Chances are you will find yourself renting a car, whether for business or pleasure, sometime in the coming months.
Just as domestic airlines have taken to nickel and diming passengers for everything from extra legroom to checked bags to soft drinks, car rental companies have also devised clever ways to make you pony up for extra services and fees: collision damage waivers, pre-pay and return refueling options for gasoline and those handy GPS navigation devices.
Don't automatically say yes. Ask whether the insurance coverage they're selling duplicates protection you already have. Do your credit cards or other memberships offer discounts you've overlooked? And are you sure it's worth paying extra for trinkets such as GPS and satellite radio?
Before you get to the rental car counter, do your homework to make sure you're getting the lowest daily rate possible.
Use the Internet to shop around for the rental company offering the best rate. Newer car rental aggregation sites, such as RentalCarMomma.com and CarRentals.com, offer coupons and help you compare prices.
Check more than the eight major national companies (Enterprise, National, Alamo, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Thrifty and Dollar). Smaller regional companies often offer better rates in certain parts of the country. Try Fox Rent-a-Car in California and cities from Dallas to Seattle, Triangle Rent-a-Car in North Carolina and other Southern states, Midway Car Rental in Los Angeles and Advantage Rent-a-Car in touristy locales such as Las Vegas and Orlando, Fla.
Remember the daily price of your rental depends on where you pick up the car. Convenience has its price; airport locations tend to be the most expensive.
Airport surcharges and fees make a two-day weekend rental from Avis at BWI $10 more expensive than renting the same economy car from Avis' Sheraton City Center location in downtown Baltimore.
Money to be saved
"Even if it's the same company, Hertz or Avis or National, just by renting off-airport you can save at least $10 a day," said Neil Abrams, a rental car industry consultant who used to work for Hertz. "There's a lot of money to be saved there."
Weekend rates (Friday through Monday) also are usually lower. Rental companies can charge twice as much or more to rent on Tuesday through Thursday, when many rentals are paid by corporate expense accounts. Enterprise Rent-a-Car, for example, recently was charging $33.24 per weekend day to rent a compact at BWI, compared to a weekday rate of $80.95.
