3 ways to save money on rental cars
What's the Deal
Posted: 10/13/2012
Last Updated:
224 days ago
Here are three ways to save money before you get behind the wheel of a rental car.
1) There are codes that can save you money. A quick search on sites like rentalcarmamma.com can give you starting points, or you can go with a site like Zayln.com that calculates the price including coupons.
2) Unless you use a site like priceline.com, most rental car reservations are cancellable at the very last minute. That means when you get to the counters at the airport, you can walk next door and see if Budget will beat the rate you've already confirmed from Hertz. Most companies will compete for your business if they have cars available.
3) Joining the company's frequent renter program may save you money, but it almost always saves you time. Skip those horrible lines and go straight to your car.
Liability and collision? You probably don’t need these as chances are your own insurance policy covers a rental car. It's worth giving them a call before accepting the expensive coverage, although factor in the cost of your deductible and potential raised premiums.
Cards like the AMEX Platinum offer coverage for your entire rental for one charge of $24.99 when you put it on your card, which can be a great deal.
Also, you may want to consider not renting a car.
If you're heading to a city with solid public transportation, you may be able to get by using a company like Zipcar, which will let you rent by the hour and only use the car when you need it.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
