Beat Car Rental Prices: A Step By Step Guide.

There are several steps to renting a car. Rental companies require a credit card, along with a reservation and confirmation. It is possible to save money by doing the legwork yourself. If you use your computer, you can rent a car online and get the online car rental reservation rate. It is also very low-risk.

Rental companies all want you to believe that the price for car X is always Y, and that the amount is carved in stone. But the reality is that car rental rates are always fluctuating, even within the same company. Watch the rates rise and lower, and in time you'll be able to identify good deals when you see them. This article outlines a technique that is legal and simple to get the best value possible for your dollar. Read on and learn how to save your hard-earned money on rentals!

1. If you are planning to travel, it is best to make a reservation prior to doing so. You'll want to find the best deal possible, and make sure that there are no penalties for cancellations. The majority of car rental agencies don't incur cancellation fees, unless it is peak season or the reservation is for a specialty car. You can skip this step if the booking is being made on a last-minute basis.

2. Put on your most comfortable shoes for walking and bring your laptop!

3. When you arrive at the rental car agency, take out your computer and go to Hotwire, Priceline, or another discount website. Most of these sites won't let you make car rental reservations within two hours before your pickup time, so be ready for a delay at the last minute. Bring a book! At the website, pick a reservation for the amount of time you want. Choose the class of car just below the one you want.

4. Unlike Priceline, Hotwire will give you a total amount for the best deal they can offer. Use this number as your starting point in your quest. At this point, the hotwire price may be higher than your car rental reservation price. If it is, take the reservation.

5. Take your car rental reservation price, your discount site estimate, and shop around. Walk from agency to agency and negotiate. Smile, be polite, and be cunning, whatever it takes to get a price lower than what you have. You see, the more people who walk up to a car rental agency in the airport, the better location that agency gets. They have a reason to give you a good price as a walk up. They want your traffic. They want you to come back.

6. Keep going until you've visited with them every car rental agency. Let them know about the discounts the other companies have offered you. Let Avis Car Rental know that Budget offered you $10 off. They may offer you a lower price. Don't forget, they want you as a customer. Make them compete to be your rental car company of choice.

7. Researching rental companies will not cost you anything but time and may save you a lot of money. Your original offer may turn out to be the best one, but be prepared to call and cancel your reservation if a better deal is found. "Prepared" is the key word!

8. As a final attempt to sweeten your deal, tell the agent that you'll only accept the deal if they upgrade you to the next class of rental car for the same price. This is actually the easiest thing for the car rental agent to do. It's usually the agent's decision. Obviously, however, this won't work if they are sold out.

This is an easy way to get the best deal for a rental car. Don't give up and take whatever you find first. Plan this technique into your schedule and you will save! Don't let the car rental agencies push you around!

Car Rental requires several steps. A credit card is required, as well as a reservation and confirmation. By doing the legwork yourself, using a computer and having a little patience, it is quite possible to save money over the online car rental reservations rate. Surprisingly, it is also a low risk venture.

Richard Edmunds worked as a manager of a big name Car Rental Agency for the past 20 years before retiring. He now spends his time writing his car rental guide for you about such topics as Car Rental Discount Codes and How to Negotiate the Best Car Rental Deal

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