Did you know that in June 2019 the average cost of a rental automobile (excluding taxes, fees, and additional costs) peaked at $123/day? From the beginning of the year, this cost increased by $50. In places like New York, Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland, car rentals cost more than $160 per day in May, June, and July 2021.
Prices for rental cars vary. They fluctuate according to the market’s supply and demand for rental cars.
Don’t just book a rental car at the price listed on the car rental company’s website. If you take hasty action, you can wind up renting a car for an outrageous fee that you later regret.
Instead, do your research, compare the discounts offered by different rental agencies, and sign up for their loyalty programmes as these actions can help you reserve a rental car at the most affordable rate.
This post offers seven-time and money-saving insider tips for renting a car in 2022. All of these recommendations are sensible and useful for reserving a rental car at the most affordable price.
7 Car Rental Tricks You Should Be Aware Of
The top seven automobile rental tips you should be aware of are listed below:
- An early reservation is advised.
- Sign up for their rewards programme.
- Examine their promotional offerings.
- Rent straight from the rental agency
- Check your credit card to see if it offers rental insurance.
- Download the smartphone app from the automobile rental business.
- Request an upgrade for your rental.
To further appreciate how these travel suggestions will help you save money and time, let’s take a closer look at each one:
1. Book Your Reservation in Advance.
Avoid waiting for last-minute discounts. If you reserve the vehicle within 24 to 48 hours of the pick-up time, you could have to pay more.
If you reserve your rental car two months before pick-up, you could save up to 30% on the cost. Therefore, prepare for your vacation in advance and reserve a rental car far in advance of the pick-up date.
Additionally, if you book your rental car early, you can select the vehicle of your choice. For a group of four going on a road trip, a convertible is a perfect option. You will be able to discover a convertible with one or more rental companies at a reasonable price if you plan to book early. If you wait until the last minute to rent a car, your only choice will be to work with the automobile model that the rental agency has in stock.
2. Sign up For Their Rewards System
At participating locations, many automobile rental firms provide rewards programmes. Reward schemes offer significant financial savings when renting a car. To find out how much you can save on car rentals, you might need to make a shortlist of a few well-known car rental businesses and compare their rewards programmes.
In order to give returning customers the opportunity to accrue benefits and prizes that lower rental costs, car rental businesses also offer loyalty programmes. You can be qualified to join a rental company’s loyalty programme if you are a current customer.
For instance, Airport Van Rental (AVR) in Los Angeles has been operating a loyalty programme called Prestige Members for the past few months. The key advantage of this loyalty programme is that it enables current clients (regular purchasers) to reserve the best car in the class at the most affordable price.
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3. Examine Their Discount Plans
Rental firms rarely widely publicise their discount initiatives. To see if the automobile rental company is offering a discount or not, you may need to conduct some research. This process could be aided by accessing the car rental company’s website or calling their customer service number.
At participating locations, a lot of businesses offer Costco, AARP, AAA, and USAA discount coupon codes. Depending on the time of year and the type of vehicle you select, discount codes can lower car rental rates by as much as 30%.
For instance, AVR is currently running a Pay Now campaign that lowers the cost of renting a car by as much as 35%. You might need to use a credit or debit card to prepay the rental amount while making the automobile reservation if you want to take advantage of the Pay Now service. Additionally, AVR provides members of AAA and USAA with immediate savings of 5% off the rental price.
4. Hire the Rental Company Directly
The use of middlemen between you and your rental company may dramatically raise the cost of renting a car. The problem with intermediaries is that they pass on the entire cost to customers by adding their profit margin to the actual rental amount.
There is no need to use an intermediary when there are numerous platforms available from vehicle rental companies, such as their websites and social media accounts, that can direct you to the booking page. Therefore, to save time and money, rent directly from the rental firm.
For instance, Airport Van Rental has a page for booking vehicles right here on our website. Additionally, it uses social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. To lower the rental cost, go to any of these websites and reserve a car directly via AVR.
5. Verify Your Credit Card’s Insurance Coverage
In the US, the cost of rental car insurance can vary from $31 to $60 each day. If you don’t have rental car insurance, this could result in you having to pay at least $31 more per day for your vehicle. In the event that you are unable to proceed with insurance, your rental business should pay the minimum state requirements.
Technically, if you are renting a car for personal travel, you may utilise your own auto insurance. However, if you are renting a car to travel to nearby nations like Canada or Mexico, your auto insurance policy might not be legal. Since most American auto insurance providers do not cover rentals outside of the country, it could be a good idea to:
- Verify your credit card’s rental insurance coverage.
- Purchase liability, personal accident, and loss damage waiver coverage for your rental property.
- Many upscale credit cards provide primary or secondary rental automobile insurance.
- To be eligible for coverage, you must reserve the rental car using a particular credit card, though.
Several well-known credit cards include primary rental insurance protection, including:
- For an annual charge of $555, the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card provides primary coverage of up to $75,000 in damages for rental agreements both domestically and abroad.
- For a $95 annual charge, the United Explorer Card provides primary coverage for rental agreements up to the cash value of a car in both domestic and international locations.
6. Download the Mobile App from The Car Rental Company.
Nowadays, a lot of automobile rental agencies offer mobile apps. These mobile apps make it easier for you to communicate with travel companies and make rental vehicle reservations because of their slick, user-friendly interfaces.
Downloading a rental car company’s mobile app has the following advantages:
Promotions that Never End: Rental car firms notify customers via their mobile apps of ongoing promotions, discounts, and exclusive offers. You will be the first to learn about these specials if you have the rental company’s app installed on your phone.
Offers that Are Specifically Tailored to Each Customer: Rental companies use mobile apps to send customised offers to current clients based on their purchasing history, demographics, and psychographic characteristics. These customised offers could include prizes and coupons for discounts that enable significant rental cost savings.
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7. Request an Upgrade on Your Rental
Every Fifth passenger receives a surprise improvement for no additional charge!
Asking for a rental improvement is not harmful. You should request an upgrade if you want a bigger car with more features. Rental company employees are helpful and eager to meet customers’ vacation demands. If the automobile you want is available, they’ll upgrade your rental for a modest fee. If you’re fortunate, you might receive an upgrade at no extra charge.
The following advice could be useful when requesting a rental upgrade:
- Describe your trip requirements to customer service.
- Strike a deal for an improvement.
- Remind the customer service personnel of this if you are an existing client.
- Be cordial at the desk.
Airport Van Rental Offers the Best Car Rental Prices.
You can avoid regret and save at least 30% on rental costs by using the seven insider travel tips suggested in this article. Before making a reservation, we advise you to evaluate the special offers and discount policies of at least five rental car businesses on your shortlist. To get affordable vehicle rental deals, you can also search online at sites like Expedia and Autoslash.
One of the top automobile rental businesses in the country is AVR. Our premium fleet of passenger vans, minivans, SUVs, and cargo vans is designed to meet each passenger’s specific transportation requirements. From coast to coast, we have more than a dozen rental locations.
Atlanta, Burbank, Dallas, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Orlando, San Francisco, and Tampa are a few of our well-liked places. The customer service staff at AVR is on hand around-the-clock to assist clients in selecting the ideal car and resolving vehicle-related concerns during the rental agreement duration.
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