ORLANDO, Fla. – Planning a summer vacation? While most travelers spend time researching flights and hotels for a good deal, a rental car is often the least considered part of a trip. But did you know if you rent at the airport you may be charged a “concession recovery fee” that could add roughly 10 percent to your bill? Ivanhoe has some money-saving questions you should ask before you rent your next car.
When renting a car there may not be a 64,000 dollar question. But some questions can still save you lots of money. Ask the agent if they have any cars they need to get off the lot and they may give you a good discount to get it out of there.
And simply asking for a free upgrade may just work on a late Friday afternoon. That’s one of the busiest times, and if the company is running out of the cheaper cars they’re more likely to upgrade if you ask.
Does your credit card have primary insurance coverage? Then don’t bother getting rental insurance, it’s already covered by your card. You should also check with your personal car insurance company because they may also cover it as well.
And finally, one question you should ask yourself before booking: do I have a promo code? If you don’t, it’s easy to find one. Do an internet search of the name of the car rental company plus promo code and you could save up to 40 percent.
Websites such as carrentalsavers.com and autoslash.com allow you to comparison shop between rental companies and look for coupons. Autoslash will even track your rental rates and rebook for you if the rate drops.
And how long do you need the car? Even if it’s only four or five days it can sometimes be cheaper to pay for a weekly rental and just return it early as long as the company doesn’t charge for early returns.