10 Clever Car Rental Hacks That'll Save You Money

Deputy Executive Editor Sarah Schlichter's idea of a perfect trip includes spotting exotic animals, hiking through pristine landscapes, exploring new neighborhoods on foot, and soaking up as much art as she can. She often attempts to recreate recipes from her international travels after she gets home (which has twice resulted in accidental kitchen fires—no humans or animals were harmed).

Sarah joined the SmarterTravel team in 2017 after more than a decade at the helm of IndependentTraveler.com. Sarah's practical travel advice has been featured in dozens of news outlets including the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Budget Travel, and Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio. Follow her on Twitter @TravelEditor.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "A journal. Even years later, reading my notes from a trip can bring back incredibly vivid memories."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Road tripping and hiking through the rugged mountains of Patagonia."

Travel Motto: "'To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.'—Freya Stark"

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Aisle. I get restless on long flights and like to be able to move around without disturbing anyone else."

Email Sarah at sschlichter@smartertravel.com.

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Unless you’re splurging on a convertible or some other flashy ride, renting a car is often the least glamorous part of a trip. What most travelers need is a set of wheels to get them from point A to point B—so why pay a fortune for it? The following car rental hacks can help you save big bucks on your next reservation.

Get a Better Rate Even After You’ve Booked

Close up of person's smartphone after completing a successful car rental booking — Atstock Productions | Adobe Stock

When you book a nonrefundable flight and then see a cheaper fare later, you’re pretty much out of luck—but that’s not the case when renting a car. Most car rental companies give you the option to reserve a car without prepaying, which gives you the opportunity to cancel or change the reservation later if you see a better deal.

If you’d rather not spend time continuing to shop around after you’ve made your reservation, AutoSlash will do it for you. You can make your initial booking through the site, or put in your existing reservation code from the car rental company, and AutoSlash will notify you when a cheaper rate becomes available.

Look for Coupon Codes

Before pulling the trigger on your booking, check the car rental company’s website for discount codes to use toward your rental, and also do a Google search for “[car rental company name] coupon code.” Sites like RetailMeNot and SlickDeals often list codes that can save you up to 25 or 30 percent.

Check Rates on Multiple Versions of the Car Rental Company’s Site

Close up of person handing another person a set of car keys for a rental car — methaphum | Adobe Stock

When renting in a foreign country, try both your home country’s version of the car rental company’s site as well as the local version. For example, I tested prices for a three-day car rental in Glasgow, Scotland, on both Alamo.com (the company’s U.S. site) and Alamo.co.uk (the U.K. site). The U.S. site quoted me a rate of $207.71 for a small car with a manual transmission, while Alamo.co.uk offered a rate of 158.81 GBP for the same vehicle, just $199.51 at the current exchange rate.

A couple of caveats: First, if the price difference is very small, it might be canceled out entirely if your credit card charges you a fee to pay in a foreign currency. Second, this car rental hack can be tricky if you’re trying to book on a site in a language you don’t speak. Google Translate and other machine translators aren’t always reliable, and you want to make sure you understand the terms and conditions before you book.

Take Advantage of Group Memberships

Are you a member of a group like AAA, AARP, Costco, BJ’s, or USAA? If so, you’re probably eligible for car rental discounts.

The AARP lists partnerships with Avis, Budget, Payless, and Zipcar in its member benefits, while Hertz offers exclusive deals for AAA members. Hertz will also waive the youth driver fee for AAA members between the ages of 20 and 24. Additionally, Costco, BJ’s, and USAA have search engines where you can look for car rental deals from their partners.

Keep in mind that group memberships are just one possible discount and that other, more generous offers are sometimes available. You probably won’t be able to combine both, so don’t simply default to your preferred group rate without shopping around.

Book Your Car as Part of a Package

You can often save big by bundling your car rental into a package with your flight and/or hotel. For example, I priced out a weeklong trip from New York City to San Diego on Expedia and found that the flight would be $495.30 per person and a car rental would be $267, or $133.50 per person. The total cost of booking flights and car separately: $628.80 per person. But when I tried a flight + car package, the cost was just $461.70 per person—less than the cost of the flight alone.

Get a One-Way Rental for Free

Women stepping out of car at an overlook with a view of mountains and forest — olezzo | Adobe Stock

One-way car rentals are notoriously expensive, as the rental company often charges a fee to cover the cost of getting the vehicle back where it belongs. But what if you’re actually doing the company a favor by driving it where it needs to be?

That’s the premise of Transfercar, which lists vehicles that need to be moved from one destination to another; if you’re willing to do the driving, you can snag a car or camper for ultra-cheap—or even free.

For example, Transfercar might have an automatic-transmission compact campervan that needs to be driven from Perth to Broome within the next few weeks. You’d be able to drive it for up to eight days for free (including insurance) to help them get the campervan back to where it needs to be.

Join a Loyalty Program

Become a member of your favorite car rental company’s loyalty program, and you’ll immediately enjoy benefits such as skipping the line at rental counters and access to members-only deals—even if you’re not a frequent renter. Most of these programs have partnerships with airlines and hotels, so you can apply points from your rentals toward future flights or stays.

Check Your Credit Card Benefits Before Buying Insurance

Close up of man making a credit card purchase no his phone — Wayhome Studio | Adobe Stock

Do you really need the pricey insurance the rental car agent is trying to peddle? Maybe not. Many credit cards offer certain types of rental car insurance as long as you pay for your rental with that card. It’s worth calling your credit card company or digging into your card’s terms and conditions to see what coverage you already have. You might also be covered by your own car insurance policy at home.

To learn more, see 9 Nasty Truths About Car Rental Insurance.

Take Photos or Videos of Your Car During Inspection

During your initial walk around the rental vehicle, take out your phone and snap a few pictures or even a video of any dings or scratches. Note that this doesn’t take the place of reporting these issues to a rental company staffer as soon as you see them—but it gives you documentation just in case your rental company tries to charge you after the fact for damages you didn’t cause. For an easy time stamp that proves dings and scratches were there at the time of rental, text the pictures to someone.

Don’t Overpay for Gas

Most car rental companies expect you to return the vehicle with a full tank, and they’ll often give you the option of prepaying for fuel. This is nearly always a terrible deal. Instead, use an app such as GasBuddy to find the cheapest nearby station and fill the tank yourself. Keep in mind that gas stations right near the airport tend to be quite expensive; you’re often better off filling up about 10 miles away.

Follow Sarah Schlichter on Twitter @TravelEditor for more travel tips and inspiration.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2018. It has been updated to reflect the most current information.

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