If you are heading to London for your holiday or any part of the UK for your next jaunt, then saving money is always a great talking point, especially when you have been saving hard for your trip. We’ve listed 7 useful tips that will help you save lots of dough when hiring cars.
Top Tip 1: look for coupons online – Before you leave, check out discount coupons or promotional offers online, for the rental car companies at your destination. You can easily save 50% or more on the cost of car rental fees, just by using coupons.
Top Tip 2: book the car for longer than you really need – This lets you take advantage of the lower rates for longer bookings, even though you return the car a few days early. Of course, this strategy only works if the car hire agency doesn’t have an early return penalty.
Top Tip 3: don’t forget to negotiate – If you land at London airport without previously booking a rental car it always pays to negotiate. You might be lucky, because if there is a glut of cars standing idle in the airport lot, then the rental company is more likely to lower their price just to move the cars.
Top Tip 4: check out any discounts for paying before you leave home – Some rental companies will give you a substantial discount if you book and pay for your car hire before you arrive in the country. So check online, and you could make some significant savings.
Top Tip 5: join an airline loyalty program – Many airlines have partnered with car rental companies, giving you not only discounts on rental fees, but also earning you extra reward points.
Top Tip 6: use your credit card to pay for car rentals: Most of us know that credit cards also provide insurance when you pay for the car hire using their credit card, but they can also offer discounts on the actual car hire as well. To investigate the benefits of using your credit card to pay for the costs of renting a car and save even more money.
Top Tip 7: find out about road toll fees – The UK has lots of toll roads without toll booths, so check with the rental agency about paying for these fees as you travel around the country. You can pay tolls online within 3 days, but be very careful, because if you don’t pay these tolls on time, you can be up for a hefty penalty.
With all of these tips, you are sure to save some serious money on car rental. As a final tip, however, check out the UK car rental comparison site DriveNow and make even more fabulous savings.