Planning on hitting the road with a car rental? Here are a few car rental saving tips that could really come in handy.

Join the Rewards Program

Most car rentals have loyalty reward programs for their customers. Joining is easy and in most cases free. Some of the perks that come with these programs are:

• Free upgrades or rentals
• Vehicle availability guarantee
• Skipping lines

If you frequently use car rentals, it is worth signing up for these programs.

Ask If They Offer Discounts

The first thing you should ask at a car rental is: “Do you have any discounts?” Whether corporate, AAA, senior, Military or otherwise, a lot of these associations qualify for price breaks from the car rental businesses. All you need to do is ask.

Consider the Prepay Option

A lot of car rental businesses offer their customers different rates: one is for those who wish to pay as soon as they pick up the vehicle and the other one is for those who choose to pay in advance.

Prepaying is usually a better option. You can be able to save up to 20% as compared to upfront payments. Usually, the savings increase when you rent a better car.

Find Coupons

Coupons will most definitely help you save big. Sometimes, if you are lucky enough to get the right code, it is possible to save up to 50%. If you don’t feel like sleuthing for deals and codes, you can check out the rental car coupons.

Compare Prices

There are numerous deal aggregators online that will help you compare the prices of different car rentals at the same time. Before booking a vehicle, make sure you get the best available deal by making use of such tools.

Rent a Car Outside Airports

Renting inside airports is easy and convenient. However, you will pay 10-30% more for their convenient services. Part of what constitutes this fee is the concession fee charged for having a car rental space at the airport. It will, therefore, be worth using public transport or a taxi into town to get a car rental.

Understand the Fine Print for Fee and Tax Information

Most people overlook the asterisk that goes along with some information. For instance, a car rental may claim that you will pay $15 a day for car hire. Although this price tag might be quite alluring, you may end up realizing that there are hidden fees and taxes in your total.

Just because a car rental has advertised that you will pay the said amount doesn’t necessarily mean that’s all you will be spending. Find out from the rental site if that’s all you will be paying or if they are any hidden charges and taxes.

Reserve Your Car Rental for Extra Hours

You can even extend the return date by a day. Did you know that you can get prorated refunds for early returns? This is especially a great idea if you aren’t sure of the traffic situation on the day of returning the car.