Don’t Get Taken For A Ride In A Rental Car

20 October 2008

Don’t Get Taken For A Ride In A Rental Car

Posted by Debo Hobo under: Travel-General .

Though you can book a reservation online with just a few mouse clicks, rental-car company Web sites can present a sometimes confusing array of choices. Expect to be offered all sorts of options — from prepaying for gas to GPS navigation systems to child-safety seats — that rental-car companies present as benefits but use to boost their bottom lines. Read the fine print and watch out for extra fees, and you’ll be sure to avoid sticker shock when it’s time to settle up your bill.

Know the code
Almost every rental-car company offers discounts — if you use the right code. Discount codes are available through employers, associations (such as AAA) and credit-card companies, and they typically offer a percentage discount, a free day or lower weekly and weekend rates. If you don’t have a promo code, you can easily find one online at sites such as rentalcodes.com.

Join the club
Rental-car companies provide perks to their most loyal customers, for free. Club members get exclusive offers and free days after they rent a certain number of times. Becoming an Avis Preferred or an Enterprise Plus member, for example, can not only save you money, it can save you precious time, particularly at crowded airports; when you reach the rental facility, your car will typically be ready for you, and you can avoid waiting in line at the check-in counter.

Fill up later
Another way to save is to pass on the prepaid-gas option that you’ll inevitably be offered. Although this may sound like a good deal, since you’re buying a full tank of gas at a cheaper rate, the rental-car company is likely to come out ahead. (It’s betting that you won’t return the vehicle empty; that is, that you won’t have used all of the gas you paid for up front.)

If you don’t choose the prepaid option, make sure to top off the tank before returning the car, since Hertz, Avis and the like usually charge by the gallon at prices that are several dollars higher than you’d pay at the pump. And be sure to scope out a gas station near the car-return facility in advance, so you’re not frantically driving around trying to find one before your flight.

Check your bill
It’s also important to take a close look at your receipt after you return the vehicle (some rental-car companies will also e-mail you a copy) just to make sure that your bill is accurate. After I recently returned a vehicle to Avis in Los Angeles — and having stopped to fill the tank just blocks from the rental facility — I noticed on the ride to the airport that my receipt showed a $22 charge because the tank was checked in at seven-eighths full. I immediately called the company, and the agent I spoke with issued a credit. While this may have been an honest mistake, it would have been a costly one if I hadn’t checked my receipt carefully. In this summer of outrageous airfares and shocking gas prices, every dollar counts.

Get more tips on how to avoid being taken for a ride by your car rental company here

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