Renting from Silvercar with a Family Review + Discounts!
Over the weekend I finally got to utilize Silvercar car rental for the first time, and I want to share some details about the experience in case Silvercar operates somewhere your family will be vacationing in the near future.
If you aren't familiar, or have tuned out other reviews assuming it isn't a service that can work for families, then keep reading because you might be pleasantly surprised. Silvercar exclusively rents silver Audi A4s (in addition to the Audi Q5 SUVs in Denver). These cars are equipped with free WiFi, free GPS, free satellite radio, free toll tracking (just pay for the tolls you rack up), and they will refuel the car at the going gas station rates + a $5 fee.
Now the standard price for Silvercar rentals and these Audis with the bells and whistles may be higher than what you might often look to pay via a standard rental, but that actually isn't always the case. Plus, if you are new to Silvercar then the new customer pricing and discounts makes them absolutely worth it to utilize at least once (or twice, ahem spouses...).
Stack Discount Codes for Silvercar Savings:
I booked the $39/day special in Phoenix for the month of May, added a $50 off a two-day rental coupon (try code FTU50), and then still get a $25 new customer bonus via Paypal by being referred. I'm happy to refer you with my own referral code, SHULL so we can both get the $25 bonus! These deals all stacked and resulted in spending very, very little out of pocket for the two day rental in an Audi! Including all taxes and fees my two day rental came to less than $25 total out of pocket - I could not have beat that with any other rental company even if I rented a tiny and beat-up hunk of junk!
The Silvercar Pick-Up Process:
Knowing I will have a nice Audi with cool features is fun and all, but what I was most interested in was how Silvercar might help to streamline the sometimes arduous rental car process. What happened in reality was a little bit of a mixed bag, but overall still a positive experience. Their pick-up and drop-off process will likely vary some from airport to airport, but in Phoenix their pick-up process wasn't perfect.
We had to first take the rental car shuttle to the rental car facility as you would for any car rental. Normally you would then go to a small Silvercar sign at the end of the facility to take another shuttle to the off-property Silvercar property as shown below. However, since I had requested a booster seat they brought our car to us at the rental car facility instead of having my daughter ride unrestrained in their shuttle. In theory this is great, but in reality it took quite a while and a number of calls/texts for the Silvercar employee and me to find each other since I wasn't familiar with where he was asking me to go in the rental car facility.
Then, once we went to the car there were further delays because I hadn't downloaded the Silvercar app in advance. I knew they had one, but I just didn't know it was required in order to rent a car so I hadn't taken the time to get it all set-up. Lesson learned. At this point my daughter and I were both tired, we hadn't expected an hour after landing dedicated to trying to get the rental car, and I was so flustered I couldn't remember my password to the app store to download the app. Oh, and did I mention it was now raining on us in the parking lot as we tried to get in the car?
Ultimately the Silvercar employee logged into my account via his app and unlocked the car by scanning the code on it that way, but my pick-up process turned out to be much longer and more complicated than I had anticipated or hoped for. That said, there were some silver linings (excuse the pun). Even during our confusion they stayed in pretty constant contact via text and phone calls, brought three different size car seats for me to choose from (two of which were brand new), and the car was indeed a nice Audi with around 5,000 miles on it.
The Best Part of Renting from Silvercar:
The car drove very nicely and I was able to utilize the built-in navigation to help us find the resort. It was pretty great having a brand new complimentary booster seat to use, and even though I didn't use features like toll tracking or WiFi on this trip, I could easily see how that would be useful when we had further to drive on a future rental.
The real highlight of Silvercar for us was when it was time to turn the car back in at the end of the trip. At the Phoenix airport the drop-off process is to go to the Silvercar facility that is located just off the airport property and officially turn in your car, but you don't actually leave the car there. It helps that the Silvercar facility was a pre-programmed address in the navigation!
In practice what happens is that your car is scanned back in, but you don't have to unload all your stuff from it, or at least we didn't. A Silvercar employee simply hopped in the car we already had loaded with our bags, car seat, and sleeping kid, and drove us right to the terminal at the airport.
This was a million times better than if we had moved a sleeping kid, our bags, etc. and had to do the rental car shuttle shuffle back to the airport! I wish that the pick-up process had been this smooth, but it was still fantastic to have this level of service at the end of the trip.
Assuming you can take advantage of a rate you are happy with, I absolutely recommend Silvercar for families looking for a different rental car experience. Silvercar is currently located in the following cities (and growing): Austin, Dallas Love, Dallas DFW, Denver, Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Chicago. I don't know when I will be able to use their services again, but you can bet that they will be my first option to look at the next time I need a car in one of those cities.
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.