How to Get the Best Deal on a Rental Car
Know your providers., Search through online travel sites., Join rental car loyalty programs., Look for discount or referral codes.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know your providers.
Not all rental car companies are created equal and it is important to understand how each is unique and how they can serve you best.
Things to consider before deciding on a particular car rental company includes prices, car types available, service fees, and locations.
All of these can drastically change your car rental experience.
Consider which factors are most important to you, if it is price, you may need to sacrifice luxury.
If it is convenience, you may need to sacrifice price.
If it is car model, you may need to sacrifice convenience of rental location.
Certain companies are famous for adhering to particular requests, such as:
National and Budget allow you to rent one-way while most others charge an extra fee.
Hertz and Enterprise are known for offering an extra level of service which picks you up before and drops you off after your rental which none of the other companies do.
They have many locations in urban and suburban areas, which is extremely convenient for people who do not have a car. -
Step 2: Search through online travel sites.
This includes Orbitz, Expedia, Kayak, TravelAuto and others.
The major online agencies negotiate with the car rental companies to offer competitive rates.
Since they are always competing for your business, you can often get better deals than in person or over the phone.
Keep in mind, like airfare, the further in advance you book the more your will save yourself money.
Also, try using flexible dates to get better pricing.
This also allows you to compare rates of dozens of car companies without much effort, such as:
Orbitz is particularly good because they allow you to add discount codes to your search and get even lower rates.
The meta-search engines like Kayak and Mobissimo may help you to figure out which agent or company has the best deal in one-step.
Travelauto allows car renters to directly interact with the service provider, which helps you in getting any other additional information required.
In addition, Travelauto lists the car rental hot deal worldwide to avail better rates and discounts. , By joining Nationals Emerald Club or Alamo’s Quicksilver Club you can earn free days or, as an alternative, points or miles.
The car rental's programs sometimes give preferred deals that are not available through other channels.
The more you use this card, the more discounts you will get.
However, this means you may be missing competitive rates to build up points for later.
So consider the average car rental pricing before deciding to commit to a particular car rental company. , These discount codes are often available to you through your rewards programs, credit card services, and car associations.
Most of them have either discounts, miles or points that you can earn.
These companies and associations work hard for you to keep you loyal and they always have a steady stream of new offers, discounts and rewards to save you money.
Often times they make a small percentage on the deals you take through them so they are always incentivized to negotiate good deals for you.
If do not want to go to these sites individually, DealMine.com has many of them searchable all in one site so you can compare the best deal for you based on where you belong.
American Express, for example, will cover the insurance on any car you rent.
This means you don't need to buy insurance through your car rental company.
They also offer deals for customers through their rewards programs. -
Step 3: Join rental car loyalty programs.
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Step 4: Look for discount or referral codes.
Detailed Guide
Not all rental car companies are created equal and it is important to understand how each is unique and how they can serve you best.
Things to consider before deciding on a particular car rental company includes prices, car types available, service fees, and locations.
All of these can drastically change your car rental experience.
Consider which factors are most important to you, if it is price, you may need to sacrifice luxury.
If it is convenience, you may need to sacrifice price.
If it is car model, you may need to sacrifice convenience of rental location.
Certain companies are famous for adhering to particular requests, such as:
National and Budget allow you to rent one-way while most others charge an extra fee.
Hertz and Enterprise are known for offering an extra level of service which picks you up before and drops you off after your rental which none of the other companies do.
They have many locations in urban and suburban areas, which is extremely convenient for people who do not have a car.
This includes Orbitz, Expedia, Kayak, TravelAuto and others.
The major online agencies negotiate with the car rental companies to offer competitive rates.
Since they are always competing for your business, you can often get better deals than in person or over the phone.
Keep in mind, like airfare, the further in advance you book the more your will save yourself money.
Also, try using flexible dates to get better pricing.
This also allows you to compare rates of dozens of car companies without much effort, such as:
Orbitz is particularly good because they allow you to add discount codes to your search and get even lower rates.
The meta-search engines like Kayak and Mobissimo may help you to figure out which agent or company has the best deal in one-step.
Travelauto allows car renters to directly interact with the service provider, which helps you in getting any other additional information required.
In addition, Travelauto lists the car rental hot deal worldwide to avail better rates and discounts. , By joining Nationals Emerald Club or Alamo’s Quicksilver Club you can earn free days or, as an alternative, points or miles.
The car rental's programs sometimes give preferred deals that are not available through other channels.
The more you use this card, the more discounts you will get.
However, this means you may be missing competitive rates to build up points for later.
So consider the average car rental pricing before deciding to commit to a particular car rental company. , These discount codes are often available to you through your rewards programs, credit card services, and car associations.
Most of them have either discounts, miles or points that you can earn.
These companies and associations work hard for you to keep you loyal and they always have a steady stream of new offers, discounts and rewards to save you money.
Often times they make a small percentage on the deals you take through them so they are always incentivized to negotiate good deals for you.
If do not want to go to these sites individually, DealMine.com has many of them searchable all in one site so you can compare the best deal for you based on where you belong.
American Express, for example, will cover the insurance on any car you rent.
This means you don't need to buy insurance through your car rental company.
They also offer deals for customers through their rewards programs.
About the Author
James Reynolds
Creates helpful guides on pet care to inspire and educate readers.
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