Lower Rental Car Charges
Sometimes you just have to rent a car — you’ve flown to a distant location for business or a vacation, your own auto is in the repair shop, or you need a larger vehicle for a special family trip. Here are some suggestions to help with the increasingly difficult chore of picking a rental car.
Don’t buy collision and/or liability insurance that the rental company offers, or sometimes insists that you must have. Check with your own auto insurance company first. Most often your own insurance covers rental cars, too. Only buy additional coverage if the rental car has a higher value than your own car, you don’t have full coverage, or the state you’re renting in has a higher level of coverage required. Your credit card company many insure rental cars, too, if you pay with that credit card. Such coverage is more often seen with the “platinum” cards. Another potential option is your homeowners or renters insurance, which will cover expensive personal items like jewelry, furs, and computers.
Some other cost-saving tips include renting your car far in advance or at the last minute when you can often get more car for your money as the rental offices run out of the popular low price models. Don’t, however, accept a free upgrade unless you really need it for the additional space inside. Bigger cars use more gasoline per mile. Don’t skip asking at local companies where your chances of negotiating a better deal are higher. Finally, try to rent from a site off the airport grounds if you’ve flown somewhere. The rental companies pay dearly for onsite locations and pass the costs on to the consumer.
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