Reader Mary wrote, “I see lots of info on your blog on airfare and hotels but haven’t seen anything really about car rentals.” Good point, Mary! Car rentals are a little different than hotels/flights, but there are some basic things to keep in mind…
- Join the loyalty program before you pick up your car (ex: Avis Preferred). Yeah, you can earn some points, but skipping lines after a long flight is a better benefit.
- Claim any car rental status you are owed from credit cards. Through my American Express Platinum card, I got National Executive status.
- Take advantage of status matching. When I received my National Executive status, I emailed Hertz and was instantly bumped up to Five Star membership there.
- Miles/Points – In November, I rented a Cadillac in Maui using a bunch of Hertz points I’d saved up. Besides using hard-to-earn and weird-to-redeem car rental points, there are more “traditional” mile/point options available. You can rent cars using your American Airlines miles, British Airways miles, Citi Thank You points, and Ultimate Rewards points (among others).
- CarRentalSavers – Pretty solid source for rental coupons.
- FatWallet, SlickDeals, & Flyertalk – There are so many sources for coupons and codes, including these.
- Costco Travel – I’ve used it many times. Very simple. Always good for solid deals if you’re a Costco member. Occasionally, you will find spectacular prices.
- Autoslash – I’ve stopped using it, but I know a few are still loyal for some strange reason.
- Priceline – My most common two ways to rent cars are by using codes and by placing Priceline bids. Just remember, if you decide to bid on Priceline, review all fees so you can set your price nice and low. You can find some bid history at BetterBidding.com.
