Car Rentals
There is not a whole lot to say about car rentals. If you want to book online you have three options: book directly with the car rental company, book through a travel website that offers hotel deals, airline deals, etc., or book through a place like www.priceline.com. Generally we look at both the car rental company and the generic travel websites. Usually we get good deals going directly with the car rental company, especially when traveling in North America. When traveling outside of North America, however, we sometimes can find a better deal by looking around for a local travel site. For example, when in Austalia, we got better deals by using a site such as www.frogandtoad.com.au or www.lastminute.com.au than we did from using the car rental agency’s website. Also, sometimes you can get a better deal by calling a car rental company directly – other times the better deal is had by using the company’s website. In North America we have found priceline is really good. One option is to go for the cheapest car possible. Another option is to bid on a bigger car (or a convertible, etc) using the going posted rate for an economy car. If you use www.priceline.com, you usually only get one bidding opportunity per class of car. So limit each bid to one class of car. Also, you can get around the one bidding opportunity (we think) by using more than one credit card. We occasionally will fly into an airport without a car rental reservation. Sometimes this can result in getting a good rate (especially in big cities) – but it also can result in your not getting a car (this almost happened to us in St. John, New Brunswick – a very small airport with few cars).
Do You Really Need A Car?
Especially if you have never traveled to your destination or you are in a foreign country, you may not need a car. Inquire about the accessibility of public transportation at your destination. If you need a car just to reach your destination and to return to the airport, find out how much it would cost to hire a driver to take you to/from your destination (or maybe there is a shuttle van that operates to your location). When you add in the cost of the rental, the cost of gas, and the cost of parking as well as potential hair-raising experiences (e.g. if you are going into an area with narrow roads, inclement weather, etc.), hiring a driver may be well worth the money.
Insurance Coverage
Find this out before you pick up your car. Does your own auto insurance cover you for anything? Does your credit card cover you for “collision damage” or for “theft” (if your credit card covers insurance make sure you keep a copy of what is covered with your travel documents)? If so, you can usually decline coverage by the car rental company. If not, find out if there are ways other than using the car rental agency – in some locations it is possible to purchase insurance at a lower rate form a third party vendor.
Tricks Some Agencies May Try
We do not know if this is legal, but some car rental agencies will claim that even if you have liability coverage through your own auto insurance policy, they must charge you for the coverage if you do not have proof of such coverage with you. To deal with this issue, we carry a copy of our insurance card when we travel.
We have also had a few instances (not often) where a car rental company tries to charge a higher daily rate than the quoted rate. As a precaution, make sure you carry a copy of your reservation with you – and check the rate on the form you are signing.
Pre-paid tanks of gasoline
It used to be that if you did not bring the car back with a full tank you would pay through the nose for re-fueling. Some agencies in some countries/states have figured out that they can make more money by offering you the option before you leave the agency of committing to paying a fixed amount for a full tank of gas. Often, the rates are quite good and can be less than the current price of gasoline at your destination (but not always). If it is a good deal and you know you will be doing a lot of driving, think about the convenience of being able to return the car on empty. The catch, of course, is to make sure you return the car on empty without running out of gas beforehand …
Car Rentals in Foreign Countries
Pre-internet bookings, it used to be the case that you often would get a better rate if you arranged for your car rental before you traveled. This was especially true in many European countries. Post-internet – so long as you have access to the internet, it may be that location of renting does not matter. But keep in mind that it may be the case that pre-booking will get you a better deal.
Do You Really Need A Car?
Especially if you have never traveled to your destination or you are in a foreign country, you may not need a car. Inquire about the accessibility of public transportation at your destination. If you need a car just to reach your destination and to return to the airport, find out how much it would cost to hire a driver to take you to/from your destination (or maybe there is a shuttle van that operates to your location). When you add in the cost of the rental, the cost of gas, and the cost of parking as well as potential hair-raising experiences (e.g. if you are going into an area with narrow roads, inclement weather, etc.), hiring a driver may be well worth the money.
Insurance Coverage
Find this out before you pick up your car. Does your own auto insurance cover you for anything? Does your credit card cover you for “collision damage” or for “theft” (if your credit card covers insurance make sure you keep a copy of what is covered with your travel documents)? If so, you can usually decline coverage by the car rental company. If not, find out if there are ways other than using the car rental agency – in some locations it is possible to purchase insurance at a lower rate form a third party vendor.
Tricks Some Agencies May Try
We do not know if this is legal, but some car rental agencies will claim that even if you have liability coverage through your own auto insurance policy, they must charge you for the coverage if you do not have proof of such coverage with you. To deal with this issue, we carry a copy of our insurance card when we travel.
We have also had a few instances (not often) where a car rental company tries to charge a higher daily rate than the quoted rate. As a precaution, make sure you carry a copy of your reservation with you – and check the rate on the form you are signing.
Pre-paid tanks of gasoline
It used to be that if you did not bring the car back with a full tank you would pay through the nose for re-fueling. Some agencies in some countries/states have figured out that they can make more money by offering you the option before you leave the agency of committing to paying a fixed amount for a full tank of gas. Often, the rates are quite good and can be less than the current price of gasoline at your destination (but not always). If it is a good deal and you know you will be doing a lot of driving, think about the convenience of being able to return the car on empty. The catch, of course, is to make sure you return the car on empty without running out of gas beforehand …
Car Rentals in Foreign Countries
Pre-internet bookings, it used to be the case that you often would get a better rate if you arranged for your car rental before you traveled. This was especially true in many European countries. Post-internet – so long as you have access to the internet, it may be that location of renting does not matter. But keep in mind that it may be the case that pre-booking will get you a better deal.
posted by A & K | 11:19 AM
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