The Best Car Rental Booking Sites in the U.S. and Europe
- AutoRentals.com.
- Rentalcars.com.
- Hotwire.
- Priceline.
- Expedia.
- Low-cost car rental booking sites Alamo, Payless, and Thrifty.
- Sixt Car Rentals.
- AARP's discount with Avis, Budget, and Payless.
When it comes to renting a car, having a credit card makes life a lot easier, but not having one doesn't rule you out of the car rental game. Some companies do accept debit cards, so it's not always absolutely necessary to have a credit card in order to get your hands on a rental car.
Again, booking at least two weeks in advance will give you the best options. If you don't have the luxury of booking weeks in advance, don't worry. Make sure you get to the car rental agency early in the day. If you arrive before noon, there's a good chance you'll get a wider selection of vehicles at a better price.
Here are the best car rental companies:
- Best overall car rental company: Enterprise.
- Best car rental company customer satisfaction: Hertz.
- Best car rental company website and app: National Car Rental.
- Best car rental company for cheap quotes: Alamo Rent-A-Car.
- Best peer-to-peer car rental: Turo.
You might not need to buy extra car insurance from the rental car company. That's because the coverage on your personal auto policy may extend to a rental car. If you have that on your personal policy, it may help pay to repair the rental car if it's damaged in a collision.
Check rates often in the weeks prior to your departure. As the rental date gets closer, car rental rates will either go up – or go down. Especially if you are traveling off season or to a lesser traveled destination. They would rather rent you a car for less than have that car sitting on their lot.
In general, a car rental that might cost $30-80 per day might be a lot cheaper to rent by the week.) Depending on the length of time rented, daily rates ranged from $41 to $75. In fact the weekly rate yielded a daily rate 45.6% cheaper than the normal daily rate (sans weekly pricing).
Enterprise Rent A Car appears to be the low cost provider – $20 “cheaper” per day, but when you look at the total cost of the solution and value of it, it's actually more expensive, an inconvenience, and provides less value than Hertz!
2. Look for membership discounts
| Membership | Car Rental Company | Discount |
|---|
| AAA | Hertz | $20 off weekly rates (ends 12/31/19) |
| AAA | Hertz | $50 off monthly rates (ends 12/31/19) |
| AARP | Avis, Budget, & Payless | 30% on base rates at Avis and Budget Rent A Car, 5% on rentals from Payless Car Rental |
| BJs | Hertz | Up to 25% off base rates with CDP# 32796 |
Ends 01/31/2021. Subscribe to Hertz Free-To-Go Pass and start saving over $100 every time you rent from no young renter fee, free extra driver, free home delivery, 10% guaranteed discount, plus $250 bonus and double rewards points. Visit website for more details.
When's the best time to book your rental car? Booking three to six months before you travel is usually ideal. Prices tend to be most competitive during this period. There isn't much benefit to booking further ahead.
AAA Rental Car Deals Near YouAAA Members save up to 20% off base rates at the airport and at a Hertz Local Edition® location near you, when you include your designated AAA discount code (CDP#) in your reservation. Your CDP has been added; please continue with your reservation details.
Here are 8 valuable things to know about how to rent a car.
- Use a credit card when picking up the car.
- Kids cost more to drive rental cars.
- Keep drivers to a minimum.
- Shop around for car insurance.
- Try not to rent a car at the airport.
- Stay on paved roads.
- Fill up the tank before returning the car.
If you're a Sam's Club member, you can enjoy discounts with three rental car companies: Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty. Nor does Sam's Club have deals with National, Payless, Fox, Sixt or Advantage.
Enterprise AAA discounts and Alamo AAA discounts are no longer offered - search to compare Enterprise rates with AAA car rental discounts.
Renters without a ticketed return travel itinerary will need to provide a credit card with sufficient funds to cover the cost of the rental plus $200.
If your estimated cost of renting the car is $100 for two days, the rental company may block your card for $300 or more. If you only have $300 of available credit, you can't use the card until the car is returned or you use another method to pay the bill.
If you pay with a credit or debit card, Avis will place of $200 plus the estimated rental charges. These funds will not be available to you during the rental period. Upon returning the vehicle, Avis will return any unused portion of the hold. This can take up to two weeks to be posted to your account by your bank.
Budget will place a hold on your debit or credit card at the time of rental to cover estimated charges plus 25% or $200, whichever is greater. Be aware that a debit card hold limits the amount of funds available in the account associated with your card.
Link a backup funding source to your Business MasterCard. Keep a low balance (about $1) in your PayPal account when you travel. Read the payment policies for rental car companies and choose one that will allow you to rent without a credit card. Swipe your PayPal Business MasterCard for the rental car deposit.
Enterprise: credit check required to rent with a debit card. A deposit is also required, but the amount varies by location. Hertz: credit check, two forms of identification, and a deposit of up to $200 required to rent a car with a debit card.
Hertz. Hertz allows you to rent a car with your debit card if it's saved to your profile. The rental location may also run a credit check. At airport locations, you'll also need to provide two forms of valid ID and proof of return travel.
Bad credit or no credit customers constitute a greater risk for the rental agency. In order to offset that risk, the customer will be under greater scrutiny. Your options will be limited, but you can still rent a car. You won't have access to luxury or premium vehicle.
NOTE: For customers who pick up rental vehicles at airport locations and who are not able to produce a return airline ticket, Alamo will hold an additional $200 on your credit card. So that means your credit card would be charged 120 percent of the rental charge plus $200.
So, when wondering if is it Cheaper to Rent A Car at the Airport or Online Ahead of Time… well, the answer is to rent a car online ahead of time. Definitely!
Enterprise coupons are always available for at least 10% off rental fees. There are also coupons for free rental upgrades, weekend discounts and more! Furthermore, it's worth it to sign up for the Enterprise Plus Rewards Program where you can earn up to 20% off rentals depending on how many vehicles you rent per year!
Look at sites like Kayak, Priceline and Cheapcarrental.com to compare your options and narrow in on the best deal. Then go directly to the car rental company's site. You might find an even steeper discount that way, particularly with “Pay Now” options.
Does Enterprise offer discounts for businesses? Yes, if you sign up for the Business Car Rental Program, you'll receive access to discounted rates, exclusive car options and a free membership to the Emerald Club.
Although I always recommend shopping around for deals, we've found that because of the added Costco membership benefit, Costco's rates typically end up being cheaper than booking directly through the car rental company.
Even if rental rates are as high as $50 per day, five days in a traditional car rental would save you $100 over Zipcar. At less than $10 an hour (and without the hassle of dealing with gas), Zipcar's a better choice for a quick outing—and even compares favorably to Uber and Lyft.
The essential items you will need to bring to an Enterprise Rent-A-Car branch when hiring a vehicle are a valid drivers licence, valid ID, and a credit or debit card. You will also need to prove you are over 25 years of age, and there may be additional documentation required for international drivers.
Enterprise does not offer a discount for AAA membership, but continues to offer competitive rates.
