Car Rental Advice and Tips! The Basics!
Car Rental Advice features Quick Tips to make the most of your rental experience!
For rental cars, you are charged per day. Check to see if the company you want to rent from charges by a calendar day or a 24 hour day. This can definitely affect your rate.
Car rental pricing is like airline pricing – if you travel at off-peak times (when there is not a lot of travelling going on)or make a reservation seven or more days in advance, you often can get a cheaper car rental rate. Last minute rentals and travelling at peak times (like holidays) will generally cost you more.
When you see a great rate for the vehicle you want – RESERVE IT RIGHT AWAY – it may not be available later! Unless the vehicle has cancellation or no show policy, or is a pre-paid reservation, you can cancel at any time, without penalty. I suggest that you go to a booking site and check your city, dates, times and vehicle size to find which company has the cheapest rate. If you don't have to give your credit card number, book the car. Then, go to that particular company's website and see if you can get a cheaper rate on the same vehicle using a discount code or special from the site. If you find a cheaper rate, book it and then go back and cancel the reservation that you made on the booking site.
Rental car companies rent the largest portion of their fleet during Monday-through- Friday business travel. So, generally speaking, leisure travelers can find better rates on weekends when the demand for some types of cars isn’t as high.
Self employed or own your own business? Most car rental companies offer discount programs for small businesses with discounts, coupons and specials just for you! Call any car rental company and ask to sign up. It's easy! Most car rental websites will also offer a sign up link for a corporate account.
Many companies now charge a fuel surcharge if you drive the vehicle under a certain number of miles. If you drive the rental car under 100 miles, keep your gas reciept so that you can get the automatic fuel surchage waived.
Most car rental coupons have a discount code associated with them as well. Rental car discounts and coupons go together! Make the most of them!
Make sure that you meet the terms and conditions on the coupon. Terms and conditions are generally on the back, in really small print!!
When using an upgrade coupon, the upgrade is not guaranteed. If a larger car is what you need, you would be better off to use a money off coupon for the size that you require.
You pay more for a car rental one-way on a daily basis. If you can pick up and drop off in one day, you'll only being paying the higher rate for that day. It may be cheaper to pick up a new vehicle for the remainder of your rental because that car would be rented and returned to the same location!
You can get cheap one way car rentals a few times of year (usually spring and winter) when most car rental companies are moving their fleet from one area of the country to another.
Before you start to check prices on a car rental, have your location information, discount information, coupon and dates and times ready! This will save you time and effort!
Let's say you are flying into another city either for leisure or business travel and need to rent a car while you're there. You may get a cheaper rate by renting at an off-airport location but you should factor in the cost and inconvenience you may incur to get to the other location! Have a reservation agent or your travel agent check the prices at several locations.
If you decline LDW at the rental counter and rely on your own insurance, you probably would be responsible for paying your usual deductible. Also, a loss-of-use fee is not normally covered by personal auto insurance policies. And, personal auto policies that extend collision coverage to a rental car may only provide a coverage limit equal to the value of your own vehicle. If the value of your personal vehicle is less than that of the rental vehicle, you could still incur some damage responsibility.
The benefit to purchase of CDW or LDW from the rental car company is that any claims made will not affect your own insurance premiums.
Some credit card rental car insurance plans cover accidents only if the cardholder is driving, not the cardholder's spouse!
Some credit card issuers specify that you must rent from certain rental companies. Make sure to check this requirement before you reserve your car.
Car Rental Advice for Credit Cards
If a car rental company accepts your debit or cheque card make sure to check about any additional information that would be required. Most companies that accept a debit card will also require a credit check at the rental counter and a larger deposit than would be required with a regular credit card. Call your rental location directly for information on what the credit check entails. There may also be age restrictions even if the company accepts debit cards.
Some car rental locations do not accept debit cards at time of rental to release the vehicle, but do accept debit cards for payment when you return the vehicle.
Most car rental companies will rent to a person who is disabled and who does not possess a driver’s license. The renter must show that they are able to be personally and financially responsible for the rental vehicle and must use their own credit car to rent. The driver that they sign on must meet the drivers license requirement of the rental car company. The driver must be 25 years of age and complete an additional driver form at the time of rental. There are no fees for an additional driver for a disabled renter.
Even if you rent a car, but never drive it, you are automatically considered the primary operator of the rental vehicle. . All additional drivers must be approved by the rental company.
Some companies may allow you to bring someone back to the location to sign on after you have picked up the vehicle (but before they operate it, of course!) Check with the rental location.
For most companies, in addition to permission to drive the rental vehicle, the additional driver form states that in the event that the named renter, for any reason, failed to pay all rental charges he or she, would immediately pay, upon notice from the rental company, the amount owed.
Please be careful when booking a prepaid reservation through a website like Hotwire or Priceline. These are great sites, where you can get great deals, but the reservations that you book and pay for are non-cancellable, non-modifiable and non-refundable. Make sure you are aware of these stipulations!
It is recommended that you carry an International Driving Permit (IDP)for most international rentals. An IDP is written in 10 languages and serves as an officially recognized translation of your local driving license in over 150 participating members of the United Nations. Your IDP should always be accompanied by your valid local driver’s license and passport.
When you are checking rates, if your international rental price quote is presented in U.S. or Canadian dollars, keep in mind that the rental location will charge the equivalent in local currency.
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