These tips for How To Save Money On The Occasional Car Rental will help the person that lives near public transit and rarely needs a car, as well as the family that has a car but needs something a bit nicer from time to time. Whether you are renting for the day or a week, these tips will help you to save money when renting a car for temporary use.
Related: Understanding your Car Insurance to Save Money
How To Save Money On The Occasional Car Rental
Use credit card reward programs. One of the best ways to save money on the occasional car rental is to cash in your credit card rewards points. Many companies will allow you to cash in your reward points toward a rental. Others give you a special rate or discount when you use your card reward program to rent a car. Always ask when looking to rent to make sure you have checked out all options. AAA to AARP all offer discounts with rentals.
Related: 7 Little Known Credit Card Perks
Rent from a friend or family member. If you have close friends or family in the area who have an extra vehicle, you can offer to pay them the rental fee, fill up the gas tank and even detail the car before returning in exchange for letting you use it for the day or time you need.
Rent during off days of the week. Depending on the season as well as the rental company, many places offer lower daily rates for weekdays versus weekends. Check out the best days to get lowest rates and rent the car on those days instead to save a few extra dollars.
Rent for a full weekend for lower prices. Sometimes you only need to rent a car for one day, but it is actually cheaper to rent for a full weekend or week. Check the prices for multiple days versus single days to find out if there is significant savings. Rent for more than one day if needed.
Skip their insurance and use your own. If you have a vehicle with insurance on it, but are renting for other reasons then you may want to skip their high cost insurance and instead use your own insurance. Read the information and compare costs, but always make sure you know a bit more about what is required before blindly signing the rental agreement.
These tips for how to save money on the occasional car rental are easy for anyone to use. Remember that renting through a car agency or dealership will often require a significant deposit or credit card to secure your rental. Check in advance and plan accordingly in your budget.
This is so great to know! We got hosed last time and it’s totally my fault because I was uninformed!
I definitely save through their individual program memberships, and I sometimes earn miles too which helps me feel better about it.
Thanks for the tips! Renting a car can be so pricey!
We only rent when we travel, but I will definitely be using these tips!
Very good advise especially about the car insurance. You may find that your car insurance covers that rental-most do.
You know, I’ve never even checked if mine does. I really need to look into that before our next trip.
Great tips! Our cars are older so if we want to road trip we often feel more comfortable renting a car. When shopping around I can say that your tips are spot on!
I don’t often rent a car so these tips are all new to me. I never would have considered the full weekend being cheaper.
I only had to rent a car once, and it was easy to do but not the cheapest. These are great tips!
These are great tips! I am glad I don’t have to rent that often.
Most people don’t bother to look at other options for insurance with car rentals but it is worth it. Even some credit cards some with insurance, and it can save you a bundle.
These are all great tips. We usually end up renting a car once or twice a year, but saving money while doing so is always great.