Discount Auto Rental Companies in Las Vegas: Top 5

Arrive at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas and you don't have to worry about picking up or finding discount auto rental because their offsite car rental center is filled with agencies ready and willing to send you off in the Economy, Full Size, or Intermediate car of your dreams or budget. During a recent trip, I worried that we'd have to wait until morning to pick up our car reservation, but at 1am -- you'd never know the time -- there was an undeniable hustle and bustle regarding transportation transactions here.

Like many other things in Las Vegas, a cheap ride is easy to come by. In order to maximize your spending dollars -- reserving your discount auto rental online is highly recommended. Not only are you guaranteed a vehicle within your price range, but you can save up to $30 per day. I used Travelocity to book a reservation and was quoted $11 per day. However, keep in mind that these prices will fluctuate depending on the time of year, advance reservations, and car rental company.

What they don't tell you when renting a discount auto online are the individual rules and regulations pertaining to each company, such as using a debit card to pay for your vehicle rental. I found this out at the last minute and had the pleasure of scurrying between several different agencies before figuring out a way to secure my original reservation. My top picks for cheap car rental in Las Vegas include:

1) Advantage: My best discount auto rental experience in Las Vegas came from Advantage, where we not only secured a four-day rental with taxes and insurance coverage ($15.99 per day) through the Internet for around $152, but were also given an upgrade to a convertible PT Cruiser as a courtesy -- for the price of a Compact rental. What a great way to start off an adventure in Las Vegas! Advantage required a $350 hold on a credit card when using a debit card to pay for the transaction. Another couple was quoted a five-day non-Internet reservation (without insurance) for about $189 (including taxes).

2) Alamo: We were quoted a decent on-the-spot price of $38 for a Malibu with XM radio and leather interior. The car was pretty roomy. Another plus with this car company is that we did not have to produce a credit card for the transaction and were allowed to pay using a debit card with 'no strings attached.' Sadly, we only needed it for less than a day and were charged about $16.99 for returning it earlier than scheduled.

3) Payless: When looking for the lowest overall prices in all car rental categories -- Payless usually charges an average of $15 per day for an Economy (like a Hyundai Accent) to $37 per day for a Standard SUV (such as a Ford Explorer). You are also instructed to place a hold on a credit card for $350 when planning to pay with a debit card.

4) Dollar: Travel in luxury with a Mercedes-Benz C230 rental for about $80 per day, while a Mid-Size (Chrysler Sebring) and Full-Size (Dodge Charger) costs $22.49 and $28.49 per day respectively. They also offer Lock, Low and Go, which locks in a rate lower than an Intermediate rental, but they choose your vehicle (a guaranteed Intermediate size or larger). Please note that a hold will be placed on the renter's credit card for the estimated amount of the rental plus 15% or a minimum amount (whichever is greater) -- we were quoted $100.

5) Thrifty: While the Internet offers rates between $11 and $28 for some of the smaller models --Thrifty quoted us between $48 for an on-the-spot car rental, but would not accept a debit card for payment. The Las Vegas airport also runs promotions when reserving through Thrifty's online site, such as saving 10% when using an American Express. Cars in their fleet include the Chrysler 300 Touring, Jeep Wrangler, Toyota Prius, and Chrysler PT Cruiser.