How to Get Cheap Car Rentals.

We’ve been doing a shit-ton of travelling this summer, mostly for sales, but with some leisure time in there as well. I’ve been renting a car every week for at least the past six weeks and here are a few things I’ve learned that may help you with your next car rental.

1. First off, use Budget. They seem to have the best prices on everything, unless of course you belong to a club or other group that gives you better prices at other places. If you’re like me though, and you don’t have AAA or AARP or some other acronym that saves you money, use Budget.com and opt for the Pay Now (pay online.)
2. You’ll find lots of great coupons on websites like RetailMeNot.com and Coupons.com or just by googling, “Budget coupon codes”.
3. DO NOT rent from the airport. If you can help it, don’t use the airport rental location, the prices are WAY higher. You’ll find better pricing at the local offices. I found the prices at the office located inside my local Sears to be nearly 1/2 that of the airport location.
4. Sign up for a Budget account. They give you points towards upgrades, accessories, and free rentals, with every $1 you spend. They’ll give you a handy-dandy corporate code (BCD) like mine — X149098.
5. Call and ask them what they have available — and what they don’t. The website may not be aware (yet) of what’s in (or not in) inventory, so you can order the cheaper car and if they’re out of it, they’ll upgrade you for free.
6. Try renting for 5 or more days, you may discover it’s cheaper than renting for 4 or less. There’s always a coupon code on the coupon sites for weekly rentals. It’s often as high as 30% off. You may find that, with that coupon, it’s cheaper overall to rent for a longer period.
7. Try different codes and different combinations of codes. The Budget.com interface lets you add two codes. Sometimes you can get two to work together for maximum discount. It’s a process, but well worth it if you’re saving big money.
8. Pay attention to the days you’re renting. Some days are more expensive than others. Try a day earlier and see if you get better pricing.
9. If you can get a car rental down to $25/day you’re doing good — that’s the about the wholesale rate most big insurance companies pay.
10. Always sign up to receive special offers and promotions. Sometimes you get free rental days. They’re always sending out discounts. Also, check the back of your receipt for a coupon good on your next rental.

Hopefully these ten tips will help you get the best deal you can on your next rental car AND get you more car for your rental dollar.

Phil Autelitano is founder/CEO of Mediarazzi. He develops TV channels and applications for Connected TV platforms including Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Opera TV — and he rents cars every week.

@PhilAutelitano
www.mediarazzi.com