Use Car Rental Specials to Find the Best Car Rental Deals

Car rental specials are almost constantly advertised. Before getting car rental quotes, look for rental car specials ads in magazines, newspapers and online for great car rental promo offers. For the rental companies, rental car promotions are a way to grab your attention and get you to check out their website or call their toll-free number, looking for the best car rental deals.

When available, a special is a great way to lower the cost to rent a car. Rental car promotions allow companies to get more of their cars booked in advance and allow you to save money! You can access car rental specials through car rental company websites or through booking sites, like Travelocity or Orbitz, that deal with many car rental companies.

The kinds of rental car specials that are mentioned below, work best if you're searching in advance for a car rental reservation. It's best to book at least 2 - 4 weeks in advance, if you can, but there are some tips on finding last minute car rental deals.

On the car rental company websites there are basic types of specials and car rental promo offers that are the most common.

Deals for a Percentage Off the Regular Price


These types of offers can range from 10% to 50% off rates; these deals are usually available only on weekly or weekend rates. Sometimes you might find seasonal car rental deals, like ski deals, Florida car rental specials , fall deals and partner deals for rental car discounts (10% off when you use your Visa to pay for the rental, etc There are often seasonal offers for one-way car rental specials too.

Many companies do not offer rental car specials in the New York area, Alaska or Hawaii. Check your terms and conditions for these restrictions.

Paying for the Rental in Advance

Many rental companies will offer their best car rental deals or rental car promotions, if you pay for the reservation in advance. You can usually save a certain percentage off, if you prepay. This will involve providing your credit card number at the time of booking; the full amount of the rental will be automatically charged to your credit card.

Make sure to always check the terms and conditions on a prepaid car rental, often there are restrictions on modifying or cancelling your reservation.

Free Day or Dollars Off Car Rental Promo

Many rental company websites offer Dollars off and/or Free Day car rental specials, from time to time. This type of discount car rental deal may be presented as an internet "coupon" offer. The amount of money taken off your total can range from $5 - $50 off, depending on the car rental company, the length of the rental or the price per day if it is a Free Day offer.

Keep in mind that any money off of free day, will be calculated off at the end of the rental; all taxes and surcharges will be calculated first. These rental car specials will usually be limited to certain types or sizes of vehicles.

Car Rental Specials for Certain Locations

Locations may offer rental car promotions based on a geographic area (midwest), a specific state or city, like seasonal Florida car rental specials, or the deal may be based on the type of car rental location. You may find an offer available only at the airport, or budget car rental specials only available at off-airport, or neighborhood locations.

Many companies offer specials only available to subscribers - sign up for email notifications from several companies, that way you'll keep up to date on the best car rental deals and rental car discounts that are going on or coming up.

There are also specific tips that you can follow when looking at booking certain types of rentals.

Get tips on saving money on Weekend, Weekly, Monthly & One Way Rentals

Very carefully go through all the terms and conditions before you pay for a car rental in advance, especially on a booking site. You usually have to present the same credit card at the rental counter as the one used to prepay. They may accept your debit card to prepay a reservation, but there will be a note in the terms, that the car rental company may not accept the debit card.

You may sometimes find cheaper rates with prepaid booking sites (where you pay for the rental up-front) but these usually allow no modifications or cancellations of the reservation.

If you are booking through a prepaid booking site, make sure to read the terms and conditions of their specials very carefully and keep these factors in mind when you are checking prices.

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