Secrets For Finding Cheap Car Hire

August 31st, 2010 | admin | Travel, Vacation

How do you get a good deal on car hire? What most people don’t know is that the supply and demand of car hire fluctuates wildly. Therefore, car hire companies bend over backwards to keep coming back. If you keep some of these things in buy pharmacy without a prescription cialis usa mind you can negotiate a good deal on your next car hire.

1. Loyalty Programmes

Check the car hire site for a free loyalty or membership programme aimed at those who hire frequently. Even if you don’t use their services often, this gives you a bargaining chip when negotiating rates. Also, if cialis online you are a member of an airline’s frequent traveler programme, they may have a partnership with certain car hire companies to provide bargains to their members.

2. Rent a Car During High Demand Periods

One secret car hire companies don’t want you to know is that they would rather hire a car at a reduced rate than not hiring a car at all. If they don’t have the car you requested, they will put you in a larger vehicle at the same cost. Because the stock of cars decreases during holidays and Friday nights, you can often get free upgrades if you rent at the last moment before a major holiday period or on the weekends.

3. Ask About Grievance Pricing for Family Emergencies

Car hire agencies realise that with an emergency, one usually must travel on short notice and will try to help out. If you’re hiring a car to travel to a family emergency, such as a funeral or visiting a relative in hospital, many companies will give you a grievance discount. This is not a price that is advertised, but you can often save 10-20% by talking to the manager and asking for it.

4. Ask about Specials

If it’s not being hired, you can get a deal. If the weather is bad, you can get convertible cars at a discounted rate. Sports car hire is cheaper when petrol prices are high.

5. Go at peak rental times

At peak rental times, the sales clerks will want to get through the queue as quickly as possible. This shortage of time can actually work in your favour, as they would rather approve last minute price negotiations quickly than haggle.

6. Help the company move their cars

If everyone is making one-way rentals to one destination, that place will have an overabundance of cars while their other outlets will be lacking in vehicles. You can often find specials to drive these cars from popular destinations to the empty outlets. Nearly every summer in the US, for example, Florida and California have too many cars, so by choosing to fly to one of those states and drive to another, you can get a great deal.