The rental car- depending on where you go- can be an integral part of your vacation. For example- we lived in our rental car on our recent trip to the Oregon Coast, and without it we wouldn’t have been able to see and experience nearly as much as we did.

However, most drama that we run into on our vacations is dealing with the rental car. There are so many decisions you have to make including whether or not you have insurance, which company to go with, what size car you want, whether or not you want to prepay for gas and so on. It’s just a hassle and a headache but a necessary evil.

Some things you may want to consider when choosing a company:

* Obviously rates are a huge aspect. Always compare and contrast rates by going to many different sites. If you have a preference on a rental car company or use a rewards program that it’s probably beneficial to stick with them no matter the rates because you are getting value in other places.
* Do they have a grace period? Rental car companies for the most part do not charge an hourly rate but rather charge per 24 hour use. Often things come up and you end up being late. Some grace periods range from 30 minutes to 2 hours before they charge extra (never assume on this one, make sure to ask).
* Do they have any crazy hidden fees you weren’t aware about? Last time we rented a car we were told that there were fees for bringing your car back late (understandable) and bringing your car back early (what?). So be careful because sometimes rental cars end up being more than you thought.
* If you are going to priceline.com a car (using the bid feature)- remember you only pay Priceline not the rental car company. This has caused us a few troubles because we have gotten good deals on cars but gotten confused with the pay structure and ended up paying twice. The only reason you would pay the rental car company is if you used their insurance, prepaid your gas, or used the car longer. So be careful.

After choosing the company and creating your reservations- here are some things to consider before picking up your car:

*Are you planning on using their insurance? I’m not going to lie- I really like getting full coverage on the car. It does offer a piece of mind and you can skip looking for dents before you leave and worrying about a rock chipping your windshield. But honestly most times it’s not worth it. If you have full coverage on any of your personal vehicles at home, most likely it includes coverage for a rental car. Check with your insurance company before you leave for vacation and ask about deductibles and coverage. It’s a personal decision but you can save a ton of money if your own insurance will cover it and you are willing to take that risk.
* Are you going to prepay for gas? My recommendation would be to never pre-pay for gas. In order for this to be a deal- you need to bring back your rental car completely empty. It’s a headache and can add stress to your vacation. Just take the five minutes and fill up the tank, most likely you won’t use a full tank of gas anyways. Also, try and find a gas station that is a few miles away from the rental car return. The gas station that is closest always costs a bit more.

Don’t let renting a car add more stress to your vacation. Do your research before and know what you plan on or don’t plan on adding on. If your rental car representative is confusing you in any way don’t be afraid to ask for clarification or even ask for a manager. Some of our frustrations have stemmed from being told different things by different people working for the company. And if something wasn’t right about your experience make sure you let them know and make them make it right!

What’s your rental car advice?

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Tags: rental cars, renting car

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 at 7:29 am and is filed under Travel Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.