I want to give you some tips to save money on one way car rentals.
A rental car one way is rarely "cheap", but there are some tips to help bring down the prices.
Try Car Rental Discount Codes
When you're looking to get a cheap one way car rental, try using a car rental discount code when you're checking rates.
Coupons generally won't work on one way rentals, but a code may help bring the price down.
Save Money on One Way Car Rentals with Special Deals
The best deals on one way rentals occur when the car rental companies want their vehciles taken to another city. It doesn't happen often, but there are usually great deals on a rental car one way, to be found for certain cities at certain times of year.
Some oneway car rental deals are location specific. The offer may only be available at an airport car rental, some only at off airport or neighborhood locations. Many one way specials will only be available in certain cities or at participating locations in certain states or provinces.
In the spring, many car rental companies will have cheap one way car rental deals available from Florida and Arizona, because they want excess fleet taken from typically winter destinations and moved to their locations that will have more business in the summer months
Make sure that your pick up city, drop off city and length of rental qualifies for the one way rental deal.
In the early fall, many car rental companies offer great one way rates for doing the reverse; they want those cars taken from their busy summer locations, back to winter vacation destinations (like Florida and popular ski locations).
For all deals to save money on one way car rentals there will be a restriction as to the length of the rental. Some specials may have a minimum length requirement and most will have a maximum rental length restriction.
Many one way car rental deals will only be available on certain size or classes of vehicles. Make sure that your vehicle preference is included.
Lastly, make sure to carefully read all terms and conditions listed with any specials that you're looking to book. Look for any blackout dates, advanced booking requirements and the expiration date.
Be careful to check as to whether the expiration date of the special is that date by which the vehicle must be picked up or if it is the date by which the vehicle must be returned.
If you find availability for your one way rental, the biggest tips I have are to book the smallest size vehicle available and to keep the one way car as few days as possible.
Because you often pay more for car rentals one way on a daily basis, the less number of days the better. If you need the car longer than it takes just to get to your destination, 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!
But make sure to compare total prices for both options... some car rental companies charge a flat drop fee, regardless of the number of days of your rental.
As always, do a lot of comparison shopping and book your rental as far in advance as you can!
