International travelers prefer to rent cars when visiting other countries to enjoy a flexible, convenient, and pleasant holiday. Travel expenses can accumulate quickly, so finding ways to save helps keep you on budget. This way, the bulk of the trip can be spent on the overall experience.
When researching, you’ll find many seasoned adventurers who will offer helpful hints on how to save costs on car rentals without losing quality of service. You want to avoid getting the cheapest service because this usually means the company cuts corners in some way.
The goal is to get the best value for the cost with premium customer support, a large inventory of well-maintained vehicles, and competitive rates that meet your budget restrictions. How can you get all of this and ensure affordability? Let’s learn.
Saving Money on Car Rental Without Sacrificing Quality
Most people want to reserve their travel budget for the highlights of the trip and keep the logistics, like car rentals as affordable as possible without sacrificing quality. When researching before your departure, many seasoned travelers will offer insight into how to save on rental services.
This site, leiebilguiden.no is one that offers guidance on affordable rental cars and how to book one. Here, you’ll find a guide offering tips on ways to save with your car rental so you can enjoy the other aspects of the holiday.
Join the rental agency membership or loyalty program
Many rental agencies have programs for loyal customers that you should take advantage of for considerable savings.
When you’re a member, the rewards add up to the point that you could possibly earn a free day on your next holiday, receive an upgrade, move to the front of the line or even skip it altogether with car pickup.
As a member you’ll receive notifications regarding promotions and discounts plus the company will send codes for member-only deals offering added savings. When searching for rates on the company website, you could find excellent prices.
Still, it’s wise to opt for a refundable booking that allows you to cancel the reservation if a better deal comes up elsewhere.
Book only for what you need
The airport will provide shuttles to large cities if you’ll be staying there to start your holiday. It can not only save money on the car rental but also avoid the difficulties of parking, which are often challenging in another country. It’s wise to only book car rental services for the days when you need the vehicle.
Once you have an itinerary worked out, you can set up the pickup location from within the city and prepare for your road trip. If in Paris, it’s recommended to road trip outside the city and try to avoid driving in Paris as a tourist.
Pick up outside the airport
Because there’s a high demand at the airport, car rental prices are higher at these locations; this is where travelers arrive. Additionally, local laws generally add certain taxes only to airport car rentals that the company adds to the consumer’s charges.
If you want to avoid the airport despite its convenience, you can use a hotel shuttle to take you to your lodging or use a public transport to get into the city and find a car rental pick up spot there. You can then return to that location to drop off and use public transport back to the airport when you depart.
One thing to consider is whether you use a taxi into the city and if that’s in fact more cost-efficient than renting a car at the airport. It’s wise to weigh the cost differences, including parking fees, before making a final decision.
Rent the car you need
Economy cars are often sufficient for a holiday; it’s wise to avoid paying for a vehicle that you don’t really need. Consider the number of people traveling with you, the baggage you’re hauling, and the road and weather conditions.
If it’s just you and you have only a backpack, a large vehicle is too much of a rental expense, will cost more in fuel if you want to take road trips, and will be hard to navigate, considering many roads in other countries are narrow.
Sometimes, it’s tempting to get a luxury car when traveling as part of the holiday experience, something unique from your everyday life.
Still, it would help if you considered whether this is genuinely where you want to spend your money or whether you prefer to spend it on the finer aspects, including the attractions, dining, entertainment, and on.
Try the manual transmission
Most countries overseas use manual transmissions most prevalently. Automatic cars are more challenging to find and are considerably more expensive if you want to reserve one because there are few of them.
It can save you a lot of money if you travel internationally frequently, so consider learning to drive manually if you don’t have experience. It can be tricky as someone used to an automatic vehicle but it’s worth the savings. You’ll also have a much greater inventory to choose from.
The insurance can be confusing
The rates per day for rental car insurance are high and understanding the policies can become overwhelming when the details are hurried through while you book at the counter. You can avoid this by dealing with the coverage in advance of your departure.
First, contact your personal car insurance carrier to see if your plan allows for car rental coverage. You can also check with premium credit cards, which often have allowances for rental car insurance in their agreements. The issuer will confirm whether your card has this and what’s covered.
A credit card will usually protect you from damage and theft while overseas or in the US. While this would allow you to decline CDW- collision damage waiver with the rental agency, it’s wise to consider that decision carefully. You want to be fully covered in case there’s any incident; often overseas, that’s relatively certain.
Additional driver fees
It’s standard with most car rental agencies to charge an extra surcharge each day for additional drivers. The rental car can become considerably expensive with this extra cost. However, you can avoid these fees sometimes, like with some of the more prominent agencies that don’t charge for domestic partners or spouses.
The fee is also waived when you reach the “Gold” level + with other agencies. Additionally, if you become a member of different organizations, including AARP or AAA, some agencies will offer discount membership codes to save on these costs.
Car pickup should be in half-hour increments
You will be surprised at the savings when picking cars up in the half an hour. Many people go by the hour for rental pick up. Simply changing it to the half an hour with some agencies will allow a lower price.
Because these companies are offering clients this courtesy, other agencies are following their lead to entice business with their companies. Because of fierce competition in the rental car industry, the consumer can ultimately reap the benefits.
When booking your car rental, the recommendation is to “make two refundable bookings on the hour and one on the half an hour to compare costs.”
Check on discounts
If you belong to a certain group—maybe you’re in the military, a teacher, or a senior—many organizations, including rental agencies, offer special discounts for these particular individuals. Simply ask when booking your vehicle if the company offers additional savings and forward your ID to obtain the discount.
Many times, companies offer savings for many different reasons but don’t advertise the discounts. The company will disclose its policies when individuals come forward with personal details.
Final Thought
Sticking to a restricted budget when renting a car to travel internationally is possible. Research and you’ll find many tips and tricks from avid travelers who have learned how to spend wisely so their holiday experience can be a positive one.
Some things that seem like extravagances are actually more of a convenience worth the investment, like renting a car at the airport. In the same vein, some extravagances are less worththe investment, like choosing a luxury car, when it could detract from being able to enjoy other aspects of the trip.
As you become more seasoned with traveling, your strategies will sharpen, and the savings will come.