Peter Greenberg: Finding an Affordable Car Rental

By: Peter Greenberg | Source: AARP.org | 2009-03-23

Peter,
What has happened to car rental rates? They have more than doubled in the past two years. We are looking for a one-week rental in Dallas.  Do you have any suggestions?
–Lorraine, Northville, Mich.

A: I am surprised that you have not found any reasonable car rental rates recently, because for the most part, rates have dropped with the economy. I know someone who recently rented a car in San José, Calif., for only $12.95 per day. –And it was a hybrid!
 
However, to find these good rates, you have to scour the Web. If you are not tech-savvy, have someone teach you, because the Internet is where the deals are. There’s no getting around it!
 
Start with major travel sites like Expedia, Travelocity, or Orbitz, where you can either punch in your dates and location and let the search engine find you the lowest price or browse their “deals” sections. The earlier you start looking, the better the deals, except in the case of last-minute deals.
 
Also check out the prices at Hotwire.com and Priceline.com. With these super-discount sites, you don't know what company owns the car you’re renting until you actually pay. However, these sites only work with reputable firms, so you don’t have to worry about getting a rent-a-lemon.
 
Once you've made a booking, check back on the various sites periodically to see if you can get an even better deal. If you do, simply cancel your old reservation and make a new one. With most reservations, you can cancel within a day or two of the pick-up date without incurring a cancellation fee, with the exception of Hotwire and Priceline.
 
Some additional tips: Smaller cars are not always cheaper cars. Some companies are offering great deals on SUVs, because demand for them has dropped off as customers have become wary of bad gas mileage. And you’ll get additional discounts by joining rental-car companies’ loyalty clubs, by showing your AAA or AARP card, or by renting a car away from the airport or from a small, independent company instead of a large chain. Even the truck-rental companies have gotten into the act, with companies like Budget Truck Rental now offering AARP members as much as 20 percent off its regular price.