From Tom Parsons - Tips And Ideas On How To Get The Best Rental Car Rates Year Round
Mar-29-2013

Lots of people rent cars while on vacation and we've got tips to help you save on your next rental.

Before you purchase your airfare, check car rental rates for your destination airport and nearby airports, because you could save a bundle on rental rates. For example, if you are flying to Houston, car rental rates can cost a lot more at Intercontinental than what you would pay at Hobby because of additional taxes. The same thing goes for Dallas. Rates at DFW can be double the price you would pay at Love Field.

If the airfare costs the same, it can be well worth flying to a nearby airport to save on rental rates. We priced an economy car weekly rental from April 18 to 24 and found the rates to be quite different. In Houston, the rental cost $401 at Intercontinental, but was $66 cheaper at Hobby, where it cost $335. At Dallas, the weekly rate was $398 at DFW, but only $169 at Love Field. That's a savings of $229, or almost the price of two roundtrip airline tickets between Houston and Dallas. These rates include taxes and fees and were valid at press time, but are subject to change.

You can also save money by renting at an off-airport location. During the busy holiday season and other special events, airport rental rates can by highway robbery. For example, last year I went to Tampa for the Christmas holiday and the airport rental rate for a week was over $500 more than what I could find for rentals at off-airport locations from the same rental companies. When I landed in Tampa, I took a cab for $15 to an off-airport location while my family was waiting for our luggage and drove back to pick them up at the terminal. The $485 in savings was well worth the small amount of extra time it took to get the rental at an off-airport location.

Parking costs and navigating by car can be a nightmare in some cities, so you may not want a car. If you are heading to San Francisco, Manhattan or the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, daily hotel parking rates can be $50 to $80. You may not need a car at all because public transportation is good and you could take a lot of taxi rides for under $80 per day. You'll also have to pay parking when you are visiting attractions or dining around the city, so don't forget to calculate those costs when deciding if you need a rental car.

If you only need a car for part of your trip, you don't need to pay for extra days by renting at the airport. Many hotels offer shuttles from the airport, so you can rent a car near the hotel. If you are heading to San Francisco and you want to go to Napa, just rent the car for a day or two from a rental location near your hotel and save some big bucks. Or if you are staying with friends and just need a car for a few days, rent with Enterprise over the weekend for as little as $10 per day.

Click the link below for the rest of the article and for Tom's deals!

Visit Website

Posted by Ken at 6:49 PM - Link to this entry  |  Share this entry  |  Print