- Shop around for the best deals. You can go to the company’s website. The websites tend to have better deals than if you call over the phone or go to the counter.
- Make sure you pay attention to what insurance you are paying for when renting the vehicle. If you are using a credit card, some credit cards already offer certain insurance, so check into it. That can save a lot of money on rentals. Also if you have full coverage insurance already on your own vehicle there is a chance you can transfer that insurance to your rental. Call your insurance company to find out.
- Is earlier really better? Sometimes. Reserving you car in advance can save you money, but not always. Reserve it early, but it doesn’t hurt to go back and check to see if a deal came up or the price dropped.
- Create an account with your preferred car rental company. In doing so, you can get promotional offers sent to you, like free upgrades, or percentage off your next rental, and/or build points that can help you save later.
- Check the payment policy of the rental companies. Policies are different for each; e.g, some companies charge a deposit whether you use a credit card or not while some does not and there are different rules when it comes on to paying with a credit card vs paying with a debit card. You maybe subjected to a credit check if you are paying with a debit card.
- To pay now or pay at the counter?🤔. This saves money if you choose pay now but what if something comes up and you have to cancel? Check out the cancellation policy before you choose to pay now.
- Another thing to be aware of when renting a vehicle is the return time. Bringing in you rental a day later can cost you lots of money, sometimes more than the price you paid for the original rental. So plan wisely.
- Did you know that renting a car for 5 days is the same as renting it for 7? Yes, I have seen it with my own eyes. The only difference is when adding insurance, you still have to pay for the 2 extra days, but the reservation cost is the same.