7 Tips for Renting a Car Abroad
Sometimes renting a car is essential when traveling. When looking into a car rental abroad, there are a few little details to keep in mind. You can save money if you remember these 7 travel tips for your next car rental abroad.
Renting your vehicle from a location other than the airport will save you money. Neighborhood locations tend to cost the customer around 10 percent less to rent a car than at the airport. Usually, airport car rentals have additional fees and taxes.
If you can genuinely upgrade at no additional cost, go ahead and do it. Usually, compact cars are in more demand. But sometimes it will save you money to not take the upgrade and keep your smaller vehicle. Larger cars will usually burn more gas, so you will end up paying more when it comes to filling the tank. Unless you need the extra space, just stay with your smaller car.
When you book your rental car in advance, you may get a better deal than if you wait until closer to your trip. Rates will vary due to the availability of cars that the company has on the lot. If you wait, you may get a rate hike. Reserving the car at least a week out from your trip will help you to save money.
Weekend rates are usually cheaper for car rental abroad. Rates can be as little as a third of the price per day for a Saturday or Sunday. Try to keep some flexibility with your trip and if possible make weekend arrangements instead.
If you can't plan your trip for the weekend, try to rent your car for the week, instead of a day or two. Renting on a weekly basis could save you around 30 percent off the daily price. In addition to this, you can rent your vehicle for 10 days, return it after 5 days and receive an additional discount of around 10 percent.
Some car rental companies offer memberships to those who rent often. Members pay an annual fee and get certain privileges and other perks when renting vehicles. Customers may earn free daily rentals or even airline miles. This feature is best for those that rent more often.
Although it may be more convenient to pre-pay for your fuel, this feature may not save you money in the long run. Rental companies may try to get you to pay for petrol or diesel ahead of time so that you won't have to refuel during the duration of your rental. This may add more money to your cost. If you don't plan on using the entire tank of fuel, don't pre-pay for it. You will only pay for more fuel than you've used. Instead, just pay for the tank if you need it along the way.
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