Following these three steps can easily save you a lot of cash on your next car rental or help you tack-on a few days of vacation after that business trip.
1. DON'T PICK-UP OR DROP-OF AT THE AIRPORT. If you can skip the car rental counter at the airport you'll save somewhere between 25% and 35% on the overall cost of your car rental. Airport kiosks usually have inflated drop-off and pick-up fees. It's often easy to find a car rental company within a mile or two of an airport for a much lower rental fee.
2. SKIP THE BIG BOYS. Sometimes going with a smaller company like Fox, Payless or Sixt Car Rental will save you more money over the larger companies.
3. TACK ON DATES & USE A COUPON. This may sound bizarre but sometimes adding an extra day or a weekend to your actual travel dates will result in an overall lower rate, even if you return your car early. I've seen this technique also work well on hotels. Coupons can also be found everywhere. My favorite site for car rental coupons is Offers.com or the Entertainment Books available all over the country.
Matt Granite is a consumer reporter with Gannett's WKYC station in Cleveland. His 'Work Your Perks' report offers tips to consumers on how to save money while traveling.
We do not get any financial compensation for mentioning any of these deals or companies. The only purpose of this segment is to save you money.
