To lower your rate, ask about discounts for any major national organizations, frequent flier programs and credit card programs to which you may belong. They’ll frequently offer deals on car rentals. (Those offered through AAA can be very good.) If you’re employed by a company that frequently rents cars, they may have a negotiated rate. Make sure to check.
Before you book online, do an Internet search for coupon or promotion codes to put into the booking engine of your car rental company’s site. Just type the name of the company followed by “coupon code” into the search field and you’ll often find special promotion codes that could save you anywhere from 5 to 20 percent off the cost of your rental. For more ideas on saving money when you rent a car, see Cruising for Car Rental Deals.
Decline the rental insurance – you may already be covered.
Chances are very good that your home auto insurance policy covers rentals that you drive. While the rental agent may try and pressure you into purchasing additional coverage, this is often unnecessary and redundant to your existing coverage. Just make sure to check your policy before assuming that you’re covered.
If you don’t own a car, or if your home policy doesn’t cover rentals, you may still have coverage. More details about rent a 9 seater
Avoid Airport Surcharges
Airports typically charge a premium for the convenience of picking up your car right after your flight and dropping it off right before the departure flight. Sometimes the convenience for us is worth the fee, but sometimes it’s not. Many times the car rental offices located inside the city offer lower rates so weigh your options if its worth it for you to get to the city first and then rent.
We did this recently in Calgary when we found out Enterprise was charging a $50 fee for airport pick up. The cab ride in cost us $25 – so we saved $25! Plus we didn’t need a car the first night in town since we arrived late, so we saved there too.
Use an online deal aggregator and compare prices.
Sites like CarRentals.com, Priceline and Kayak.com give you the opportunity to compare prices from many different rental car companies at once, which is always something you should do before booking a car. Don’t overlook off-brand rental agencies like Fox Rent A Car, which may not be available in every area, but tend to offer anywhere from a 10 to 50 percent discount off what you would pay with a more well-known rental car agency. More details on car hire in Dublin
Medical insurance
Standard car rental cover won’t include medical treatment following an accident. Rental companies might offer you insurance to cover these costs. This is particularly common when you rent a car in the USA or Canada, where it’s usually called Personal Accident Insurance or PAI.
Insurance for fines
If you get a traffic or parking fine, the rental company will charge you an admin fee on top of the actual fine to cover their expenses. Sometimes they offer insurance to cover that admin fee. If you buy the insurance, you’ll only pay for the traffic fine, without the admin fee on top of it.
Tips for avoiding an insurance hard-sell
Think about what level of insurance you’re comfortable with. Check what cover you have with your car. If you decide to buy extra insurance, comparing prices online can be cheaper and less stressful than making the decision at the rental counter.