check out alamo, in my experience they’re pretty affordable compared to other rental companies
I'm flying out to a friend's wedding in a couple of months. Initially my plan was to use public transit for most of my travel while I'm there, which is still my primary option. But due to where they're having the wedding (a very rural area with zero public transport options) at some point I'm basically going to have to rent a car to get there. Sadly carpooling isn't really an option either due to a myriad of factors.
So basically I'm gonna be stuck renting a car for at least a day or two, maybe three. Anyone have any secret tips or tricks to saving some money on car rentals? I've never actually had to rent a car before so I'm kinda shocked by how expensive it seems to be even just getting one for a couple of days. It seems I can save a bit by going through costco, but just wondering if there's other options I should consider.
Thanks!
(Oh and I should mention; I'm in the US, so public transit is limited to begin with)
check out alamo, in my experience they’re pretty affordable compared to other rental companies
Shop all of the brokers (kayak, booking etc) in incognito mode. Find the cheapest option (often dealers choice small sedan) and check the company listed directly. Sometimes it’s actually more expensive that way, in which case you just book though the broker. Also I recommend getting insurance from Amex or something - don’t buy it from the rental company. Print out your policy so you can bat away their attempt to upsell at the counter. Often places away from airports are cheaper. Always return with a full tank. They’ll charge like $10/gallon to fill it up. Take a quick video of the exterior and interior before driving off. Make sure it’s clean, I’ve heard places are charging huge cleaning fees even for minor issues. Good luck! It’s easier than you think.
Check the deals section of car rental companies. There are always a few. Rent from a non airport location. Never buy their insurance- use your own car insurance. Never prepay for fuel. Check your credit card if it offers benefits. Sign up for their member rewards. Enterprise offers 5% discount right away. Its also usually the best mix of price and quality. Read and understand exactly what you are paying for, what's extra and what's not.
Not renting from an airport location is a huge one.
Costco is a great idea. Also check your credit card benefits, they often have discounts for rental cars and a lot of them already include the car insurance (so you don't have to pay that extra bit). Additionally, make sure you fill up the gas tank before you return it!
Good idea, I hadn't considered checking with my credit card company to see if they had any deals.
Costco was $200 cheaper for one of my trips with free cancellation. That pays for the membership and rn they are doing a $50 gc for new members (must not had or been listed on a membership for 18 months).
Was searching recently and found best price through Costco travel. They also give you second driver free, but most do anyway if it's your spouse. Airports have more fees and higher prices. If you can get to an off airport location to reserve, it will be cheaper.
Much appreciated, and I'm most definitely renting from somewhere away from the airport. It's a bit of a tricky situation; I can get to my hotel and everything else just fine with busses and tram lines, just not to the wedding itself, hence the necessity for a rental.
Book far in advance Sign up for a few brands loyalty programs Don't rent at the airport Shop around
Costco, and capital one are by far the best ways in my experience if you have access to either, aaa has some deals occasionally but not nearly as nice as the others. I just did a sixt rental car through capital one for $350 for 14 days because they beat out everyone’s one week price when my car needed work. Do you have a credit card with rental car benefits? Some cards will and it is a huge cost savings.
Use an external insurance. Get it right after you order for th trip. Can you carpool?
The frugal way to do this is to stay home and watch the livestream of the wedding that you have needled your friend to provide. 👍
I would just use Expedia or a similar site to compare prices across different car rental places in the area. Also I'm curious what are the reasons you can't carpool with someone else? Do you know other people who will be attending the wedding? That would definitely be the most frugal option.
Also I'm curious what are the reasons you can't carpool with someone else? Do you know other people who will be attending the wedding? That would definitely be the most frugal option.
Unfortunately not; I don't know anyone else aside from my friend who's actually getting married, so he's gonna be just a bit busy, and I don't want to be nagging him for a ride on his big day.
Without going into a ton of unnecessary detail - I'm flying in from across the country, I don't know anyone else there aside from my friend (who is the one getting married), and it's out in the middle of BFE nowhere so it would be a real hassle for anyone else to come pick me up, take me to the wedding, and then back to the hotel.
Try looking into Turo, it’s usually cheaper than regular car rental places
I really wish I could use Turo, that seemed like a great option. Sadly this wedding is out in the boondocks and there's not even a hotel in his immediate area, let alone Turo.
Turo if the place you’re going to has it. It’s only for staying in the city you’re renting it from tho.
Definitely check out Costco. Also check if your job has any rental car discount arrangements. If you have an Amazon account - they have a rental car discount (at least with Avis). Create an account with whatever rental car agency you choose, and make your reservation early (rates definitely go up). Check your rental car insurance coverage from your credit cards. And I’m mostly familiar with Avis - pre-paying usually saves money. I wouldn’t recommend the budget providers; you’ll get charged for windshield chips, minor scratches, etc. For me - it’s not worth the stress. And - you said carpooling isn’t an option. Not sure of the details, but if you are renting a car - are there other people you could offer to drive over that might also be in your position? (I am usually beyond thrilled to overpay for gas if I don’t have to get my own rental car).
And - you said carpooling isn’t an option. Not sure of the details, but if you are renting a car - are there other people you could offer to drive over that might also be in your position? (I am usually beyond thrilled to overpay for gas if I don’t have to get my own rental car).
Sadly not. I mentioned it elsewhere but basically everyone else is coming in from one direction, I'm coming in from the other, and it would be a huge PITA for everyone involved.
First, book your car through Costco right away. Then you’ll have that as your back up plan if you don’t find a better deal. There is no money paid upfront for those, and they are fully cancellable. You can also keep looking and rebooking through Costco bc prices change. Next, start looking on Priceline, but don’t book until you’re getting close to the date. The really good deals are non-refundable and they pop up within the last few weeks to the last few days. When you go through Priceline, make sure the one you chose is guaranteed to be through a major company such as Alamo, Hertz, Budget, Enterprise, etc so you don’t get stuck with anything sketchy.
I always rent through Costco. Free second driver, unlimited mileage, cancel without a fee. If you have executive membership, it goes towards the money back.
I check BJ's (I have a membership), Costco, and Expedia. Ended up going directly through Enterprise as (surprisingly), they were cheaper. Just doing the research will get you somewhere.
Compare prices at the airport and off airport locations. Sometimes the short ride to an off site rental saves a surprising amount.
I agree with the Costco pricing, but also check out the daily rate vs. the weekly rate. I had to have a rental for a few weeks and renting for 3 days was more expensive than renting for an entire week. I chose weekly and was not frantic about returning it by a deadline.
Could you uber or Lyft?
Home depot truck rental
Rent a hybrid vehicle to save on gas. I rented a hybrid (Toyota Crown?) in Hawaii for a day and drove 100 miles and the fuel gauge didn’t even move so I didn’t need to refuel at all. Cost the same as a comparable sized sedan. Rentals are also cheaper if you pick up and return at the same location.
I always use Budget for rental cars, for a lot of reasons:
I think the Amazon affiliate discount works if you have an Amazon Prime account.
Not sure where you're going, but I like Rent a Wreck because its cheaper and you don't stand out as A Rental Car (new, ding and scratch free)
Recently needed a car for 6 days. The major rental places all wanted about $100 per day. I found an online company called Movly that has no brick and mortar. They contract with the major rental companies to use cars from them that are not being rented. I ended up with a 2026 Honda Civic that had 54 miles on it when I got it. It was a Budget car. The price was $350 for the 6 days, unlimited mileage. The experience was very positive.
With digital cameras, you can inspect your rental and have a photo of EVERYONE scratch or interior spot. Check for a spare tire and jack as well as any surprises in the trunk or under the seats. Check the license plates for expired stickers. In Grand Island, Nebraska, we rented a car with Texas plates. We got to the USAF base outside Omaha and they were going to impound the car because the plates were expired! Luckily, the Enterprise sign was within sight so they let us take it back. Enterprise only had one luxury car left so we got a bodacious upgrade! The rental place away from the airport usually costs less as the rent at airports is very high. Guess who gets to pay the costs? For vacations, we have only rented through Enterprise. They have been consistently the best price. Also, to get into management at Enterprise, a person starts out washing rentals, inspections, picking up and dropping off people. They must impress the manager to get promoted so they are getting exploited to our benefit. Customers get what we want, a totally forgettable experience.
More than a decade ago I worked for EAN holding in the call center. Enterprise, Alamo, and National are all owned by the same company but can vary in price. When you book through a third party and there are problems it makes life more difficult in getting them resolved. The exceptions I know of are Costo and Navy Federal Credit Union their customer service is excellent. Do you have a credit card (not Debit) you are using for the rental? There are extra hoops to use your debit card and if you are not at the airport it can be difficult getting approval to use a debit card. Most but not all airport locations will accept a debit card if you have a return flight. Are you over 25? It can cost you more to rent and sometimes they won’t let you. As others have said check with your car insurance company about their coverage for rentals. If you have your own roadside assistance see if it covers rentals as well. No need to pay for that coverage if you don’t have to. I have seen where people haven’t opted for coverage and ended up being sued because the rental car was in an accident. I go through Costco to rent now. I’m lazy. Keep checking the actual company websites they change rates often depending on demand. Take a picture of the dashboard with the mileage and how much gas is in the tank. Make sure the tire pressure light is not on and there are no other indicators like check engine.