Saturday, September 8, 2007

Cheap Car Rental

In today’s world of competitive marketing and cutthroat competition, a customer can’t really predict whether the deal he/she is closing will benefit her or not, most of the time most, consumers, just go on with the deal just to avoid all the hassle of inquiring for more economic alternatives, or discounts. This also applies to car rentals, nowadays, it’s hard to call anything a cheap car rental, with the inflation rate of products, continuing gas price increase it’s hard to keep product prices down, so here are a few tips to keep your car rentals cheap, even if every other factor is making it expensive.

1.Reserve your cheap car rental internet sites instead of over the counter ones. Internet sites, offer internet only discounts which could very beneficial for you, cheap car rentals can be achieved by being witty, put discounts like these to your advantage and you’re sure to save a lot.

2.One way to get cheap car rentals is to try to get the most out of your rental. Most car rentals require you to fill the tank when you return it, so on your way to returning the rented car, fill it up with the cheapest type of gas you could find, you’ll save more than when they make you pay for the gas at an inflated rate.

3.If you can, always rent at only one Car Company, companies give you cheap car rentals for frequently renting their cars, discounts, coupons and sometimes even miles.

4.Ask the car rentals if you can exchange your flyers miles for car rental miles. This is especially useful when your flyer’s miles is about to expire, instead of just letting it go to waste, get a cheap car rental for it.

5.For a cheap car rental, try to make reservations as early as possible, car rental; companies give discounts for customers who reserve early.

6.To get your rental cheaper, pick up your car early in the morning, just as the shop is opening, so that there will be a shortage on the cheap car rentals, at this point, the renters may give you a free or a marked down upgrade.

7.Look for packages like hotels and rental packages or if you want a cheaper car rental find a package that includes air fare, car rental and hotel stay, these packages give you great discounts on all three, so if you’re planning to do all, I suggest you get a package deal to get the most out of your money.

8.To get a cheap car rental at your own, price, find rent-at-your-own-price internet sites that look for the best possible deal with the budget that you’ve given them, but be careful with this, review the company’s history first before you get into it, or make sure that there are no other cheaper means before you close the deal, remember, once you make a reservation, you can’t cancel it.

9.If you’re going to use the car for more than five days try to find weekly rates from car rentals, with weekly rates, the sixth and seventh day are almost always discounted, so look for this when you’re out for a cheap car rental.

10.Instead of picking up your rental at the airport, save money by picking it up at the shop, this’ll reduce airport surcharges.

Friday, September 7, 2007

How to get a car rental?

There’s more to renting the car than just reserving it and paying for it, to make sure that you get the best deal follow these steps and tips.

STEPS:

1.Choose three to four car rental firms that fit your wants and needs, do this either through the phonebook, or through the internet, remember to scan every possible firm before you make a choice, you don’t want to overlook the best car rental because you got bored from looking

2.Contact the agency and ask about their special offers, location, availability, pickup sites, rates, special rates, hotel and airline partnerships, extra charges, insurance, everything you can think of that can help lower what you have to pay for your car rental, or what would make the car rental more convenient for you.

3.Choose a pickup point; find one that is near you so it won’t be a hassle, some car rental companies pay for the cab ride you have to take, some pick you up at your home or at the airport to take you to your rental.

4.Pick a car, depending on your needs, find a car that could fit all the people you’ll have in it, and if you’re alone just use a compact, some rentals charge higher for larger vehicles.

5.The next thing to do, after you’ve totally decided on which to take, remember to reserve it, some car rentals include the reservation fee on the overall rent, some make it out to be an extra fee, you should also look out for this when get a car rental.

TIPS

For the best deals for your money here are some tips when looking, finding and taking out a car rental.

1.When getting a car rental check for available upgrades at no charge, you’d want the best deal so you’d want the best car, to do this, you should go pickup your car early in the morning, when the other cars haven’t been returned yet, this way there would be a shortage on economy cars and the firm might just give you an upgrade for a lower price.

2.Get an internet car rental. These types of rentals offer internet only discounts, and sometimes even accepts find a car at your own price methods where you just give them your budget and they’ll find the best deal for you, plus you wont have to go anywhere to get a rental.

3.Fill the gas tank before you return your car, car rentals will charge you, at an inflated price, the cost of the gas needed to fill the tank.

4.Look for packages like fly-drive-stay or fly-drive, these will get you great discounts on rentals, and what’s more you won’t have to worry about other details like a hotel or an airline, everything’s there. You can find these packages on must travel agencies.

5.If your frequent flyer discount or free flight is about to expire, there are some car rental companies that offer to exchange these discounts to discounts on your car rental, although its more cost effective to just fly with your frequent flyer discount, if its going to expire anyway, why wait?

These are just a few of the things you’ll need to know, but always remember to be pesky, ask questions, ask for discounts, the only reason why people don’t get better value for the things they buy is because they’re too shy to ask.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Challenges of Car Rental in Germany

In spite of not being the common favorite among tourists, Germany, a country that is totally rich with culture and heritage has somewhat been able to generate a good following still. Still trying to forget about their gloomy past, Germany hasn’t quite been able to detach itself from the awful Holocaust era during World War I. Still, as being one of the most progressive countries in the world, Germany has somewhat been able to pick itself up from the ashes of its dark and awful past to show the world that they’re not a conceited and arrogant nation after all.

With the well-balanced mix of modernity and lush country sides, touring around Germany is sure to be a wonderful adventure that you’re sure to remember – if only you have a car to use for your sightseeing. Car rental Germany isn’t really that hard to book, well, just to be safe, a good piece of advice is to book you car rental Germany, way before you even set foot in the country.

As industrialized and urban as they may be, unfortunately, Germans aren’t really that fluent in conversing in English so it’s highly likely for you to not be able to be able to communicate well with them. It’s best that you find a good, reputable and affordable car rental for Germany while you’re still planning your trip, this way, you can spare your self the hassle of ending up with a vehicle that you’re not comfortable in, much worse, nothing at all. While planning out the places you want and most likely will visit during your stay in Germany, map out the distances from each of your chosen places, try to assess if it’s really more practical to avail of car rental Germany or if it’s still best (and cheaper) to just take the mass transportation vehicles.

Also, how long are you actually going to stay in Germany? Would your expenses actually allow you to still avail of car rental Germany? Also, another very important point to remember is, driving in Germany – as well as in other European countries, requires you to drive on the right side of the road. A lot of people have actually had some difficulty with regards to this so you might as well take note of this before actually booking for your self a car rental for Germany. If this proves to be a hassle for you, ask your vacation companions if they’re comfortable driving on the right side of the road, anyone who’s more than willing to act as your designated driver will solve your problem easily.

However, if you’re traveling alone or your companions can’t drive on the right side of the road, worse, if they can’t drive at all but you’re sure that car rental Germany is what will make your stay in Germany worthwhile, prepare your wallet for booking your self a professional driver. Ask the car rental Germany agency to book you with someone who speaks good English, doesn’t need to be superb nor remarkably fluent but someone who can at least understand what you’re saying and vice-versa.

There’s nothing worse than being stuck in a foreign country with a hired driver who you can’t communicate with, aside from being a total waste of money, you’re bound to leave Germany with a big headache. Don’t be daunted by this “little obstacles”, just plan ahead and you’re sure to be able to enjoy your vacation in Germany completely with no hassles plus you’ll be somewhat of an expert when it comes to car rental Germany.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Sunny California Car Rental

California has been able to generate quite a number of tourists year after year, with its sunny skies, favorable weather and nice beaches, a lot of people have really been flocking to this golden paradise to enjoy and live their life to the fullest. Unlike other states, like New York for example, wherein it’s pretty to get around Manhattan even without the aid of a car, California however, with its wide and long streets, actually requires you to rent a car for your own vacation pleasure, independence and best of all, convenience. Here are some quick tips and reminders when it comes to California car rental.

For first time California tourists, its best if you have a friend or relative who can actually show you around the place but if not, a reputable California car rental service is what’ll help you make your vacation be an unforgettable one. Arm your self with the proper materials and information when it comes to choosing which California car rental that you wish to avail the services of.

To help get your self started onwards your quest to finding the perfect California car rental agency that’ll best suit your needs, wants and most importantly, budget, it’s best to consult your travel agent on which California car rental agency that he/she would actually recommend to you. The number of available California car rental agencies may tend to overwhelm you at the start, making you unsure whether or not you’re getting the services of a reputable agency. Well do try to heed my advice and ask around, it really won’t hurt you if you do. Apart from knowing what California car rental agencies are actually out there, you even get broaden your knowledge about travel prerequisites such as this one.

Try to map out the places, beaches, amusement parks or wherever it is that you want to go to, way before you actually embark on your trip. It really is much wiser if you plan things carefully and thoroughly way ahead of schedule because this way you get to free yourself from possible headaches and hassles that can be usually caused by not planning ahead. Try to see if the services of a California car rental is really what you need, if it’s actually a cheaper way for you to get around the city as compared to taking mass transport. Evidently, opting to take the California care rental will make your vacation a lot convenient, think about it thoroughly and assess what actually are your priorities when it comes to taking this trip.

There is really a lot that you can do to make your vacations worthwhile and fun, just always remember to plan, plan, plan ahead. Weigh out all the options that you can find and try to be practical in picking out the best possible one. California car rental, to be honest isn’t really that bad, you’re bound to get a good deal somewhere, somehow. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look and having the patience to canvass and compare prices for California car rental services. In addition to asking your local travel agent on which California car rental agency that he/she would like to recommend, you can also try asking for you relatives’ and friends’ advice. Ask them if they’ve actually availed the services of a car rental agency, more so, a California car rental agency, ask them how it went and which particular California car rental service agency would they recommend to you. Lastly, go to your ever-reliable PC and look-up California car rental in the internet. You’re bound to get a long, long list of service companies who are more than willing to give you a good and fair deal.

Monday, September 3, 2007

Getting Thrifty Car Rentals

When planning to travel to other countries or even just to a different state, car rental has always been a must especially for traveling business men who need to go to one place to another. However, is spite of whatever “status” they may have, business men as well as ordinary travelers still opt to find and avail of the most thrifty car rentals that they could find. Thrifty car rentals usually abound, whether it be on directories, the internet or wherever it is that you can find service advertisements. It really just a matter of choosing the best thrifty car rental for you and your needs.

Convenience is always a must whenever a person travels, this is pretty much while a lot of people opt to avail of thrifty car rentals, aside from having the convenience of being able to go whichever place they want without the hassle of hopping from one kind of mass transportation to another, they still get good value for their money.

A good example of a reputable thrifty car rental service company in the country is the Alamo car rental company. A lot of people actually recommend availing its thrifty car rental service, because of aside from being practical, they provide good and efficient service to their customers. From providing their customers with a wide range of vehicles to choose from, cars, RVs, basically just whatever type of vehicle that you may need for you travels. They also have various travel programs that you can choose from, this thrifty car rental has actually created various customer programs to suit each and every one’s needs and demands. From corporate programs to government contractor programs, thrifty car rentals surely is their line of expertise.

Another good reason for choosing the Alamo car rental service as your thrifty car rental option, is their strict adherence to quality of service, they’ve really made a name fro themselves by making sure that their customers needs are always kept and they’ve made it a point to keep their good customer feedback by assuring their customers (as well as those who are just browsing) that they provide quality, yet thrifty car rentals.

Thrifty car rentals should never really be a hassle to your traveling needs (or demands), it is pretty easy to land on a huge list of companies that are able to provide quality yet thrifty car rentals. Just be sure to keep a keen eye on the companies that you are choosing from, unfortunately, is spite of a lot of thrifty car rentals who really do try to make an honest living by providing good, quality service to its customers, some sleazy thrifty car rentals still circulate in the market. Be sure to be cautious still when choosing, some may offer really low rates but their cars may be not of real good quality, simply put, the reason why they’re offering thrifty car rentals may be because of their defective cars.

Look out for "signs" when you’re choosing. Ask around, from your family, friends, colleagues and especially your travel agent in which of these thrifty car rentals would they actually recommend. Weigh out your options based on your needs, wants and most importantly, you budget. Of course, having a limited budget shouldn’t really just force you to end up settling with just any thrifty car rental service, shelling out a little more may not really hurt you. In the end, when it comes to looking for thrifty car rentals, it really is more of the quality of service that they provide which should matter to you.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

Tips on how to get the most off a budget car rental

Budget car rentals are a traveler’s savior from being stranded in one place and from expensive taxi rides. But with today’s competitive market, I won’t be surprised that from trying to rent a car you end up renting a lawnmower instead. Well maybe not a lawnmower, but sometimes, well most of the time, the people that assist you in car rentals just doesn’t have your best interest in mind, so you end up paying a truckload of money for a pool of frustrations. To avoid this here are a few tips to get the budget, out of budget car rental.

1. If you’re not choosy with a budget car rental, try to get a budget car rental through sites that let you rent cars at your own price. These firms will try to get the best deal for the car that you’ll get and might just toss in unlimited mileage and upgrades, all of that without spending an extra dime out of budget.

2. Look for package deals, fly-drive-stay, or fly- drive, most of these packages give great discounts for rentals, but don’t do it with an airline, airlines although convenient aren’t really the more economic way to go, their budget car rental prices are hardly budget, and tend to be higher than those of outside firms.

3. Use the internet to reserve a rental car. Ah, the internet, what other good can it provide? Yes there are budget car rentals on the internet that can give you a better bargain. Some budget car rental sites even go as far as internet only discounts. Aside from that you can easily get upgrades and depending on the season, at least one rental company is bound to have a special offer that can help you save money, plus, you can rent a car in the comfort of your own home, beat that!

4. Ask for discounts that can be applicable to you, remember even when you’ve scored the best deal, there is still that one last ditch of a possibility that one of your credit cards support the company and provide discounts or that your frequent flyer program or military service can put that budget in budget car rental, its along shot but its worth a try.

5. Most budget car rentals are low on maintenance so when you rent a car, check all sides for damage, and I mean every side and every nook and cranny of that car, make sure to inform the renter of these so that you wont have to pay for damages once you return the car. In addition, try to check out all the accessories, wipers, radio, brakes, seatbelts etc, to familiarize yourself with them, and also to check if they work, like the previous tip, you might be charged for this if you don’t inform them.

6. Now we pass the subject of insurance, sometimes your own car insurance covers car rentals, so have a look see before you buy insurance from the rental firm. Budget car rental insurance doesn’t cost much, but if you already have one why buy another? Car rental insurance is always required when you rent a car.

7. Another money saving tip is to pick up your car early in the morning, make it so that the firm is just opening, this is because at this time most of the budget car rentals haven’t been returned yet, and you may get an upgrade for a lower price.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

National Car Rental, Quality Through the Years

The National Car Rental is one of the oldest and the pioneer in the car rental business. In 56 years of business, the National Car Rental has pioneered amongst its most famous, the one way rental feature, for those people who’d want to rent a car in one town and leave it in another, which makes it more convenient for the renter.

National Car rental was also the first car rental company to computerize its reservation operations. With the introduction of “Telemax” computers to their system, reservation process ahs improved moving to a faster and more hassle free renting.

And since the airline industry deregulation in 1976, causing increase in airline travel costs, national car rental gave flat rates for car renters, who chose renting cars rather than flying.

National car rentals is also one of the earliest companies to start corporate account business back in the 70’s. Through this program, National has focused on the corporate traveler more so than any other company. It was also the first in the rental industry to start a frequent renter program. It was also the first to use paperless car rentals and use computers to make dealings faster; they called this the “Emerald Club” and the “Paperless Express Rental Agreement”. The “Emerald Aisle” program enables customers to select the cars that they want, with paperless ease, bypassing the rental counter, and getting them on their way faster and more efficiently. The “Choice Rental Process” in addition enabled customers to choose the exact car that they want, and “QuickRent” that gives non Emerald Club members to skip the rental counter when they complete the deal online.

National car rental is now affiliated with many different companies, all to improve the customers renting experience. These companies include, Air Canada, Air Miles, Air France, Alaska Airlines, Alitalia, America West airlines, American Airlines, ATA airlines, Delta Airlines, Continental Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Iberia airlines, Midwest airlines, Lanchile, United Airlines and Northwest airlines all having frequent flyer and miles/kilometer programs that can be applied to car rentals as well, some of these airlines even consider national car rental miles, for air miles.

Other affiliates include Coast Hotels and Resorts, which give lower rates for national customers that stay in their Hotels, Hilton Family of Hotels, which let you ear 250 HHonors form their Hilton Honors Points and miles, for every rent from national car rental, as well as American Express who lets you earn points when you’ve enrolled for their program for national car rental.

Aside from all the discounts a features that you will acquire through their affiliates, National Car rentals offer a wide range of vehicles for you to choose from, the classes of cars that you could possibly rent form national cars are endless, the types of vehicles that you’ll be able to rent are classified as subcompact, compact, intermediate, full-size, premium, luxury, sports utility, Mini van and convertible.

National Car rentals also have special offers for their customers, one of which is the “Last minute specials to go” which offers different specials every week at different locations. The other special, the “Great internet rates - Book ahead special’ gives discounts fro those that reserve their cars early in the internet. The weekend value Rates – Book ahead special offers lower weekend rates. National car also offers internet only discounts also a book ahead special, which applies to mini vans and SUVs.