Home Cars Tips for Saving Money on Your Hire Car- and Avoiding The Rental Company Rip-Offs

Tips for Saving Money on Your Hire Car- and Avoiding The Rental Company Rip-Offs

by Tracy Finke

Travel plans and adventure trips do not require any specific time or a particular season. If you are prepared with enough savings in your wallet and the will to try out something new, you can hit the road. Despite the obvious essential aspects, there are still a few questions people should ask themselves to save money on a hiring a car.

Go for The Highest Rated Car Hire

While looking for a car rental company online, read the reviews shared by people. This helps a lot in choosing the companies with the best services.

Consider the car rental period

In principle, the longer the car rental period, the lower the price per day. In most places, during July – August prices are at the highest peak, but on September 1 the tourist season in ends and the “quiet season” begins in terms of tourism which lasts until May 31 – during this period car rental prices drop significantly – up to 35 euros per day compared to 85 Euros a day!

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What Does CDW Offer by The Rental Firms Cover?

Collision damage waiver is a type of insurance cover provided by the rental companies in cases of accidents or damage to the car. However, keep in mind that the CDW does not cover the areas where the driver meets with an accident and damages other vehicles. It is also not applicable on over speeding or drunk driving. In cases of theft of the car, many firms do not provide cover too. For further explanations about CDW click here.

Should I Buy an Excess Reimbursement Policy From A 3rd Party?

Nobody ever imagines having an accident.  Even if you are confident of your driving skills, difficult situations might still arise. In cases of accidents, CDW does not provide cover, and so, it’s a better idea to stay safe by buying an excess reimbursement policy.

Various independent car hire policies offer protection, starting with quite a minimum amount of fee.  Some rental firms provide their car insurance and would not recognize your 3rd party insurance. However, recognition is not important as this is only a kind of reimbursement, and there is no need for them to recognize it.

Compare the cover provided by CDW or LDW with the third-party insurances and then decide which one to go for. Make sure that your car hire excess damage waiver covers damage to tires, widescreen, undercarriage and loss of keys. We suggest perusing the terms and conditions carefully before signing out on any deal as many rental car firms have certain hidden charges.

When you pick up the car, check the car thoroughly for any dents or scratches before getting in and if possible, click the pictures of the care before the drive away.

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Should I Rent with or without mileage limit?

In order to lower costs, there are companies that offer car rentals abroad that are limited in miles. This is not always a convenient option, as you may need to travel beyond this limit. Note, however, that if you have already chosen the mileage limit option, in most cases you will not be able to change it.

Go Through the Fuel Policy

There are many companies which want their cars’ tanks full on return, while there are some who don’t have any such requirements. Also, some might ask you to get the tank full yourself before starting while others may have the provision of returning the car with the same amount of fuel as it contained before the trip. Opting for the firms which give you the freedom of returning the vehicle with the same amount of fuel is indeed a better idea.

Should I Upgrade?

A good car rental company will not ask for an upgrade option if they can’t provide you with the version you have requested. It’s better to refuse the upgrade option because an upgrade comes with an increase in rents. This may cause your budget to expand invariably and lend you in trouble. Rental firms tend to inflate their charges and fees along with multiple important exclusions.

What else should you look for?

Given below is a quick checklist to make you entirely in line with all the possibilities and situations when going for car rental procedure: –

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  • Plan for longer trips to attract better deals.
  • Please take your child carriers, or Sat-Nav things as getting them from the car rental companies might cause a big hole in your pockets.
  • Have enough money and cards in your wallet to avoid any troubles.
  • Always make yourself aware of the traffic rules and signs to avoid confusions.
  • Make your plans in advance and try to get a pre-booking done. Many firms give you a discount when you make a booking.
  • Check for the reward offering programs offered by many car rentals. These are quite attractive and advantageous as against the reward points; you can get free rental days.

Conclusion

Choosing an excellent car rental company is not that difficult and requires just a thorough check and compare the various options. All these firms have their websites from where you can decide the exact thing you have been looking for. Putting a little effort and time can leave you with the extra cash so that you can enjoy your holidays better and in a splendid way.