Renting a car for business or pleasure travel can be expensive, but there are discounts available to make it easier on your pocketbook. Finding discounts isn't that difficult, particularly if you want to book online--but it can be time-consuming, especially if you like to comparison shop. The savings can be substantial, so it does pay to shop around for the best deal.

Car Rental Websites

Once your travel plans are firmed up, it's time to do some bargain hunting on the internet. A good place to start is with the rental companies' websites themselves to see what discounts they're offering. Most offer discounts for weekend rentals; these discounts can be as high as 50 percent. Other companies offer discounts for rentals in specific locations, such as Florida or Hawaii. Additionally, some companies such as Alamo, offer a discount if you prepay for the car when you book it or rent for longer periods of time, say a week or more. Budget offers their frequent renters a discount. When you're on the companies' websites, look for pages that say "hot deals," "specials" or similar wording Rental rates vary among companies so it pays to compare prices for the same type car for the same dates and pick-up/drop-off locations. For example, a two-day rental of a Chevrolet Aveo may cost $47.78 at Alamo and $67.01 at Avis. This is before any discounts are applied but before any taxes and fees are factored in.

Group Affiliations

Check to see if membership in organizations will get you a discount. An American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) membership can get you a discount of up to 25 percent with most major rental companies. (See Reference 1) The American Automobile Association (AAA) and Hertz have a discount arrangement. (See Reference 2) If you own a business, you may qualify for a corporate discount. If you're an employee traveling for pleasure, you may qualify for your company's corporate rate, but check with your firm's travel department first to see if it's OK for you to use this discount. It may not want you to charge the rental to the company even though you would reimburse it later.

Online Travel Agencies

Online travel agencies such as Expedia or Travelocity offer package deals if you book your airfare, hotel and rental car at the same time. Additionally, you can usually find good deals by booking through hotwire.com or by naming your own price at priceline.com. However, you may not get the exact model car you want, but you won't find this out until after you've paid.

Source:

AARP

AAA

More Information:

Alamo Car Rental Discounts