Insurance before the counter
The collision damage waiver sold at the counter runs $15 to $30 a day and can double the cost of a cheap rental. You may already be covered twice. Your own auto policy usually extends to a rental car within the United States with the same deductibles, and many credit cards add coverage for damage to the rental if you pay with that card and decline the waiver. Call both before the trip and ask three things: whether coverage is primary or secondary, whether it includes the company's loss-of-use and administrative fees, and which vehicles and countries are excluded. If you own no car and carry no auto insurance, the card will not cover liability for injuring someone else, so buy the company's liability supplement or a non-owner policy.
Fees worth dodging
- Airport locations add concession fees and taxes that can reach 10 to 30 percent, so price a neighborhood branch a short ride away.
- Prepaid fuel charges you for a full tank however much you return, so decline it and keep the receipt from a station within ten miles of the lot.
- Toll transponder programs often bill a daily fee for every day of the rental once you use them, so bring your own transponder or pay tolls directly.
- Drivers under 25 commonly pay a surcharge of $20 to $35 a day, and an additional driver often costs $10 to $15 a day, although many companies waive it for a spouse.
- Counter upgrades and satellite navigation are pure margin, and your phone does the second job. Renting with a debit card is possible at most companies but can mean a credit check, a hold of several hundred dollars and proof of a return ticket.
Document the car
Before you leave the lot, take a slow video around the car, including the roof, the wheels, the windshield and the interior, then photograph the fuel gauge and the odometer. Have an employee note any damage on the contract. Do the same at return.
Returning it
Rentals are billed in 24-hour periods from the pickup time, and the grace period is often only 29 minutes before hourly charges or a full extra day apply. Return the car while the office is open, since you remain responsible for it until an employee checks it in, and ask for a closed receipt showing a zero balance.
Tip Most reservations can be cancelled free, so book early, check the price again a week before the trip and rebook if it has dropped.
