Ten Rules For Saving Money on Car Rentals

1. Compare rates on the internet. This could vary widely depending on supply and demand so don't assume that one rental car company is more expensive than another.

2. Check for online coupons or coupon codes before reserving your car. Simply go to Google and type in words like "car rental coupon" or "car rental coupon code" and choose the best one.

3. Check for weekly rates whenever possible. They are usually much less money than a daily rate.

4. Reserve your car as soon as possible. Since most rental car companies allow you to cancel your reservation, you can always look for a better price as you get closer to your vacation. You may get lucky and be able to make a new reservation at a better price but most often the prices go up as you get closer to the date of pick up.

5. Reserve the right size car. Make sure that the car will hold all the passengers as well as all of their luggage. Too many people pick up their cars, attempt to pile in the people and the luggage and discover that the car is too small for them. The rental car company will probably charge much more for the car upgrade when you are at your destination than they would when you reserve your car.

6. Check to see if your credit card company has insurance coverage for rental cars. Know exactly what kind of coverage they offer so you can make the decision in advance if you will need the costly insurance from the car rental company. Then make sure that you pay for your rental car with that credit card so that you will be covered.

7. ALWAYS PRINT OUT A COPY OF YOUR RESERVATION AND BRING IT WITH YOU. Make sure that your printout clearly includes the dates of the reservation, the type of car, and the price. This will certainly come in handy if the rental car company says that they don't have your reservation or they have a different rate listed for you.

8. Resist the temptation to upgrade your car at the rental car counter. Customers are often told that they can upgrade their car for just a few dollars more and they will be so much more comfortable. The time to think about what kind of car you want is when you make your reservation, not when you are making a split second decision with lots of people standing behind you in line.

9. Refuse the option of "saving money on gas" by returning with an empty tank of gas. If is quite rare to predict exactly how much gas you will use up before you return your car so the odds are that you will not be able to get it down to empty.

10. Always make sure that you return your car with a full tank of gas. Fill up just before you get to the airport to avoid any gas charges from the rental car company.