Car Rental Tips to Save Money
By Diane Albright CPO, Organizing Expert and Speaker
June 22nd, 2010
Trying to find the cheapest car rental agency? Here’s a trick to find one.
Explore a website where you can book travel plans (car, hotel, flight) as opposed to the site for a car rental agency. Once on the travel site enter the rental location and the dates that you need the car and then the site will generate a list of car rental companies and their rates. Once you have determined the agency you wish to rent from, you can rent by contacting the car rental agency directly or through the travel agency. An example of a travel website is AmericanExpressTravel.com
If you need transportation after a flight typically the cheapest rate will be found at a car rental facility that is not located onsite at the airport. Onsite rental agencies usually have to pay additional airport fees therefore increasing your cost to rent the auto. Many airports have car rental agencies within a short distance of the airport and provide shuttle transportation to and from the airport.
“Avoid doing it (renting) at the airport: You could pay as much as 30 to 40 percent more than at an agency just off the airport grounds” says Real Simple. For instance I found you can save as much as $100 for a weeklong rental from Payless which is just around the corner from The Orlando International Airport. And the Palm Beach Airport has an Enterprise Rental Agency about a mile away where you can get a car for as little as $20 a day. If you do decide to rent your car offsite from the airport make sure the rental agency provides a shuttle service between the agency and the airport.
Before leaving home, find out whether or not your auto insurance agency insures car rentals - bring a copy of your insurance card with you on your trip. Also, check with your credit card company as some provide auto rental insurance free of charge when the rental is processed through your credit card.
Car rates may go down the closer you get to the date of your trip, so be sure to check online to see if in fact the rate has gone done. If it has, call the agency to change your reservation.
And finally, if you are a AAA member, check to see if the car rental agency provides a discount to AAA members. AAA members may also receive discounts to local and chain restaurants and stores. For example AAA of Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania provides a discount at TGI Friday’s, A-1 Japanese Steakhouse, Bounce U (parties), New York and Company, Gold’s Gym (membership fee), 1-800-GOT-JUNK, Lenscrafters, Pearle Vision and Sears Optical.
Whether on vacation, or at home, you may be able to save money.
Happy car renting!
Tags: car rental discounts, car rental tips, rental cars vacation, save money renting car
