When you need a car for travel, it's very easy to overpay your rental costs! Shopping around and comparing different rental agencies and their prices, downgrading to a compact rather than a full-size sedan, and foregoing the unnecessary insurance are all good ways to save on the cost of a car hire, as you may already know. However, there are some other simple things you might do when renting a car that can also save you money; note a few tips to remember the next time you travel.
Fill up where it's cheapest
When putting petrol in your own car, you might have a favourite station you visit and may fill the car's tank with premium or mid-grade fuel, to keep the engine clean and in good working order. When filling up a rental, you want to find the cheapest fuel possible! When travelling, make a mental note of the cheapest stations in the area and use one of those before you return the car. Don't worry about how this cheaper fuel will affect the car's engine, as rental agencies usually have regular maintenance schedules for their cars and will add fuel detergents and other products to keep the engine clean; they may also fill the cars with premium fuel when they're returned with an empty tank.
Find discount codes
You may get a discount on a rental car if you're a member of certain clubs and groups, but if not, search online for discount codes. You only need to type "car rental discount code" or something similar in a search engine, and you may see many discounts offered by a variety of companies. To use one of their codes, you may need to sign up for a newsletter or book your rental through their website, but even if their discounts are just 4%-5% off the rental, this still means money saved and in your pocket; this can be worth having their newsletter in your inbox on occasion!
Use frequent flier bonuses
If you have a frequent flier account with any airline, it can be good to see if that account can be used with a car rental for a discount. If you're not yet signed up as a frequent flier, consider doing this; even if you don't think you'll earn many extra miles or bonuses, it can be good to sign up just to have those added discounts for car rental, hotels, admissions to attractions, and other such perks.
Share