Tips on Renting a Car

When renting a car no one wants to spend a fortune. You do not want to pay what would equal out to a car payment on a car you are only borrowing for a few days. There are things that you can do to help keep the costs down the next time you are on the market for a rental car.

One way to get a possible lower price on a rental car is to bypass the larger, more popular rental companies. The companies that have a rental booth at every airport and near every major city. Go for a lesser known company who is independently owned and operated. Many people think that these companies are not credible because they don't have a commercial or billboard signs all over the place. This is actually part of the reason they don't have to charge as much. The price difference between the little companies versus the popular rental companies can be dramatic. The savings on a daily basis can be from $10.00 to $30,000, which can mean hundreds of dollars at the end of the week. The day of the week can affect the amount you are charged for your rental car. Often times weekend rates are far better than weekday rates. Most rental companies offer special deals and these are always better than simply renting the car from day to day. If you are planning a trip you can often find package deals on online travel sites. These packages can include car rentals, hotel stays and air travel accommodations. If you are a frequent traveler you may be offered more discounts. In some cases frequent flier miles may be exchanged for rental points.

In some cases the location of the actual rental office may affect the rates of your rental car. If you rent a compact car from a major chain rental company who has an office at an airport, you can expect to pay at least $5-$10 more per day for the same car at a smaller location away from the airport.

Getting a cheaper rate is good because you may still want to purchase the separate insurance on the rental, which normally runs about $10 a day. If you purchase the extra insurance for the rental car from the rental company, you will not have to involve your insurance company in anything that happens to the car, including not having to pay any deductibles.