Rental cars can be super expensive, but there are several surprising ways to save money on rental cars that you might not have thought of. Here are my 8 best tips to save some cash on your next rental.
Booking on the Hour vs. Half Hour
It may sound crazy, but sometimes it’s cheaper to book a rental car starting on a half hour. For example, say your flight is landing at 3:30 p.m. You would probably be inclined to say your needed the car starting at 4 p.m. But check both 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. One just might be cheaper than the other!
A Few Days vs. One Week
By the same token, sometimes it’s cheaper to book a rental car for the entire week instead of just a few days. Even if you don’t need it that long, just book it. You can always return it early!
Use a Discount Code
There are no shortage of discount codes available to save money on rental cars. Here are some sources you can check:
- Capitol One Shopping
- Rakuten
- Car rental agency websites: Avis, Alamo, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Fox, Hertz, National, Sixt, Thrifty
- Your own workplace may have discount codes available for employees – ask human resources for information.
Skip the Airport
Although it’s most convenient to rent a car at the airport, it’s almost always cheaper to pick up and drop off rental cars at a location in a different part of town. Remember you will need to factor in the cost of a taxi, rideshare or public transportation to the off-airport location into your rental cost.
Become a Member
Many membership clubs have great car rental discounts. Here are some options:
- Sam’s Club
- Costco
- AAA
- AARP – did you know anyone can be a member of AARP, not just people over 50? It’s true!
- Join the loyalty club for the car rental agency you are renting from – this will often give you perks like skipping long lines at the counter.
Just Say No
You know how the car rental agents ask you a million questions about add-ons during your rental process? Just saying a simple “no” can help you save a ton of money on rental cars! Just do some research in advance to decide if you really need the extras. Here are some common culprits.
Prepaid Gas
Prepaid is almost never a good value. But you can do a quick search on GasBuddy in advance to get the average price of gas in the area you are visiting to know for sure.
Roadside Assistance
You might already have roadside assistance through your own car insurance or a membership like AAA.
Satellite Radio
Download your own tunes in advance and use the rental car’s CarPlay or Bluetooth features to connect your phone. Most rental cars will have this feature.
GPS Navigation
In most places, you can just use Google Maps, Waze, or the like for navigation. You may want to bring a hands-free device you can temporarily use in the rental car.
Car Seats
Obviously if you need one, you need one. But all airlines let you check your own car seats for free, so just bring one with you. And if you have older kids who just need boosters, I’ve heard these inflatable ones are perfect for travel.
Toll Transponder
Check to see if your intended route requires tolls before your trip. If so, you might be able to buy a pass for that state in advance and avoid a per-day fee for a toll transponder in addition to the price of tolls. This Uni Prepaid Portable Toll Pass covers you in 19 states.
Insurance
Your primary car insurance usually covers you for car rentals, so check your policy. Then book your car rental with a credit card that offers primary car insurance like my two favorite cards, Chase Sapphire Preferred or Venture X. If you are traveling abroad and rent a car, your car or credit card insurance may not cover you. Make sure you research this in advance.
Add a Free Driver
If you want or need to add a driver to your car rental, be choosy about what agency you are renting from:
- Spouses drive free with Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Fox, National & Payless; they also drive free if the rental is booked with a loyalty club member number with Dollar, Hertz, and Thrifty.
- Free additional driver with an AAA membership with Dollar, Hertz, and Thrifty.
- Free additional driver with an Costco membership with Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise.
- Spouses always drive free in California by state law.
Use Autoslash to Track Rates
I saved my best tip for saving money on rental cars for last! Never book a non-refundable car rental (even if it saves you a few bucks). This is because you should always track your rental on AutoSlash. After you have booked a car rental, go to the AutoSlash website and request it to be tracked. Autoslash will send you an email if a cheaper rate is available.Then you can cancel your existing reservation and book the cheaper one. I have saved hundreds of dollars on car rentals by doing this over the years. It’s a great tool. Best of all, it’s free!
What tips do you have to save money on car rentals?
Tell us below! And make sure to check out all of our other money saving posts.