Archive for the ‘Car Rental’ Category

Comparing Car Rental Prices Online - What You Need to Know

Sunday, April 12th, 2009
car rental
Searching for car rental online has never been easier with the help of the internet. You can easily search and compare prices from various car rental suppliers, often on the same website.

 

Car rental rates often vary considerably depending on what is included in the rate. Look out for those too-good-to-be-true prices - they probably are. You may think you have found a bargain, but it will be a different story when you go to pick up the rental car, only to be told you have to pay for lots of additional charges.

 

So when you are comparing car rental costs online, ensure you are comparing like with like. There are various extra charges which can push up the price of your rental car, so make sure you look out for them. Often if you add these on to that oh-so-low rate, it doesn’t look so appealing anymore.

 

What is Included

 

Most car rental websites will list the inclusions with the rental. These will vary depending on suppliers but generally standard rates include basic insurance and tax.

 

What is Extra

 

Again this will vary but look out for the following:

 

Airport Fees

 

Also known as a Premium Location Fee, you will be charged extra to pick up a rental car at an airport location. This charge varies depending on supplier and location, but in the UK for example could cost as much as 13% of the rental value.

 

Vehicle Licensing Fee

 

This is a Government imposed levy for rental cars to partially recover the registration costs. Approximate cost in the UK: GBP1.22 per day, which over a long period can add up.

 

Additional Driver Fees

 

If you want to have more than one driver for your rental car, this is often an extra charge. Daily charges range from GBP4-20 in the UK, EUR4-8 in Italy and from USD3-10 in the States.

 

Young Driver Surcharge

 

This is often charged if the driver of the rental car is under the age of 25. In Australia, this ranges from AUD13-22 per day. In France, the Young Driver Surcharge varies from EUR20-35 per day, GBP10-25 in the UK and USD5-45 in the USA.

 

Excess Reduction

 

Each rental car often comes with an Insurance Excess which is the amount you would be responsible for if the rental vehicle is damaged. This can often be a few thousand dollars but can be reduced with an optional excess reduction charge which can be paid daily to reduce your excess to a few hundred dollars or even to zero.

 

Additional Equipment

 

Things like child seats, ski racks and snow chains are often available at an extra charge.

 

One Way Rentals

 

If you want to drop off your rental car in a different city from where you picked it up, there may be a one way fee. Again, this varies depending on the supplier and destination. Ensure you ask before you pay!

 

All these extras can add up. Sometimes a standard rate may be right for you but if you are picking up at the airport and want an extra driver, for example, it may make sense for you to go with an inclusive rate.

 

Read the Small Print

 

Be sure to read inclusions carefully to see what the rental rate covers and which one is right for you. Look for possible restrictions and additional costs and find out what exactly they are before you pay. If you find a low car rental rate, make sure that the additional costs do not outweigh the savings.

 

At DriveAway Holidays, each car choice will show clearly if it is a Standard or Inclusive rate and will give you a list of what is and what is not included.

 

People often talk about the “hidden costs” of car rental, but the reality is, they are not hidden at all - you just need to know what to look for.

 

 



By: Car Guru

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2008 Car Rental Buyers Mostly are Signing

Monday, March 30th, 2009
car rental
According to a recently released Frequent Renter Car Rental Contact Info, Owners of gas guzzlers sup.1 including sports cars and many 4×4s will have to pay a pounds sterling 25. Turn heads as you cruise in an exotic vehicle rental. Purchase airline tickets online, find vacation packages, and make hotel and.

Budget’s official site for low rates & specials. deal from all the top car rental companies, all you have to do. The new facility has the capacity to accommodate up to ten rental car agencies. excellent service and innovative products to enhance your car rental experience. Your ford rental car is just around the corner. Additionally, some companies set a minimum age for the vehicle driver, which in some cases is as high as 25, even in countries where the minimum legal age to hold a is much lower. Search for cheap car rentals and discount car hire at. Rental car deals, discounts, bargains and more are updated daily. the car rental counters have moved into our new consolidated car rental atrium. Services in the Central and South America, Caribbean, Mexico, Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand. The gateway to New England, conveniently located just three miles from the heart of the City of Boston, serves 26 million 8 rental car companies operate.

One way car rental FIND A RENTAL LOCATION. Tennessee Car and Van Rental takes pride in being a service-oriented car, truck and SUV rental company. in mind that rental car rates vary depending Need a rental car. Travelocity car rentals are a great way to find cheap car rental deals online. Alamo Rent A Car National Car Rental Car Rentals. Privacy Policy 2005 Vanguard Car Rental USA Inc. Alamo Rent A Car is nearing its one millionth kiosk rental. Book Special Rental Car Discounts, Coupons and Free Upgrades from Top Rental Car Companies at Denver Intl Airport (DEN) (Denver, CO). Find local businesses and services by name and location. Travelers, Professionals, Students Underage Ok- All Inclusive Rates.

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Search by price, car type, best deal, city and more. Stay a step ahead with the tools and information you need to book the rental car you want. CarTrawler has signed a three year partnership agreement for global car rental with South. The other type of car hire company operate on a broker model and have commercial agreements with car hire companies to provide access to their fleets of cars. February 25, 2008- Feb 25, 2008 Avis Budget Avis Budget Group Promotes Kaye Ceille. rental on an intermediate (group C) through a full-size four-door. Tiger Car Rental provides low cost car hire throughout Europe and Worldwide provided only by the leading car rental companies in their particular country.

reviewed these sites and found them related to Rental Cars Offering Enterprise car rentals from economy to luxury, minivan National Car Rental. To allow for a uniform classification and easy comparison of car rental prices, the Association of Car Rental Industry Systems and Standards (ACRISS) has developed the coding system.

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By: ebet sanders

About the Author:

For more resources about Car rental or even about exotic vehicle rental, please visit our website here http://autopieceslive.com



Cyprus Car Rental and Finding the Best Cyprus Car Hire Deals

Saturday, March 28th, 2009
car rental
A Cyprus car rental makes perfect sense if you want to see more of this beautiful Mediterranean Island at your own pace. Organized Cyprus trips are all very well but if you want the freedom to please yourself Cyprus car rental is definitely the way to go. If you plan ahead and collect your car from the airport you will make an immediate saving on the cost of your transfer from there to your holiday accommodation too. Then once your holiday is over you will be ablet to drop the keys at the Cyprus car rental desk and leave the vehicle at the airport thus making a double saving on your transfer costs. If that alone doesn’t make good financial sense think of the money you will be able to save on taxi fares and coach excursions too.

It’s not just about money though because a Cyprus car rental is also the easiest way to get about on the Island. The buses only run along the main resort routes and taxis are not always that reliable at turning up when you order them either. With the use of your own vehicle for the duration of your Cyprus holiday you can go where ever you want whenever you like. There will be no need to run your holiday to someone elses’s schedule and you won’t have to stick to the well beaten track either. With a Cyprus car rental you can visit all the places that the coaches can’t reach and if you spot somewhere of interest whilst your out there’s no need to go sailing on past wondering what you may have missed.

If you are looking for a great Cyprus car rental deal the internet should be your first port of call even if it’s just to do some price comparisons. There are dozens of companies and agents competing for your Cyprus car rental businesss so it should be easy to pick up a bargain. You may want to avoid companies that don’t have a desk at the airport because these guys will collect you from the airport and take you to the hire office. This may seem like a great idea but when the time comes to return to the airport you will be relying on them to take you there. Not a problem unless you want to check in at your own leisure and hopefully before the coach loads of holiday makers turn up.

You may be better off picking the car up yourself and returning it to the airport at your convenience rather than placing your return transport needs into the hands of someone you don’t even know. Even if you make the mistake of not booking your Cyprus car rental in advance you can still drive a bargain at the airport hire desks. At least you will have a great selection of hire agents all in one place to choose from. Failing all of the above the resorts are literally bristling with small car hire agencies affiliated to the larger Cyprus car rental companies. These people work on a commission only basis so they will be keen to do you a good deal too. With so many agents in one place you get the obvious benefit of being able to compare like for like prices before you do the deal.

However you decide to organize your Cyprus car rental there can be little doubt that it’s the best way to get around even if it’s your first visit to the Island. The Cypriots drive on the left the roads are modern and the signs are in English too so you shouldn’t get lost unless you try really hard at it! After all Cyprus is an Island so you are bound to end up coming back to where you started eventually unless of course you stray into the Turkish sector. (only kidding) In fact most Cyprus car rental companies strictly forbid the use of their cars in the north due to a lack of insurance on that side of the Island. Enjoy your visit and make the most of your Cyprus car rental.



By: Kev Moore

About the Author:

Kevin Moore loves Cyprus so much that he spends half the year there (the sunny bit) writing articles and maintaining his Cyprus web sites. Learn more about Cyprus hereCyprus Car Rental



Vital Points of Car Rental Insurance in Honolulu

Thursday, March 19th, 2009
car rental
Honolulu, the capital of most population sensitive state of United States- Hawaii is great place for travelers and has many natural as well as man made wonders for a person traveling the city of ‘sheltered bay” as called in Hawaiian language. The beautiful beaches at Hawaii draw people from all around the world.

If you have decided to travel through city of Honolulu in a rented car and even selected the car rental agency after qualifying for all basic requirements for hiring a car set by them, can now go on to any place of your choice to travel Honolulu.

But among all the requirements for renting a car in Honolulu, the one important that should be on high on your priority list is car rental insurance. The car rental insurance helps you many ways; it is provided in many forms when renting a car. It can either is provided by car rental agency or you can use your own insurance while you are through on the tour of Honolulu on a rented car.

It keeps you away from unnecessarily paying the repair bills of the car if it is damaged during journey. So you need to be extra careful and should look into all the aspects of the insurance while negotiating with a renter for insurance rates. You can start from properly evaluating between your own auto insurance and car Rental Company’s insurance. In personal auto insurance an insurance policy covers damage for a car driven by a person, whether it is a rented car and premium for auto insurance happens to be higher than the insurance company’s car rental.

Therefore, it is advisable for you to select insurance provided by car Rental Company when going for car rental in Honolulu. Moreover, in yours auto insurance you need to pay a deductible amount before getting any approval from the insurance company.

There are many options as provided in the car rental company’s insurance in forms of coverage and waivers which saves you from the burden of paying for damaged rented vehicle.

Whereas in rental Car Company’s insurance there a variety of insurance and waivers let you to be relived of the responsibility of paying for damaged rented vehicle. The choice whether to accept or decline the terms and conditions of coverage at a rental counter some times can put you in trouble some position as you know least about norms and practices as applied and followed in Car Rental Insurance.

Normally, there four types of coverage are offered by a car rental agency- CDW (Collision Damage Waiver), Personal Liability Coverage, Personal Accident Insurance and Personal Effects Coverage as you should always enquire from a car renting agency for all coverage when going for a car rental.



By: Mansi Gupta

About the Author:

Mansi Gupta Highly Recommends that you visit www.carrentalhonolulu.net for more information on car rental honolulu.



Car Rental a Comfortable Mode of Transport to Visit Italy

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
car rental
 

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Italy situated on the Italian Peninsula and Islands of Sicily and Sardinia in the Mediterranean Sea harbored many ancient cultures like Etruscans and the Romans. The modern education system and Renaissance also began from here and soon spread to entire Europe. Rome, the capital of Italy was center of activities for western civilization for many decades. Presently, Italy is a developed country placing on the 8th place in terms of standard of living in the world is wonderful place for traveling and sightseeing.



 

While visiting Italy as for land transport you can start selecting car rental in Italy of your choice from a number of car renting agencies that provide their services on very affordable and competitive rates. But million dollar question is that where you would search for a car on affordable rates and price with appropriate type of insurance adeptly fitting to your requirement. Some wise decisions and smarter thinking helps you to choose right type of car renting agency.

 

You can start search for selecting an appropriate type of car renting agency from big car rental agencies that have better advantage over smaller companies. A big agency provides a wide variety of car classes and models and has offices and picking facilities at the airport. The other advantage of big car renting agency is that they offer more discounts and have partnership with other travel related companies and are more flexible in terms of locations as it help when you wish to change car at many locations.

 

After selecting car rental agency of your choice, you can go for discounts and promotional offers as offered by car renting agency. You can have approval for any of the offer scheme at car renting agency. In case you are falling under category of senior citizen, military personnel or any such category you can avail discount from a car renting agency. In order to obtain a discount you should have a discount code as to make sure when you are getting to have a discount.

 

Other important issue while renting a car on rent in Italy is insurance required during renting a car. You can avoid car rental insurance from agency, if your personal car insurance covers rental cars too. Also check out the possibility of having a car rental on any of your credit cards. But before signing the car rental insurance paper verify the cost for insurance from the market as different agencies offer different rates. And most important insurance, taxes and fees are normally not covered into the quoted rates.

 

As for searching the rates for car rental in Italy, there are a number of travel websites which offers excellent rates for car renting. At a website you can have an easy availability of car rental rates and models for a specific period you wish to hire a car on rent. There are many individual car rental websites that provide special rate for clients that buy directly from them. The other convenient and cheaper mode for car rental is special vacation packages that include air, hotel and car rental. These packages are comparatively cheaper than buying each of the services separately. Thus following the given instruction you can make journey of Italy enjoyable hiring car renal services.



By: Mansi Gupta

About the Author:

Mansi Gupta Highly Recommends that you visit www.carrentalitaly.org for more information on car rental italy.



Confessions of a Car Rental Marketer

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
car rental
I get paid to sell self-drive holidays to Australians, to encourage them to take to the open roads and explore new territory behind the wheel of a rental car. I have a confession to make. I can’t actually drive.

 

Now I haven’t deliberately kept this from my employer, it wasn’t mentioned in my interview nor was it in my job description alongside having excellent communication skills, the ability to work as part of a team or to meet deadlines in a fast paced working environment. It was neither an essential nor desirable attribute.

 

I have never lied about it, but I do avoid voluntarily giving out this information about myself. I’m almost 25 for goodness sake! Kids I used to babysit have got in the driver’s seat before me. I guess I just haven’t got around to it in 7 years. I’m used to the convenience of city living and not needing to be able to drive.

 

So while I am cruising comfortably on my P plates in my car rental marketing career, I have yet to get my Learners licence to drive. The irony of the situation was pointed out to me at a recent industry function when I was talking to a marketing guru from an airline. He asked me what kind of car I drove and I said quietly that, actually, I can’t drive. “What!” he exclaimed “You work for a car rental company and you can’t drive?!” True. But, I said to him, you work for an airline, can you fly a plane?

 

You see, what I try to market or sell is not driving. We don’t sell the idea of jumping into a rental car, the exhilaration of putting the key in the ignition, turning on the engine and…well, whatever it is that comes next.

 

No, we try to sell the idea of freedom, the thought of having independence and flexibility on holidays, exploring new places, making memories and having a good time. We try to inspire people to visit places off the beaten track and discover new things.

 

So does it actually matter that I can’t drive? Do you think dog food marketers have actually tasted what they’re selling? Exactly.

 

I have travelled around the world and I have been in cars lots of times, often simultaneously, so I know the feeling of having the wind in your hair, good music in your ears and a smile on your face. I know the excitement of visiting new and foreign lands and the joy of travelling around, not being in a cramped Greyhound bus or overcrowded non-air conditioned train.

 

I have just been in the passenger’s seat, not the driver’s, that’s all.

 

Having said all that, I know that I need to learn to drive. Will I finally take the plunge and learn? Yes, most definitely, in part to aid my copywriting, to gain independence and well, to see what all the fuss about.

 

Yes, there’s all that and also that promise that my partner made about getting a shiny new Yaris when I do finally get my license. Now that is an incentive to learn.



By: Car Guru

About the Author:

Brona writes for DriveAway Holidays and DriveAway Holidays Blog http://driveaway2008.blogspot.com



Car Rentals and Unlimited Free Mileage, Its Evolution

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009
car rental
From the beginning of time car rentals were only available on a per day, per week, per mile basis. You rented a car and paid for the time used and the miles driven. However it was only a question of time and circumstances before car rentals would be offered with free mileage.

In 1967 my partner and I took over a bankrupt car rental company and had three rental stations, Miami, 5th Street on South Beach and the third in Ft. Lauderdale. At the time Yellow Rent A Car, owned by Yellow Cab of Miami, with rental stations in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale was offering a sub-compact car with unlimited free mileage at $45 a week. They were the first and only car rental company with free mileage but with a one week minimum rental requirement.

I can not tell you what year they first offered free mileage but I can guess why. They were only in South Florida, they were only dealing with the leisure market and Disney World 200 miles north was not open. Renters did not use a lot of miles. The competitive rate for a sub-compact car back in the 1960s was $5 per day, $25 per week [5 times the daily rental] and 5 cents per mile. With a one week minimum rental at $25 and with their weekly rate of $45 they would have the difference, or $20, to cover the cost of the miles. At 5 cents a mile the client could use up to 400 miles for the week and the rental would be a wash. I found out later that this was a winner for Yellow Rent A Car.

To my knowledge Yellow Rent A Car was the granddaddy of free mileage. Their caveat was a one week minimum. My partner and I, owners of Capital Rent A Car took it one step further. We were the first to offer unlimited free mileage one day or more. One week minimum rental did not apply. It couldn’t get any better than that and I will tell you how it evolved.

Our business was generated by advertising in local tourist magazines. We also paid a commission for referrals from hotel and motel owners, hotel doorman and cab drivers. We were just like the other 20 to 30 local car rental companies that we competed with. We needed an edge and the idea of some sort of free mileage program intrigued both of us.

Our business was with tourists and their average rental was 6 or 7 days. Looking at our completed rental agreements the average amount of miles driven in a week was about 250. If we offered a daily rate with some free miles would that fly? We thought so and we could have offered 50 free miles and that would have covered the average renter’s mileage needs. But the rate that we eventually settled on permitted us to offer more miles. More than what the average renter would use and would be perceived as a genuine bargain. The original free mileage offer included in the daily rate was 75 miles.

We were phasing out our Volkswagens, a sub-compact car, with a rate of $4 per day, 4 cents per mile. Our compact car, a Dodge Dart which would become our lead car, had a rate of $6 per day, $30 per week and 6 cents per mile. We arrived at a daily rate of $8.50 which included 75 free miles. Typically the weekly rate was 5 times the daily rate and in this example 5 times $6 the daily rate equaled $30 plus of course the mileage. With the free miles we decided that we would not offer a weekly rate. The renter paid by the day regardless if the rental was one day, 7 days or whatever.

Our business took off and why wouldn’t it. We were advertising in the local tourist magazines “free mileage.” At $8.50 per day it was a bargain and I can only guess the thoughts that our callers had. The extra $2.50 per day over the $6 per day rental charge was a bargain. They got 75 free miles so they wouldn’t have to worry about a mileage charge. Or possibly they thought $8.50 a day is cheaper than $49 a week, the recently increased rate from Yellow. Within 6 months we realized that no one drove anywhere near the break even mileage figure. So we did the next best thing. We offered unlimited free mileage. The year was 1969.

Soon thereafter we became aware of CATM. CATM is an acronym for Consolidated Air Tour Manual. A publication put together by the airlines serving Florida. It was a compilation of rates from hotels, car rental companies, attractions and other tourist support companies including tour operators. Tour operators offered “packages” which included air fare, hotel and other services such as car rentals. The theory was that if a client purchased each component of the package separately the cost would exceed the operator’s package price. By being in CATM airlines and travel agents could reserve our cars directly or through tour operators.

So we are in CATM and find ourselves competing with the big boys, Hertz, Avis and National. Not so big at the time but impressive, were Budget, Olins, maybe American International and Dollar A Day which became Dollar Rent A Car. Our $8.50 a day and a weekly rate of $59 a week [we rounded the rate out] stood by itself. Not one other car rental company offered free mileage and used the per day, per week, per mile rate schedule. Two or three years later Avis was the next car rental company to offer unlimited free mileage but with a three day minimum.

We first published in CATM in 1970 and I mention this because I previously stated that we, Capital Rent A Car, was the first to offer unlimited free mileage one day or more. To substantiate this claim I must mention that in 1942 I was in my seventh grade Shop class and the teacher claimed that he invented the airplane before the Wright brothers. I am not kidding you and maybe he did. But if he did he didn’t tell anyone so Wilbur and Orville got the credit.

Maybe we weren’t the first with unlimited free miles and maybe someone in Okemos. MI or Rockford, IL did. But if they did they didn’t tell anyone. We did by being in a national publication, CATM. So we are going to take the credit for being the first. The next time you rent a car and don’t pay for mileage you can thank us.

For those out there who wish to contest our claim please contact me at my email address below.



By: Hal Jacobs

About the Author:



Get an Affordable Car Rental Service at British Columbia

Saturday, February 28th, 2009
car rental
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Victoria BC, the capital of British Columbia located on the southern side of Vancouver Islands in Canada is an inner harbor area. The place is great for fun, frolic and adventure activities equally suiting to families, day trippers, couples, singles, boaters, honeymooners or seniors looking for winter long stay in mild climate of Victoria BC. It is visited by 3.65 million visitors per year.

If you are one of the those 3.65 million tourist visiting Victoria, British Columbia you can have a fantastic car to travel with your loved and Dearest ones. As in Victoria you can have fantastic car from a good number of car renting agencies for a luxury riding. Here you can have car on rent for any of your travel need, whether, it is business purpose or for traveling need.

The car rental companies in Victoria not only provides you with an easy car rental services but also presents you with an appropriate rental contract and clauses for buying car insurance and you would found them always at your service absolutely for 24 hours.

You can also have emergency services from your car rental agencies in case you meet an accident on your way as they are prompt to provide you services in very quick succession. At car renting agencies in British Colombia you can have exotic range of luxury as well as prestige cars. You can hire Lamborghini, Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes, Range Rover, Bentely and many other branded models.

Luxury car is fine proportion when you have good amount of money however for a business trip or a budgeted plan there is no other better alternative than Economy car. Economy car rental are great on business trips not only saves valuable money for you but also saves you from the discomfort of public transport system.

You can seek the service from any of the care rental agency companies operating in Victoria, BC provided you are so sure of the economic factor of car rental deal that you are signing up with an agency.

The big car rental agencies are good alternative for this purpose as in order to maximize their profits at their shop they can easily bargain with you for comparatively good rate for car hire. There you can also negotiate for discounted rates for a certain period of the year or for limited period of time. Choice of weekend package instead of 3day visit on an official day is a wise decision to bargain for cheaper car rental in Victoria.

And just don’t go for simply a single car renting agency instead compare prices between different shops as this way sometimes you can save up to 30- 50 percent money on car rental. For buying insurance from the auto insurance company you can go for rental company insurance in case your auto insurance company or credit car company does not cover all options by the car renting agencies. If you have paid heed to the instructions as discussed above your travel trip to Victoria BC would definitely be going to be full of great fun and leisure.



By: Mansi Gupta

About the Author:

Mansi Gupta Highly Recommends that you visit www.carrentalvictoriabc.com for more information on car rental victoria bc.



Avoid a Car Rental Nightmare

Friday, February 27th, 2009
car rental
It won’t take much effort to find car rental disaster stories. Just a few online searches and you will see them. In fact, research will show that some rental companies have a worse reputation than others. Online searches will bring up stories of people charged for insurance they didn’t want or charged for damage they didn’t cause, of cars not be serviced when they are due and even a bumper falling a car as it was being driven down the road.

While it is impossible to avoid a bad experience completely, taking a few precautions will keep the chance of having your very own car rental horror story to a minimum.

First Objective: Successfully book your car hire

This should be easy, but instead for many it is a confusing search of prices, car types and fine print. These steps should help ease the confusion.

Book well in advance

Make sure to book well in advance, car rental prices tend to go up the closer you get to the pick up date, not down. Prices work on a simple supply and demand system; they go up as availability goes down. If you are travelling to Europe and require an automatic car you will need to book months in advance in order to secure one, especially in Italy where they are particularly rare. If you are travelling during the holidays, Christmas and Easter in particular, making a reservation around three months ahead is ideal. This way you will have the best chance of getting a car at a normal price. After this point the prices just start to go up. Most car rental companies sell out for the holidays, resulting in many travellers panicking in the last couple of weeks before a major holiday as they struggle to secure a car. Those that are lucky enough to find a car will be forced to pay very high prices, three or four times a normal rate. Don’t be one of these people. The summer is also another peak period to prepare for. Many locations have low or no availability during the summer so if you are booking last minute you may have trouble finding a good price and the car type you want.

Make a car rental reservation

To get started make a list of the basics: where and when you want to pick up the car and where and when you want to bring it back, what size car you need and do you want an automatic or manual gear box. These details are especially important if you are contacting various rental companies by email to get quotes. Make sure you provide them to avoid unnecessary emailing. Also do a little research on the various rental companies and avoid the worst offenders even if they are offering the cheapest price. No rental company is perfect so you will just have to narrow down your options.

Next you will want to research prices. When you do this make sure you are taking the full offer into account. Do the rates offered include taxes, location fees, mandatory insurances, break down cover and unlimited mileage? You will discover that most of the rates offered for car rentals in Europe are inclusive of all mandatory charges. But make sure you know this for certain, because if they are not included in the rate offered and they will be added when you pick up your car, making for an unpleasant surprise. If you are unsure about anything email the rental company, sometimes this is better than the telephone as you will get a response in writing. Which might solve any problems that may occur down the line. The rental company will have a hard time arguing written correspondence but they could deny any thing they said on the phone.

Once you are satisfied with a price make your reservation. If you book online you should get a confirmation voucher within a certain time period, this can range from instantly to a couple of days. If you do not receive your confirmation voucher within a couple of days don’t hesitate to email the rental company. Maybe there is some kind of problem confirming your reservation or your voucher was sent but it was blocked by your email spam guard and it is necessary to find another way of getting your booking information to you.

Second Objective: Pick up your car without a hitch

It is important to have your wits about you on arrival at the rental desk, you may be tired and have the urge to breeze through the paper work, grab your keys and go. But it is best to resist this urge at all costs, you won’t regret it. When you speak to the rental desk clerk you will be asked if you want any optional insurances, such as a Super Damage Waiver. The SDW reduces your liability to zero or an amount much less than you would be charged in the event of damage to the car. To take this extra insurance is a personal choice, however it is not usually mandatory and it is one of the major ways car rental companies make money. If you are only renting for a couple of days then the expense of this insurance may make it worth getting for your own peace of mind, but for longer rentals think carefully. The cost of the SDW may end up being close to the excess liability amount so do really get much benefit from it.

Read your contract carefully

The most important thing you need to do at the rental desk is to read your rental contract and receipt very carefully, this is where many people get stung. What happens is that extra insurances get charged to your credit card even if you specifically say you do not want them. This seems to be a common “mistake” made by rental clerks. Make sure you are also clear about the fuel policy, most rental companies require you to bring the car back with a full tank or else they charge you an inflated rate for fuel. Before you sign anything ensure that every charge and policy you are unsure of is explained to you. Don’t be afraid to ask about everything, it is your wallet that ends up worse off if there are errors. Once the rental company has your signature there is little you can do to get refunded for any charges you were unaware of.

Third Objective: Drive away and enjoy your trip

Once you find your car in the parking lot it is very important to give it a good going over. If you see any dents, dirt or scratches make sure that the rental company takes note of them before you drive away. Otherwise you could be blamed and end up being charged the full excess amount, which is usually in the hundreds of dollars. If you want to be really cautious check the oil and make sure that it is not due to be changed.

Fourth Objective: Return the Car

In most cases you will need to return you car rental with a full tank of fuel. There is usually a gas(petrol) station near to the car rental drop off location. It is best to use the closest possible option and to fill the car as much as possible so it cannot be claimed that the tank isn’t quite a full. Return the car keys and agree any extra charges with the rental company.

Quick Summary

-Plan what you need

-Do some research

-Make sure you understand the rate and terms

-Book well in advance

-Check your contract and receipt carefully before you sign

-Check you car carefully for any damage before you drive away

-Return the car with a full tank (make sure you are clear on this policy at the rental desk)



By: Siobhan Griffin

About the Author:

For more great travel tips, reviews and hotels head to this Hotels and Travel Guides



Steps to Buy Car Rental Insurance in Houston

Friday, February 27th, 2009
car rental
 

Houston, the fourth largest city of the United States has broad industrial base in the energy, manufacturing, aeronautics and technology. It is also famous as leading center for constructing oilfield equipments. It has also many centers of tourist attractions as well and it is the car rental that promises a comfortable journey of Houston.

 

Now you have finally booked car rental for your pre-planned journey of city of Houston and are in final phase of signing out the contract papers with car rental agency. But before stepping into the car and driving it out towards your designated place in Houston, it is the very necessary on your part to know whether you are through all the necessary steps and with complete papers for hiring a car. So you need to be aware of certain points before signing the car rental agreement.

 

The first and the most foremost point while singing out the car rental agreement may be asked by counter clerk at the car renting agency will be regarding your intention of buying insurance policy from car rental agency. Do not promptly jump to buy car rental agencies insurance cover, instead, look whether you may not have full coverage for car rental from your current insurance company. Check out also from your credit card company, whether it provides insurance policy for rented cars paid through its credit card. In case, you are person devoid of car insurance policy as above said methods, you can go for insurance cover from the renting agency.

 

And when on driving, do the task carefully, otherwise in case of an accident you would not have only to pay for damaged car but also for extra number of days the car is idle and under repair as car rental company doesn’t earn money for lost days. The damage should not occur to the car during accident as you can be charged for slightest scratch. To avoid any complication, it is very necessary on your part to inspect the car very carefully before driving it away from the car rental shop.

 

There is something what you are not wary of as regarding the car rental but suddenly face it is the final bill with additional fees and charges and there are taxes that you cannot escape anyway, so it is best to preplan things, especially, budgeting for car rental. Be precautionary, even for gas rates too. Some car renting companies charge flat rate for gas and ask their renters to return it near to empty, but some others may ask you to return it full, in this case you should get it filled from the gas station not in rental shop campus to avoid exorbitant price. In both cases, if you are driver below 25 years old or you arrange for an alternate driver you would have to pay an extra fees. Do also enquire about late fee too.



By: Mansi Gupta

About the Author:

Mansi Gupta Highly Recommends that you visit www.rent-in-houston.com for more information on Rent In Houston.