Timing is everything when you're searching for a rental car; you might find a decent rate, but if you hold out for an even lower price, you may miss out on a deal. Thankfully, there are other secrets to getting the best rate and saving money on car rentals. From making the most of airline loyalty programs and other memberships you already have to insider booking hacks, here are 15 strategies to help you find the cheapest car rental possible—and maybe even score an upgrade.
Tap into AAA or Costco memberships.
While paid memberships are required to access deals through the likes of Costco Travel and AAA, the extra cost is worth it if you rent cars frequently. If you already happen to be a member of one of them, this should be the first place you look for savings. Instead of providing their own rental cars, these companies leverage their size and customer base to negotiate sweeter deals. Costco Travel, for example, consistently offers lower rates than major car rental companies like Budget, Enterprise, Alamo, and Avis, while AAA offers deals on Hertz rentals.
Check your airline loyalty programs.
You might be able to find some nice discounts through frequent flyer programs. However, these sometimes come with stipulations such as renting exclusively from that airline's partners or limiting your pick-up and drop-off points to airports (rather than other city locations).
Even if there aren't any discounts available, booking through your preferred air carrier may give you a chance to earn more airline miles. For example, Delta SkyMiles, the official airline loyalty program of Delta Air Lines, is partnered with Hertz, so members can earn four miles for every dollar spent on car rentals there. Having a higher status with the airline can result in an even sweeter deal. Silver members can earn five miles per dollar, Gold members can earn six miles per dollar, and those at the Platinum and Diamond levels can pick up seven or eight miles per dollar, respectively.
Search third-party discount sites.
If the rental car provider doesn't matter to you, check third-party websites and apps like Priceline and Hotwire, both of which offer deep discounts but don't reveal the rental agency's name until you've made a nonrefundable booking. You never know where the best deal is going to be, so it's worth doing a cursory search on third-party discount sites if you want to find the cheapest car rental price possible.
Compare with the direct booking rate.
If you are set on a certain car rental company, before you pay through a third-party site like Expedia, for example, go straight to the rental agency's website and cross-check prices for your desired dates. You may find that it's cheaper to book directly and you can also earn loyalty points through the company's membership program. This way, you'll know you have all your bases covered.
Try a car-sharing alternative.
If you can put your house on Airbnb, why not your car? Peer-to-peer car-sharing companies like Getaround and Turo let you rent cars directly from their owners, who set the price and mileage limits. Once you book, you'll meet your host to pick up the keys and the car, and you're off. If you live in an area where many people are offering their cars, you can save a lot, plus this type of car rental has a few unique benefits. Not only can you read reviews for the exact car you want to rent, but also pick it up closer to your home—or in some cases, have it delivered to you by the owner.
If the idea of driving someone else's car makes you nervous, check out car-sharing options with Zipcar or Free2Move, membership-based platforms that let you book cars instantly.
Check for Transfercars.
With so many people picking up rental cars in one place and dropping them off in another, companies often struggle to keep up the inventory in their most popular destinations. That's why they'll sometimes hire drivers to get the cars to where they're needed most, which also poses an opportunity for savvy travelers with open schedules to save on rentals.
Transfercar is one platform where you can find cars, vans, and RVs with pre-designated destinations, usually for just the cost of insurance and gas. For example, you may find a station wagon that needs to be driven from Las Vegas to San Francisco within three days. That's a nine-hour drive, which you can stretch to include stops at Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe, and other points of interest. Imoova is a similar platform for larger vehicles, including RVs, motorhomes, and campervans.
Both companies offer options in Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand as well as the U.S., so you could save money on international trips too. In addition to those countries, Transfercar operates in South Africa and Brazil, while Imoova can also be found in Japan.
Try the two-minute trick.
If you have patience and two minutes per week, this easy trick recommended by Scott Keyes, the founder of Going, can help you score a better deal. The first step is to book your car rental as soon as you need it at whatever rate. Then, set a calendar reminder for yourself once a week to check the rate on the same car and see if it has dropped.
If it's lower than what you originally paid, simply cancel your first booking and rebook it at the lower rate. But before doing so, make sure your rental provider won't impose a cancellation fee, which it typically won't as long as it isn't within 24 hours of pickup. The earlier you book, the more chances you'll have to claim a juicy price drop.
Keep an eye out for coupons.
You may be able to squeeze a few extra dollars out of your deal with a coupon from AutoSlash, which searches a database of coupons for the best price. Simply plug in the dates you need your rental car and customize the search based on the travel memberships and frequent flyer programs you belong to and the credit cards you have (some offer better partnerships than others). Then, you'll receive an email with potential discounted rates. You can also see available coupons listed on the website, sorted by company, if you prefer to comparison shop.
Opt for a manual transmission vehicle.
If you're traveling outside the U.S. and Canada, you'll find that manual transmission vehicles are far more common. While that doesn't mean you won't be able to find a car with an automatic transmission in places like Europe (or anywhere else), you may have to pay a higher price since there are fewer available in those locations. If you don't know how to drive a stick shift, taking the time to learn can help you save more money down the road.
Avoid insurance potholes.
Your personal car insurance or travel insurance may actually cover your vehicle during your rental, so be sure to review your current policy before renting and read the fine print. Some credit cards also provide primary or secondary car insurance as an included benefit, so double-check your perks ahead of time. Doing so could save you around $15 to $25 per day since you won't need to tack on the additional insurance offered by the rental car company.
It's also a good idea to bring proof of your current car insurance coverage, as rental companies sometimes ask to see this before handing over the keys. In a pinch, a site like Rental Cover can also sell you a stand-alone insurance policy that costs a fraction of what the rental companies charge.
Try not to rent at the airport.
Cars rented at the airport are usually more expensive because of additional taxes and fees. When you rent a car at an off-airport location, like a train station, you could save up to 20 percent. If you can use public transportation—or even a taxi as long as it's inexpensive—to get to another location, it's usually the cheaper way to go. The exception to this is renting a car in a major metropolis like New York, where airport rentals are typically always cheaper since parking is so expensive and scarce in the city itself. Even so, it's always worth comparing airport and non-airport prices to get the best deal.
Look out for junk fees.
Junk fees have been so out of control in recent years that the Federal Trade Commission has had to get involved. These extra fees might include renting a toll transponder (about $5 a day), a GPS device—prices vary, but you can use Google Maps or a similar maps app on your phone instead—or satellite radio service, which sometimes costs as much as $8 per day. Try to bring your own car accessories, like your charger or phone holder, if you want to avoid paying for marked-up products at the rental counter. Just make sure to eliminate them from your booking.
Compare rates throughout the week.
On occasion, you may find that it's cheaper to book a car for a whole week rather than just the few days you'll need it. Click around and compare the difference between returning the car on the day you actually need to leave versus a few days later. If it works out to be cheaper to return the car later, book that period and just bring the car back whenever you need to leave. To pull this off, though, you need to confirm, in writing, that the rental car company won't impose any early return fees. Generally, prepaid rentals won't be refunded if you choose not to use the car for the full period.
Book the smallest car possible.
Rental car companies are known for overbooking to counterbalance the number of people who reserve a car and never show up. Although this strategy can backfire during times of high demand, you can use this knowledge to your advantage by booking the smallest and cheapest car possible and setting yourself up for an upgrade. Of course, it's still a gamble, so don't book anything that wouldn't be big enough to accommodate your entire party.
Set a designated driver.
If you plan on driving in shifts with your travel companions, you may end up paying fees for each additional driver that's added to the reservation, which hover around $15 per day. If you only put one driver on your booking to save on fees, don't let the other person drive, or else you could face very expensive consequences should you get into an accident or get caught speeding while they're behind the wheel. Rental car companies sometimes offer deals or coupons that waive fees for additional drivers, so keep an eye out for those, too. Depending on your itinerary, having just one driver could end up saving you a ton on your rental car costs.
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