and potential for complimentary upgrades through elite status, you might find programs like National Emerald Club or Hertz Gold Plus Rewards more appealing. However, for travelers who prioritize straightforward savings and ease of use, the Alamo Insiders program presents a compelling option.

Maximize Your Savings

While Alamo Insiders doesn’t offer a points system, smart travelers can still amplify their savings by leveraging credit card rewards. Using a credit card that offers bonus points or miles on car rental purchases is a strategic way to earn rewards on every Alamo rental.

Consider these credit cards that reward car rentals:

Cards Earning 2x Points/Miles on Car Rentals: (Specific card names would be listed here with links to reviews, but omitted as per instructions)
Cards Earning 3x Points/Miles on Car Rentals: (Specific card names would be listed here with links to reviews, but omitted as per instructions)

Important Note: Beyond points, ensure you use a credit card that provides rental car insurance. This crucial benefit can protect you from financial liabilities in case of accidents or damage to the rental vehicle.

Joining Alamo Insiders: A Quick Guide

Becoming an Alamo Insider is a simple and fast process. To join, just visit the Alamo Insiders sign-up page and create an account online. You’ll need to provide basic information, and once completed, you’ll receive your Alamo Insiders member number, ready to use for instant savings.

Renting a Car with Alamo: Step-by-Step

Booking an Alamo rental car is user-friendly and efficient. Here’s how to navigate the process:

Sign In: Begin by logging into your Alamo Insiders account using your username and password. This ensures your 5% discount is automatically applied to your booking.
Enter Rental Details: Input your pick-up location, rental dates, and pick-up time. Specify the renter’s age and include any corporate or discount codes you might have in addition to your Insiders discount. Click Continue to proceed.

Alamo car rental search screen showcasing input fields for location, date, and time, and highlighting the option for discount codes.

Review Car Options: The search results page presents you with various car rental options, often starting with a Drive Happy Deal, followed by other options sorted by price, from lowest to highest. You can refine your search using filters for vehicle type and price range.
- Drive Happy Deals: These deals offer the lowest prices but leave the specific car type to be determined upon pick-up. Ideal for budget-conscious renters who are flexible about the exact vehicle model.
- Specific Car Types: If you require a particular vehicle, such as an SUV or a sedan, choose from the listed options.
Select Payment Option: For each car selection, you’ll see Pay Now and Pay Later options.
- Pay Now: Often comes with a discount for upfront payment but usually makes the reservation non-refundable.
- Pay Later: Typically slightly more expensive but provides greater flexibility, allowing cancellations before check-in if your plans change.

Alamo car rental search results page displaying various vehicle types and prices, along with ‘Pay Now’ and ‘Pay Later’ options.

Add Extras: After choosing your vehicle and payment plan, you can customize your rental with extras. These may include:
- Insurance and Protection Packages: Options for supplemental liability protection, personal accident insurance, and more.
- Additional Equipment: Consider options like SiriusXM radio, GPS navigation systems, toll transponders, or prepaid fuel service.

Alamo extras page showing options to add insurance, SiriusXM, navigation devices and other services to the car rental.

Finalize Booking: The final screen prompts you to enter optional driver’s license and flight details, which can expedite your pick-up process. Enter your payment information to confirm and complete your Alamo car rental reservation.

Car Rental Insurance: Do You Need Extra Coverage?

A frequent concern when renting a car from any company is whether to purchase extra insurance. The necessity often depends on your existing insurance coverage and how you pay for the rental. Specifically, check if your credit card offers rental car insurance.

Understanding the difference between primary and secondary rental car insurance is key:

Secondary Insurance: This coverage supplements your personal auto insurance. If you have an accident, you’ll first need to file a claim with your personal insurer and pay your deductible. Secondary insurance then covers remaining eligible costs. This can still lead to increased premiums on your personal policy.
Primary Insurance: Primary coverage activates before your personal auto insurance. This means in case of an incident, you don’t need to involve your personal auto insurance, protecting you from potential premium increases. Primary insurance generally offers broader coverage, potentially covering the full cost of the rental car if it’s stolen or declared a total loss due to events like floods or fire.

Several excellent credit cards offer primary rental car insurance as a benefit. (List of example cards would be here with links to reviews, but omitted per instructions).

Alamo Rental Locations: Global Reach

Alamo boasts an extensive network with over 1,500 locations across 78 countries worldwide. Finding a convenient pick-up or drop-off point is typically easy.

To locate an Alamo rental office, click on Locations in the top-right corner of the Alamo website. In the Find a Specific Location search box, type in the city or airport where you need to rent a car and press enter. The tool will display nearby Alamo locations with addresses, hours, and contact details.

Earning Miles and Points with Alamo Partners

While direct points accrual within the Alamo Insiders program isn’t available, Alamo partners with 19 different airlines and hotel loyalty programs, allowing you to earn miles or points on your Alamo rentals.

Alamo Partner Programs:

Partner Airline/Hotel	Rewards Earned	Partner Airline/Hotel	Rewards Earned	Partner Airline/Hotel	Rewards Earned
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan	50 miles per rental day	Copa Airlines ConnectMiles	50 miles per rental day	Lufthansa Miles and More	500 miles per rental
American Airlines AAdvantage	50 miles per rental day	Delta SkyMiles	500 miles per rental	Radisson Rewards Americas	300 points per rental
All Nippon Airways Mileage Club	300 miles per rental	Eva Miles	500 miles per rental	Southwest Rapid Rewards	600 points per rental
Asia Miles	500 miles per rental	Frontier Miles	Varied miles per rental duration	Sun Country Rewards	300 points per rental
Asiana Airlines Asiana Club	500 miles per rental	Hilton Honors	3 points per $1 spent	Virgin Atlantic Flying Club	1000 miles per rental (via dedicated website)
Avianca LifeMiles	2 miles per $1 spent	Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank	300 miles per rental
Best Western Rewards	3 points per $1 spent	Korean Air SKYPASS	500 miles per rental

Frequent Traveler Recovery Fees

Choosing to earn airline miles or hotel points can be rewarding, but be aware that certain partner programs may incur a “Frequent Traveler Recovery Fee.” This fee is charged by Alamo to offset the cost of awarding points or miles.

Frequent Traveler Fee Schedule (Examples):

Alaska Airlines: $0.75 per day
American Airlines: $0.725 per day
Delta Air Lines: $0.63 per day
Frontier Airlines: $0.75 per day (max $7.50 per rental)
Radisson Rewards Americas: $0.75 per day
Southwest Rapid Rewards: $1.50 per day (max $7.50 per rental)
Sun Country Rewards: $0.75 per day (max $5.25 per rental)

Note: Fees and participation can change, so always confirm current details when booking. Programs like All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, Avianca Airlines, Best Western, Copa Airlines, Eva Airlines, Hilton, Japan Airlines, Korean Airlines, Lufthansa Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club currently do not have these fees.

Bottom Line: Carefully evaluate if the value of the miles or points you’ll earn outweighs the associated fee. Calculate the potential return before opting to earn partner rewards.

Alamo Car Rental Deals and Discounts

Beyond the consistent 5% Alamo Insiders discount, Alamo regularly features promotional deals to enhance your savings. These offers can include:

Last-minute rental deals
Discounts on one-way rentals
Complimentary car class upgrades
Savings on international rentals

Check the Alamo website’s deals section before booking to see if any current promotions align with your travel needs.

Alamo for Business and Government/Military

Currently, Alamo doesn’t offer a dedicated business rental program under its own name. However, for business rental solutions, consider Alamo’s sister brands, Enterprise Rent-A-Car or National Car Rental, which have robust business programs.

Alamo does provide specialized programs for:

Meetings and Conventions: Organizations planning events requiring 11 or more vehicles can access special rates and benefits, including unlimited mileage, diverse vehicle selection, 24/7 roadside assistance, and frequent traveler rewards. Learn more about Alamo’s Meetings & Conventions program.
U.S. Government and Military Personnel: Government employees and military members are eligible for exclusive car rental rates and benefits for both official and leisure travel.
- Official Travel Benefits: No extra driver fees, no underage driver fees (minimum age 18 for official duty), included Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), frequent traveler benefits, and extensive location network.
- Leisure Travel Benefits: Discounted rates for government and military personnel (including veterans), frequent traveler rewards, and eligibility extends to family members with dependent IDs.

Purchasing Used Cars from Alamo

Alamo, in partnership with Enterprise Car Sales, offers a program to purchase used vehicles from their fleet. This program provides access to a wide selection of low-mileage cars, SUVs, trucks, and vans, often at prices below Kelley Blue Book typical listing prices. Vehicles undergo ASE-certified technician inspections and come with a limited powertrain warranty and a buyback option.

Alamo Customer Support Channels

For customer service needs, Alamo offers various support options under the Customer Support tab at the bottom right of their website. You can access FAQs, use the lost and found service, or contact support via email.

For direct phone assistance, use these numbers:

Reservations: 844-354-6962
Customer Service: 844-357-5138
Alamo Insiders Support: 855-533-1197
Accessibility Assistance (Customers with Disabilities): 800-651-1223

Alamo vs. Competitors: Price Comparison

To gauge Alamo’s competitiveness, we compared rental rates against Avis, Hertz, National, and Enterprise for a weekend rental in Chicago (prices exclude membership discounts).

Chicago Weekend Car Rental Price Comparison (Sample Rates):

Vehicle Class	Alamo	National	Avis	Hertz	Enterprise
Compact Car	$176	$213	$86	$92	$177
Mid-Size Car	$179	$218	$91	$100	$182
SUV	$138	$235	$138	$109	$157

In this sample comparison, Avis and Hertz offered lower rates for certain car classes, while Alamo remained competitive, often outperforming its partner brands, National and Enterprise, in some categories. Remember that these are base rates and don’t include potential discounts from memberships, credit cards, or corporate programs. Always factor in all possible discounts when comparing rental costs.

Tip: Explore additional strategies to reduce car rental expenses for even greater savings.

Final Verdict: Is the Alamo Car Rental Program Right for You?

The Alamo car rental program and specifically the Alamo Insiders program, presents a solid option for renters seeking straightforward savings and a no-frills loyalty experience. It’s particularly appealing if you value a guaranteed discount over complex points systems or elite status perks.

Before making a final decision, always conduct thorough research and compare car rental prices across different companies to ensure you’re securing the best possible deal for your needs. Consider your travel patterns, desired loyalty program features, and price sensitivity to determine if Alamo and the Insiders program align with your car rental preferences.