Renting a car often puts a huge dent in your wallet, especially when planning to use the vehicle for a couple of weeks. If you are organizing a lengthy vacation, or need some wheels for a month’s business trip, avoid booking the first rental vehicle you find. If you are looking for the cheapest way to rent a vehicle for a month, take the time to do some market research. You can then book your rental car knowing it’s the best deal possible.
Finding an inexpensive short-term car rental involves a similar search process as locating any rental vehicle. You should be checking third party rental website such as CarsPlan. Additionally, third-party travel sites are a great place to look. Negotiating in person or through calls with your rental agency can help. Most service providers nowadays carry monthly hire services. With the increasing number of agencies providing vehicle hire services, it is easy to rent a vehicle for a month for 300, if you know where to look.
Leveraging on your associations, or debit and credit card points will go a long way to help with budgeting. Renting a car is usually essential to an enjoyable vacation, and sometimes all we need is just a set of wheels.
However, paying at least $45 a day on a rental car is a little on the pricey side. The good news is you don’t have to. Following these seven tricks will help you find the cheapest vehicle to rent for a month.
Source: Technology Breaking News
Contents
7 Cheapest Ways To Rent A Car For A Month
Most of us are probably used to Budget, Enterprise, and Hertz. However, these are not the only cheap outfits out there. Advantage, Thrifty, Dollar, and Payless are also discount brands that are looking for your business. These brands often provide lower rates than the major rental agencies. Keep reading for more insights on renting the cheapest vehicle for a month.
1. Check Rental Car Agencies
Car rental agencies are currently becoming more aggressive with direct pricing offers. For that reason, you should be checking the prices at every car hire. Most of these companies are running special weekly deals, besides their long-term rental programs. Some of the best agencies to check to include:
- Enterprise
- Rent-A-Wreck
- Budget
- Hertz
- Thrifty
- Advantage
- Ace
- Alamo
- National
- Dollar
Do not forget to look into regional and local car hire companies, which might offer lower rates. In Los Angeles, for instance, there is Midway, Discovery, and Deluxe. A good rule of thumb is to search for the state or city from which you will be renting to access other independent agencies.
2. Visit Travel Sites
Using travel websites can provide the cheapest way to rent a vehicle for a month. Some of the biggest travel websites not only compare car rental rates at major rental agencies but also negotiate deals to avail lower rates. Travel sites including Expedia.com and Hotwire.com can help in your quest. Besides, Kayak.com often groups many of the travel online platforms and compares the best deals on each.
3. Become Loyal To Specific Car Hire Agencies
Offerings rewarding loyal shoppers are quickly becoming the new standard in the US consumer market. A cross-section of the major car rentals regularly, send out email advertisements to customers. These adverts are mostly for consumers who sign up for club membership. You can get new promotions by the month.
Signing up for membership usually allows you to skip the lines, as well as all the renting paperwork to sign. This is because the company considers you one of its loyal customers, and has all your credentials in their database. For that reason, some agencies provide rewards to their frequent hirers. You can save as much as 20% or at least 10% by booking online through a company, with which you’ve previously rented. Renting an automobile for a month or two can add up to an excellent lump sum change.
Source: Pinterest
4. Look for Promo Codes and Coupons
Searching online for rental promotion codes and coupons can score great discounts at car hire agencies. Entertainment guides and auto magazines often contain these coupons. Visiting the social network pages of major vehicle rental services is also a worthy move. Most of them have monthly promotions. While at that, do remember to post questions about one-month discounts.
5. Leverage on Frequent Flier Miles
Are you subscribing to flier miles? If you frequently travel for business trips and other engagements with an airline, you could be missing on the loyal customer air miles. Earning air miles with a specific airline can provide the cheapest way to rent a car for a month. Airlines these days are availing their loyal customers with air miles, which you can not only redeem for future flights but auto rentals as well. Although you might not get the miles catering to the entire reservation, racking up enough points will be a game-changer in the ultimate price.
6. Approach the Local Rental Agency Directly
Searching high and low does not always guarantee you a good deal on a month’s car rental. The cheapest way to rent a car for a month is to go directly to the service provider. Speaking to a manager or agent at the agency is an excellent place to start your quest for the cheapest car for hire. Explaining the type of vehicle, you are looking for, including the one-month time frame can get you a better deal.
Most rental companies typically have a specific amount of negotiating authority. This allows them to further, lower their prices on special rental deals. Normally, it depends on the availability of vehicles. However, adding a personal touch to your request never goes in vain. Rental locations at major airports tend to be costlier than other locations. Nevertheless, you should still check around, since the rates do vary based on every location.
Source: Rockwall Ford
7. Skip Airport Car Rentals
Renting at the airport is usually convenient when you are flying to a new destination. However, that convenience comes at a premium, due to airport fees. For instance, earlier in March, a visit to Portland, Oregon using Enterprise’s economy rental was $15 per day, with downtown picking. A similar car was more than $38 per day from the airport location. This is in addition to a customer facility fee of $6, plus a concession recovery fee of 10%.
You would save about $110 for a three-day Portland weekend visit, by simply renting the vehicle from a different location to the airport. This is not the case in all cities, though. For example, O’Hare International Airport in Chicago charges the same price as renting at an off-airport location.
For that reason, you should consider pricing out rental locations within the city and comparing with what you can find at the airport location can give the cheapest way to rent a car for a month.
The Bottom-line
Essentially, economy vehicles are the cheapest way to rent a car for a month. You can use this to your advantage and rent the smallest, which is often the most affordable automobile you can score. Previously, our research highlighted the lowest rates for rental from discount brands to be at least $5 cheaper than the most affordable premium brands, based on your city. If you are renting for at least a month, the savings will multiply over long trips. AAA memberships among other associations can offer a great money-saving tool if you are renting a car for a month on a budget.
