Renting a car for your vacation or business travel opportunity can be a great decision. Depending on the distances you need to cover and the locations you’ll be visiting, you may find that securing a rental car to drive is a money-saving, convenient option for your trip. We offer some tips to help keep your costs (and stress!) down when renting a car.
Go online to find your rental
First, as with air travel and hotel stays, rental car fares can be compared online at sites such as Orbitz, Kayak, Hotwire, and Expedia; you’ll want to book early to get the best deals. You can also bid for a car rental via Priceline. If you would prefer a specific make and model of car, you might be better off booking directly with a car rental agency that offers the kind of vehicle you desire. (The same goes if you want to make sure your car is equipped with a GPS unit.)
Another option to consider is joining a car-sharing service, such as Zipcar. If you have a membership in your home city, you can rent Zipcars in other cities where the service is offered.
The fine print
The car rental company will require driver’s licenses for anyone who will be driving the car, of course. Drivers under 25 may have to pay an extra fee; some rental agencies still won’t rent at all to drivers under 25. (Mahalo.com posts a guide to the policies of the major car-rental agencies and applicable state laws.)
The car rental firm may offer to provide you with temporary insurance for the rental car for an additional fee. If you know your personal auto insurance will cover you in the event of an accident in a rental car and you’ll only be renting the car for a few days, you’ll probably be safe in declining it. If you’re afraid that reporting an accident will wreak havoc on your car insurance rates, you may want to go ahead and purchase the insurance for your peace of mind.
It used to be that most credit-card holders could assume that their credit-card issuer would give them additional protection, but now there are tricky fees that you might get stuck with even if you rent with a credit card. Creditcards.com provides a chart comparing the major credit card issuers’ policies and a checklist for staying covered while renting a car.
You’ll also be given the option of prepaying for fuel. The price quoted per gallon will almost certainly be more than gas is selling for at stations nearby, and almost certainly less than the penalty you’ll pay for returning the tank less than full. You might treat this as another peace-of-mind expense. By and large, if you’re renting in a suburban area or from an airport location, you can reasonably assume there’s a gas station nearby; in major cities, especially in touristy areas, you may have a harder time refilling.
Family car rental planning
If you’re traveling with a family, you may have one last task to accomplish: finding a car seat. Rental-car agencies will sometimes provide loaner car seats, but you may be more comfortable renting from a company that specializes in baby equipment, such as Baby’s Away.
With a little knowledge and planning, you can rent a car for your next trip at a reasonable price and on your terms. Know the requirements for renting a vehicle, search online for a good deal, and prepare to enjoy a spin in the car rental you’ve selected.
