Tips to Save on Car Rental – Money Saving tips on Car Rental

 

Book early

Especially if you’re heading into heavy-travel season. If you know you’re going

to need a rental car, book it as early as possible. You may not only lock in

lower rates, but you’ll likely have access to more classes of cars – including

the smaller cars that, for price reasons, are the most popular in the rental

fleet.

 

Avoid

Airport rentals

In that previous example, there was also an $11.51 “airport fee.” It’s often

very convenient to rent a car at the airport, but keep in mind that you’ll pay

for the privilege. If you’re on a business trip, many times you can rent a car

from your downtown hotel. If you can conveniently arrange a hotel shuttle or

public transportation from airport to front desk, chances are good you’ll save

money taking delivery off the airport grounds.

 

Book small and bump up

Can you live with a compact model but would like a full-size sedan? Another

reason to book early. If the smaller vehicle’s unavailable the day you’ve

arranged for pickup, you can request that the agency stick to the price they

quoted – but for the larger vehicle that’s available. They may only meet you

halfway, but it’s worth a shot.

 

Look beyond national chains

Be sure to check out rental car deals available from smaller, regional chains

and local independent agencies. They may have lower prices than the big national

chains.

 

Snap up deals on weekend and weekly rates

Some rental car companies offer rock-bottom rates on the weekends, as much as

50% lower than the daily rates offered during the week.

“If you have flexible dates, you’re better off going on the weekend,”

Helperin says. And don’t overlook specials on weekly

rates. Daily rental rates are so expensive that renting a car for five days (and

paying the daily rate multiplied by five) could be more expensive than the

weekly rental rate.

 

Get back on time

Your car probably won’t turn into a pumpkin, but you’re likely to pay for an

extra day even if you’re five minutes late. Read the fine print and use your

cell phone for accurate time.

 

Beware of hidden fees and extras

If the rental company has to top-off the gas tank

after your return, you will pay a ridiculous price per gallon. Always ask that

the car be filled up prior to your departure, and then bring it back full of

gas.  There

are plenty of other additional charges that can take a nice rate to an ordinary

deal very quickly. A weekly rate of $125 showed up recently for a compact rental

out of San Antonio International Airport. That’s about $18/day. Not bad.

 Go to the reservation page, and you learn that

taxes and fees add more than $50. There’s 10% sales tax, something called a

vehicle license fee of nearly $19 and an “arena fee” of $7.19. Now I’m paying

more than $25/day. Keep that in mind when you see rates under $20/day

advertised.

 

 

 

Tips to Save on your next Car Rental