Amy’s Garage

When I thought I was going to have to rent-a-car to get home from my US Air fandango, I followed my own advice and negotiated a $300.00 one way rental car down to $145.00

The Advice I took?

Skip The 800 Number:

If you call an 800 number your call goes to the rental car hub. The operators are hooked into a centralized computer and just hit the buttons. But, if you call directly to the rental car counter – and there happens to be a surplus of cars on the lot then you can play “Lets Make A Deal!”

And that is exactly what I did. I got online and got the phone number for the rental car counter in the Boston’s Airport. The price for any one way rental cars is painful. I only needed the car for 4 hours worth of driving and they wanted to charge me $300.00 dollars. At this point I was desperate to get home and actually thought about spending this outrageous amount of money so I could lay my head down on my pillow.

But then I remembered the last post I did on rental cars and made a phone call and talked the lad down to $145.00. Lucky for me the flight was canceled and Tracy my Hero got me a direct flight to Burlington and I didn’t have to spend and extra $145.00 or drive 4 hours in Boston’s rush hour traffic!

Have you ever negotiated a better price for a rental car?

According to Peter Greenberg

The Contrarian Traveler:

1. Avoid the Airport: Kiss Of The Vampire aka Immortally Yours movie

If you rent a car at an airport your bill will be higher because of airport taxes. He suggests taking a shuttle into the city and rent a car there.

I just went to Enterprise.com to see if this was true.

This is what I found: If I flew in to Boston Mass. and rented an economy car for a day on Wednesday it would cost $80.95. If I took the shuttle into the city to any of the three rental agencies listed and rented an economy car it would cost $ 95.00 on this same day. oooops… his theory doesn’t work in the Bean Town. But, in Atlanta it does. $64.49 for the airport car, and only $36.14 for the city car.

Fear X movie download

2. Skip The 800 Number:

If you call an 800 number your call goes to the rental car hub. The operators are hooked into a centralized computer and just hit the buttons. But, if you call directly to the rental car counter – and there happens to be a surplus of cars on the lot then you can play “Lets Make A Deal!”

3. Bring A Digital Camera:

In reality, this should read Use Your Digital Camera / Phone. Just about everyone has the capabilities to take digital pictures. Anyways, use your camera to take pictures of any dings, dents, stains, scrapes, ect. BUT, make sure you turn on the date / time option so you have proof that the pictures were taken before you pulled out of the lot. Then if they try and charge you for repairs you can show them the picture to prove the ding, dent, stain, scrape, etc. was not on your watch!

4. Numb movie Be Fuel Savvy:

If you pay upfront for a full tank of gas, then bring it back as empty as possible. But, if you agree to fill the tank before bringing the vehicle back, don’t forget Phantasm IV: Oblivion dvdrip

• Kate & Leopold film

. The rental agency will often charge up to $8.00 per gallon. OUCH!

• Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid on dvd

5. Rent On Saturday:

If you only need a vehicle for one day/one night, then Saturday is usually the cheapest day.

I tested this at Enterprise.com too! If you rent a car in Atlanta on a Saturday at the airport the price drops to $33.00. But you could not rent a car in the city on Saturday, because the rental companies where not open on Sunday.

6. Watch For Falling Prices:

In Peter’s experience, car rental prices can rise and fall 10 to 20 times a day based on supply and demand. Even though you have a reservation you can still get the lower price. A few days before picking up the car, check the prices online. If they are lower, call the direct line to the counter you are picking up the car at and ask them to match the price online.

For more tips about rental cars from Peter Greenberg: Unlocking The Mysteries Of Renting A Car.

Do You Know Anymore Tips To Saving Money When Renting A Car?