Best ways to save money on your car rental
Saving money is not easy when you don´t understand how something works, in fact the opposite, losing money, is the most likely. This is not a foregone conclusion if you are only willing to spend some time and effort understanding some basic ways to save money on your car rental. These tips are by no means rocket science or complicated to put into action, most are just plain common sense. The “hard” part is to put it into action.
Plan ahead.
If you are anything like me you are likely to leave things to the last minute. This is not a good idea when trying to save money on a car rental. Plan as early as you can. This will allow you to find the best deals and take advantage of the better prices car rental companies give to reservations.
Look for discounts.
Discounts are out there for those that take the time to look for them. Email the car rental companies and ask for the special deals and discounts available. Visit their website and see what discounts are available. Discounts can also be obtained by being a member of AAC, AAA and other driver associations, even some credit cards come with in-built discounts. All these methods can provide discounts ranging form 5% to 30%.
Make various bookings.
Do not limit yourself to one booking. Most car rental will allow you to make a booking without providing credit card or ID information, like Hertz and Avis. If you find a good deal, book it, and keep on looking for a better one until you can´t. Then you can cancel the reservations that don´t cut the mustard.
Check out travel search engines.
Big travel websites like Orbitz and Kayak often have great deals for car rentals. Always spend a couple of minutes scanning their best offers. Because of the bulk reservations these big companies arrange they can often offer better prices than we can ever get.
Look for insider connections.
If you have a friend or colleague that has connections or works in a car rental company they can often get “friends and family” prices. This only works if you are close enough to your “friend” or cheeky enough to ask.
Learn about insurance coverage.
In most car rental operations half the fee is the insurance. Last time I hired a car, the rental fee was $35 and the insurance was $50. This often is redundant as your car insurance and credit cards will more often than not cover the insurance provided by the car rental. Take some time to understand what the insurance coverage offered means and what you can save on and what you need. A few minutes of good decision making can save you a lot of hassle in the event of an accident.