# Compare car hire through Booking.com and Expedia in Australia Compare an AUD rental quote by pickup, vehicle and payable total before exploring the separate car-hire Cashback listings. Verified On: 2026-09-24 Compare identical pickup and return times, vehicle class, driver requirements and final AUD cost first. Booking.com lists Car Rental and Expedia lists Car Hire on ShopBack Australia, but a car-hire listing is not a promise about every rental quote. Check the relevant category and terms on the merchant page, then click through from ShopBack for the quote you choose. ## Specify the rental before comparing prices A compact car collected at Sydney Airport at 9 am is a different purchase from one collected downtown at noon. Write down pickup and return locations, times, vehicle class, transmission, driver age assumptions and whether you need a second driver. Compare the same configuration on Booking.com and Expedia rather than ranking their first search-result prices. Record what each final quote says about mileage, fuel, deposit, excess and cancellation. These can affect the practical value of a booking even when the prepaid AUD totals match. Confirm what is payable at booking and what is payable at collection; neither ShopBack merchant listing substitutes for the rental agreement shown before payment. ## Calculate the decision in AUD without inventing an offer Hypothetical comparison, not a live quote: one suitable rental costs A$310 prepaid plus A$45 payable at pickup; another costs A$325 prepaid plus A$20 at pickup. Their planned totals are A$355 and A$345 respectively. On these assumptions the second is A$10 cheaper before any Cashback. If one has a materially better cancellation option, compare that benefit separately. Do not apply a hotel Cashback category to the entire car-rental bill. Booking.com's Australian merchant page displays a distinct Car Rental category and Expedia displays Car Hire; use the applicable current category when evaluating a potential later return. No Cashback rate is assumed in the A$10 comparison, and neither merchant page establishes what a particular rental desk will charge for optional extras. ## Distinguish travel products and checkout paths Booking.com's page also lists stays and attractions, but excludes airport taxis, flights and flight-and-hotel packages. A vehicle rental should be checked as a car-rental product, not inferred from a hotel search or an airport transfer. Expedia lists multiple booking categories and defines packages that can include hotel plus car hire; a bundled itinerary is not interchangeable with a standalone car quote. If a hotel-and-car combination looks appealing, compare its combined payable total and terms against the two standalone purchases. Expedia says savings on packages are not available on every package and depend on trip details. For a standalone rental, stay on the merchant's Australian checkout route and check the current ShopBack category before moving from a comparison tab to payment. ## Make the booking you can use The cheapest quoted vehicle may not accommodate your luggage or the driver named on the reservation. Use a short final checklist: matching collection point, opening hours, vehicle needs, payment due now and at pickup, and change or cancellation terms. Put conditional Cashback after these practical requirements, not in place of them. Once you have chosen, open Booking.com or Expedia through its ShopBack Australia merchant page and finish the booking from that visit. Save the itemised confirmation and rental reference. Travel Cashback can remain pending while the merchant validates the trip; a displayed tracking entry is separate from the amount due to the rental provider. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is an airport taxi the same as Booking.com Car Rental? No. Booking.com's Australian listing shows Car Rental as a category but explicitly excludes airport taxis. ### Can I treat an Expedia hotel-and-car package as standalone car hire? No. Expedia defines hotel-plus-car-hire bookings as packages; compare the package's own category and terms with separate quotes. ### Which total should I compare if some charges are due at pickup? Add known payable-at-pickup charges to the prepaid AUD amount for each quote, while comparing coverage, deposit and cancellation separately. ## Stores mentioned - [Booking.com](https://discover.shopback.com.au/stores/booking-com) - [Expedia](https://discover.shopback.com.au/stores/expedia-australia) ## About this guide The linked sources document ShopBack processes and merchant terms; any arithmetic examples are illustrations, not verified current prices or cashback amounts. Offers and exclusions can change. Check the current local ShopBack merchant page for the applicable terms before shopping. ## Related guides - [Which Australian hotel booking choices can change cashback eligibility?](https://discover.shopback.com.au/guides/australian-hotel-booking-eligibility) - [Book an attraction for an Australian trip with Cashback in mind](https://discover.shopback.com.au/guides/book-attractions-cashback-australia) - [Budget a trip from Australia before counting travel cashback](https://discover.shopback.com.au/guides/budget-a-trip-from-australia) ## Sources - [ShopBack Australia: Booking.com Car Rental category and exclusions](https://www.shopback.com.au/booking-com) - [ShopBack Australia: Expedia Car Hire and package terms](https://www.shopback.com.au/expedia-australia)