National Rental Car Tips – Save Time and Money

Here are some important and helpful National Rental Car Tips for the next time you are renting a car.

Many people approach National Rental Car as a ‘lowest-price-possible‘ contest.

Instead, they really should be concentrating on the ‘value‘ of the deal they eventually could receive.

Have a look at this short informative video from a travel expert.

The video outlines a couple of very helpful national rental car tips that could save you time and money.

Some useful information to know the next time you rent a car.

Enjoy …

Here is a list of just a few questions and national rental car tips to consider  when selecting a car:

• What type and size of car are you paying for?
• Just what’s included in that  rental car anyway?
• Does the car have air conditioning?
• Is unlimited mileage included in the contract?
• Does the rental have an automatic transmission?
• Do you have to pay extra for child car seats?

As you can see, all these things add up quickly if not included in the rental policy. So, it’s important to ask a lot of questions and ‘read the fine print‘ before signing the contract!

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like paying higher prices more than you do, but you can save a great deal of money knowing what’s included when renting a national rental car.

I do recommend shopping around and check the various rates available, especially when it’s so easy to do via the Internet.

I like to use reputable online booking sites that list all the major national rental car prices with one click of your mouse button!

These are recognized car rental, hotel, airline booking services showing listings of all the major competitors and real time prices.

National Rental Car Tips -  A Very Competitive Market

Rate differences for comparable quality and service are relatively small, sometimes as small as $10 to $20. These slight price differences are going to vanish in the wind when you consider the long lines and lost time at the cheapest car rental counter, drop charges for remote destinations, late return fines, and gasoline inflated rates, as well as other service charges you didn’t think about when you thought you were shopping for the “best deal“.

You need to consider other things besides the price and when you compare, please make sure you compare apples to apples and not apples to pears.

Read the fine print in your rental contract!

“Get the Best Deal on the Best Car For You!”

National Rental Car Tips – Things to Consider

A couple of more ‘useful tips‘ to consider before renting may be:

• Who is going to be driving the car, is anyone under age?
• Are you by yourself on a business trip or are you traveling with the whole family?
•  If there is going to be more than one person driving, be sure you have the appropriate insurance coverage.
• What size of car will I need that will suit the number of people and baggage?
• Is the vehicle going to be big enough?
• Do I need rental car insurance?
• Do you need an Infant or a child booster seat?

Do not take chances with your child’s protection, especially when driving an unfamiliar car! It is when you least expect something to happen, that it does!

Never take chances and drive without the proper rental car insurance in place. My wife and I were involved in a ‘serious rear end collision‘ a few years back when attending the ‘nascar races’. Luckily, we had the proper collision insurance in place at the time.

National Rental Car Tips – Child Seats

If you do need a child seat, make sure it is mentioned clearly in your national car rental order. There is often a ‘shortage of child seats‘ and they will charge extra unless otherwise specified in your agreement.

As mentioned before price is not the only factor to consider when choosing a car rental company. If you choose a very small, no-name company, don’t expect them to provide you with the service expected from a recognized national rental car company such as:

• Budget
• Avis
• Hertz
• Alamo

National Rental Car Tips – Road Side Assistance

Another very important consideration to think about when renting should be:

Is there ‘road side assistance‘ included in the event of a break down or collision?

Is it easy to contact the rental car company, arrange for transportation and receive a replacement car immediately?

If not, find a reputable car rental company that does, especially if you are traveling on business!

National Rental Car Tips – Before Leaving the Airport

“Inspect Your Rental Car Before Driving Off the Lot!”

Things to check and do ‘before leaving‘ the airport with your car!

After that  long tiring flight and waiting in line for your luggage at the baggage claim carousel. Then receiving your keys at the car rental counter, it is understandable that you just want to take the rented car and drive away to your hotel as quickly as possible. But wait!

Here is a list of things you ‘must check‘ first before exiting the car rental lot:

Start by making a careful

• Check around the car, look for any small dents or scratches, in case you find some, don’t be lazy, go back to the office and ask a representative of the rental company to write down all of these dents, ask for a copy of that report! Otherwise you might be responsible for damages you didn’t perform.

• Open the trunk, make sure you have a spare tire, a jack and set of tools, there is nothing more irritating than to find out in the middle of nowhere that you don’t have a jack when you need to replace a flat tire.

• Get an extra key if you think you need one. Just  ask the customer service representative for one. This can come in handy for some of us who are absent minded.
• Grab a map and spend few more minutes to plan your driving route.  Most reputable national rental car companies will provide you with local maps ‘free of charge‘.

Just ask!

National Rental Car Tips – Shop Around

I do recommend shopping around and checking the various rates available, especially when it’s so easy to do via the internet. I’ve included a short list and handy links for some of the major rental car companies we at Holidays for Family have used and do come highly recommended from others as well, for your convenience when searching for a national rental car.

Major Rental Car Companies:

• Alamo 
• Budget
• Avis
• Enterprise
• Hertz
• National
• Dollar

When returning the Car:

“Returning the Car is Easy When Following a Few Steps”

• Return the car on time . Make all necessary arrangements to return the car on time. If you’re late, your credit card will be charged late return fees. Late return charges are high and arbitrary.
•  Fill up the Car with Gas. If you are late, you probably won’t have time to fill the car with gasoline and the rental company will charge you inflated gasoline rates.

Just a few travel information tips when renting from a national rental car company to help you save time and money.

Your car rental should be a ‘care free experience‘ and one that will allow you and your family to travel safely at all times!

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Your comments are most welcome!

Post them below.

Happy Travels!

Robert Tellier
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Some helpful national rental car tips when selecting your next rental!