If what you are looking for is to make your trip cheaper and at the same time you want to do it without losing comfort and security, follow these tips where we explain how to rent a car cheaper in any destination of the world.
The following list summarizes the essential steps to renting a cheap car. Read on carefully to find a more detailed explanation of each point
It is truly surprising the difference in prices for the same car between a low season and a high season. Fundamentally in regions and cities where tourism has a strong impact on the economy, car rental prices are closely linked to fluctuation of tourists, the same occurs with the accommodation sector, hotels, as well as tourist attractions, Hence, knowing what are the low seasons of tourism in the destination you select to travel can be an important key if looking to rent cheap cars. In the Caribbean region for example, the good months to travel the cheapest way are the months September October and November.
All serious companies have a website that you can consult on the internet. Doing an online review of the different car rental companies that exist near the destination you have chosen to visit will be very useful. In this way you will have the opportunity to know the fleet of cars that each company has, the prices of each car, what offers are valid in the period you have planned to travel. Likewise, you will be able to know the prices of the extra charges and other services offered by the company, in addition to knowing which are mandatory and which are optional. Keep in mind that mandatory charges will top up the amount of your rent.
Companies often offer deals with the lowest prices on certain cars. These offers can be given for various reasons: cars whose rental was canceled at the last minute, cars that are rarely rented by customers, offers that are made with the purpose of attracting customers either because of the low rents of the company or because of its internal marketing strategy or to strengthen the competition, etc. These offers are undoubtedly the best opportunity to find surprising prices.
Generally, most car rental companies offer a daily rate and a weekly rate for the same car. The intervals may vary, however, as a general rule, the longer the rental period, the lower the rate to apply. For example: A car with a rate of 10 usd per day and 60 per week would cost 10 usd less after 7 days than if the daily rate were applied.
It is common for many companies to put the base price of a car in their ads, to get the customer’s attention, however, once you go to the rental form, one is surprised to see other associated charges for insurance concepts, accessories , etc. In the case of Mexico, for example, Liability Insurance is mandatory by law, so the price of the car rental must necessarily include the price of that insurance. However, many companies do not initially show that insurance included in the price to give the customer the false perception that the price is even lower.
There are several credit cards that include the benefit of covering some of the insurance related to the rental of a car. Among the companies that offer it are Visa, Mastercard and American Express, however, you should verify with your credit card provider if yours in particular includes this benefit and in which countries it is valid. In this way you can save the cost associated with these services as part of your car rental.
It may happen that when renting a car through a company’s website you arrive at a final price, however, when establishing the contract directly at the company’s offices, you will be surprised with extra charges for services or obligations of the that you hadn’t been warned in advance. To avoid that, in addition to reviewing the reviews of other users on social networks and travel forums, read carefully the
information about the service on the company page. It is recommended that you communicate directly with the company by phone or via email to better inform yourself before making the reservation.
On the same page of the company that you are reviewing, you will certainly find reviews from users who have already been clients. This is a valuable source of information as it will give you an idea of the quality of the service, the reliability of the company, etc. Of course, not all reviews are to be trusted. Be wary of page reviews that do not come from platforms outside the page, that is, if the reviews you see on the page are from profiles on platforms such as twitter, Facebook, goole, etc., they are less likely to be implanted by the page itself. company staff.
Sites such as tripadvisor, lonelyplanet, etc. are a good source to further corroborate your idea of the company once you have visited their page. The reviews in these profiles are a seal of trust since they are very popular platforms and widely used by travelers.
Check the final summary of your reservation and verify that everything is in order
At the end of the reservation through the website of the company you have chosen, review the reservation summary well and verify that everything is in order. Make sure that the prices associated with the car, as well as the insurance and accessories you have chosen are correct. Check that there are no extra charges for other concepts of which you have not been notified in advance. Check the summary on the website with the voucher that you have received by email and make a printed copy of it to present it at the company offices when you go to pick up your car.
Don’t get pigeonholed with a company just because you’ve used it before. Although trust and confidence are factors of consideration, it does not mean that it is the best option. Surely there are other companies that you do not know that are also very safe and serious and that offer much better prices. Small companies, which have to push harder to keep up with the competition with large corporations, generally offer better prices. Explore the competition well before deciding on one company or another. Never make the decision lightly or on the first impression.
Renting a car at the airport is the obvious solution for those who do not have much time to plan their trip. Although it is common, it is not the best option to rent a cheap car. The offices that have lockers at the airport have to pay a tax for this privilege, a percentage of this tax is charged to the total amount of the clients’ rent, which is why renting a car at the airport, despite being practical and comfortable will undoubtedly be more expensive than renting the same car directly at the company’s offices or if the rent is made through the company’s website.
Each country and each city has its own characteristics and its own rules that directly or indirectly determine the best and cheapest way to rent a car. For example, many countries establish Liability Insurance as mandatory, this is the case of Mexico and Panama. The low or high season of tourism also varies for each country, which impacts the price of car rentals. That is why this group of basic rules apply to almost all countries, but it is important that you investigate the aspects such as: characteristics, rules, climate, norms, etc. of the country of destination of your trip for a cheaper car rental.