How to save money on a rental car

Money-saving tips: How to save money on a rental car

When you fly to your vacation destination this summer, a rental car might be on your list of costs in addition to everything else. The cost of a rental car could mean the difference between a real night on the town and a night at McDonald's. Business travelers take heed, too. Your boss is looking for ways to cut expenses, so cut the expenses out of your travel and earn some brownie points. Here are five ways to cut the cost of your rental car expenses and come out ahead.

1. Shop Around

Capitalism is about competition, and competition is good for you. Rental car companies are interested in maxing their profits through sales just like any other profit seeking endeavor, so they are interested in your patronage -a lot of your patronage. Shop around to see how they are wooing you. When you plan your next trip, check the rental car websites. Sometimes rental companies run specials complete with printer friendly coupons you can download and take with you. Just the other day I found rentacar.com. The name is not original, I know, but the site can help you shop around for the best deals in your chosen destination. Also, check out rentalcarsbycity.com. The site is very plain, but who cares. You need a cheap rental and they might be able to help. Almost all the on-line travel companies will bundle the rental car in with the travel plan, but check the cost. Read the fine print, and win.



2. Think Compact

Be honest. Do you really need to rent the SUV? Unless you have a big family or your clients expect you to drive them around in a strange city, then the answer is no. A tip: If you are trying to impress your friends or clients with a fancy car, the rental car stickers plastered on the vehicle will blow your game. The bigger car costs more money. Get the smaller car whenever you can. If the guy behind the counter tries to sell you the upgrade, think gas prices. The upgrade is usually a bigger car complete with gas wasting features, and you get to buy the gas. Speaking of gas, do not let the rental guys top of the tank for you. Do it yourself. That way you, not the rental guys, get to choose where you buy the gas.

3. Clubs

Business travelers should join the club -the rental car club. For instance, Hertz has what they call the Hertz #1 Club. It offers you a bunch of perks for about $60, which is supposed to get you through the line faster and save you money on rentals. Almost all the rental car companies have some kind of club. Budget calls their club the "frequent renter". Get to the point, right? They saved money on capital letters so it must be cheap. Some of these clubs offer free rental days. Talk about saving money. A bottom line of zero saves you money every time. Clubs such as Enterprise Plus offer discounts on rentals, but always ask which cars are targeted for the discount. If the discounts only apply to the SUV, then you end up spending more money. A word of warning: Read the small print. What may seem like a bargain might actually be a way to get you to spend more money. The devil is truly in the details when it comes to rental cars.



4. Add-Ons

The rental car company is going to ask you if you want to buy the insurance. Answer "no" only if your insurance company does not cover you when you drive a rental. Call your insurance agent before you travel and check the specs because you might already be paying for insurance. Do not pay for more insurance at the rental car counter unless you swerve a lot when you drive. Also, they are going to offer you the chance to rent a GPS navigation system. Now, that is cool. Sure, you are in a strange city with strange roads, but find out if a paper map will suit your needs. You don't really need the GPS System to get to the airport Hilton.



5. Other Memberships

You might be able to save money for being a part of another club. These are the perks that people forget about. For instance, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society offers discounts on car rentals to their members, but only for a specific rental car company. That is an easy fix; just use the rental car company they use. Also, credit card companies offer discounts for using their card. Like always, check out the specs before you take advantage of a perk. The perks may apply to more expensive cars or apply only on certain days. It is better to brag at the water cooler about saving money on a rental if you were actually in Atlanta to use the car.

Money-saving tips: How to save money on a rental car

When you fly to your vacation destination this summer, a rental car can be in their list of expenses, in addition to everything else. The cost of a rental car can mean the difference between a real night on the town and a night at McDonald's. Take into account the business travelers as well. Your boss is looking for ways to cut costs in order to reduce the cost of your trip and earn some brownie points. Here are five ways to reduce the cost of your rental car costs and move forward.

1. Shop Around

Capitalism is about competition, and competition is good for you. Car rental companies are interested in maximum profits through the sale as any other benefit job seekers, so they are interested in sponsoring a large part of its sponsorship. Shop around to see how you are wooing. When planning your next trip, see the websites of car rental. Sometimes, companies hire full run to print the special coupon that you can download and take with you. Just the other day I found rentacar.com. The name is not original, I know, but the site may help you compare prices for the best deals in your chosen destination. Also, see rentalcarsbycity.com. The site is very simple, but who cares. You need to rent a cheap and could help. Nearly every online travel package car rental companies in the travel plan, but check the cost. Read the fine print, and win.

2. Think compact

Be honest. Do you really need for the rental SUV? Unless you have a big family or that their customers expect that the drive around them in a strange city, the answer is no. TIP: If you are trying to impress your friends or customers with a luxury car, car rental stickers plastered on the vehicle hit the game. The largest car costs more money. Get the smallest car whenever you can. If the man behind the counter tries to sell you the upgrade you think gas prices. Upgrading is usually a bigger car gas with waste characteristics, and you have to buy gas. Speaking of gas, not letting the kids rent top of the tank for you. Do it yourself. That way, not the rent boys, they can choose where to buy gas.

3. Clubs

Business travelers should join the club club car rental. For example, Hertz has what they call the Hertz # 1 Club. It offers a lot of benefits for about $ 60, which is supposed to get through the line faster and save money on rentals. Almost all car rental companies have some kind of club. Budget calls for his club, the "frequent customer". The point, right? Saved money in capital letters so it must be cheap. Some of these clubs offer rental days. Talk about saving money. A bottom line of zero to save money every time. Business Plus as clubs offering discounts on rentals, but we ask that cars are the targets of the discount. If discounts are applicable only to the SUV, then ends up spending more money. A word of caution: Read the fine print. What may seem like a bargain might actually be a way to spend more money. It's really the devil in the details when it comes to rental cars.

4. Add-Ons

The car rental company that will ask if you want to buy insurance. Answer "no" only if your insurance does not cover when a rental unit. Call your insurance agent before you travel and check the specs, as you may already be paying for insurance. Do not pay more for insurance on the rental car unless you turn on a lot when driving. In addition, they offer the possibility to rent a GPS navigation system. Now, that's great. Sure, you're in a strange city with strange ways, but find out if a paper map will suit your needs. You really do not need GPS to get to the airport Hilton.

5. Other Associations

You could save money to be part of another club. These are the benefits that people forget. For example, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society offers discounts on rental cars to its members, but only for a car rental company. That is an easy fix, just use car rental company they use. In addition, credit card companies offer discounts for using your card. As always, the specs before taking advantage of a benefit. The benefits can be applied to more expensive cars or to apply only on certain days. It is better to brag at the water cooler about saving money on a rental if you were actually in Atlanta to use the car.