Event and holiday pricing for car hire, with the dates in front of you

Event and holiday pricing means setting rates for the dates when something local lifts demand. Rate Pulse shows those dates for you. Dates to watch on each airport page lists confirmed local events, public holidays and school holidays in the same 14 days as the rates, each with a link to its source.

Read the dates next to the rates

The list on its own is a calendar. It earns its keep when you hold it up against Market rates by pick-up day.

Christchurch is a good example. In the 7 Nov sweep, Dates to watch listed Cup and Show Week: Trotting Cup Day on 10 Nov, the Canterbury A&P Show from 11 to 13 Nov, Canterbury Anniversary Day on 13 Nov and New Zealand Cup Day on 14 Nov.

The typical economy rate was NZ$139 a day for a pick-up on 11 Nov. For 12 Nov it was NZ$203, the highest day in the window. That's a 46% jump overnight. A 3-day hire picked up on the 12th covers the last show day, the holiday and Cup Day.

Compact moved far less, from NZ$196 to NZ$202. So the squeeze was at the cheap end of the market. If you price economy in Christchurch, that's the category to hold firm on next year.

Not every event moves the market

Madrid in the same sweep had three events listed. The compact typical peaked on Wed 11 Nov at €38, during the first days of the IFEMA construction fair. The Spain v England match on Sun 15 Nov saw €32, close to the €31 typical for the fortnight. One likely reason: a home match draws mostly local fans, who don't need a hire car.

A simple routine

1. Open Dates to watch for your airport.
2. For each date, check the market rate for your main car type on that pick-up day and the two days before.
3. If the market rises and you don't, you're probably filling up too cheap.
4. If the market doesn't move, leave your rate alone.

These are 14 days and one snapshot, so it suits short-term moves. For the months ahead, read pricing for events.

Questions