Budget Auto Rental Tips

Car Rental with Alamo

Temmuz 7th, 2008

Alamo is a professional big car rental company. On this review, we are going to check out their web site in a customer’s view.

New Features of Alamo: 

• New customer kiosk cuts check-in times in half.

• Get triple NWA WorldPerks, an upgrade and up to 15% off when you reserve a compact through mid-size car.

• GPS units available now.

Their Favorite Feature:

While almost all car rental services offer promotions or discounts, none of them but Alamo reward you for paying in advance. If you pre-pay for your car rental, Alamo will give you a 10-percent discount on top of any other discounts you may be receiving.

Experiencing Their Website:

The Alamo website is a colorful, no-nonsense Internet resource. The first thing you notice when landing on the homepage is the abundance of deals and special Alamo offers. Unlike some of the other car rental companies that hide their discounts within the pages of their site,  Alamo puts everything out in the open for everyone to see.

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Finding Cheap Hotel Room

Temmuz 6th, 2008

There are many and many options and web sites when you look for hotel room to book which all claim that they are the cheapest and best one. So, is there a way to determine a truly cheap hotel?

Below is a quick list:

*  Try to find out the “rack” rate. Hotel rooms aren’t cheap, especially when you pay the rack (full) rate. Knowing it will give you a baseline price–and you should never pay more (unless buying a package).

*  Check to see if there are any special Internet offers or other promotions offered on the Official Hotel Web site.

*  You may want to call the specific hotel’s phone number. Rates quoted at individual properties are sometimes lower than the parent company’s 800 number or even what you see online. And always, always, always ask for the “lowest rate available.”

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Hidden Car Hire Costs

Temmuz 4th, 2008

Renting a car is sometimes dangerous if you are not careful enough. For example car hire companies abroad will try to flog you all sorts of unnecessary extras when you arrive at the airport, and it’s easy to be caught out - particularly if you’re jet-lagged or have fractious children in tow.

The hidden costs starts with the car itself.  Some companies will try to persuade you to upgrade or fob you off with one you did not order. When you book online you will usually have to choose the size of car, but holidaymakers can be told the car may not be big enough and they will be advised to get a bigger model at extra cost. If you don’t get what you paid for then the car hire firm is breaching the contract. You are entitled to claim back any extra costs of getting what you were initially promised.

Most rentals include some level of insurance - usually called a ‘collision damage waiver’ - but will carry an excess that you must pay yourself if you make a claim.

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Car renting for quirky deals and special offers

Haziran 4th, 2008

A recent research on Hertz.com showed a three-day rental of a mid-sized car from Denver International would cost $236 USD, nearly $79/day. If four more days are added, the total cost goes up, but only to $361. That’s less than $52/day.

How is that really possible?

On day five, Hertz’s weekly rate took effect. Many times, reserving a car for a week (even if it sits in a driveway or parking lot) is cheaper than trying to get a daily rate on a shorter rental.

For that reason, it pays to try a number of time combinations when you consider your rental period. It might be smarter to pick up the car on Thursday, even if you don’t really need it until Friday. The Friday rental might come with a weekend rate that is more expensive.

There are occasions when a car rental bid on Priceline will save you money, but unlike hotels, there are frequent instances where the bid prices are very similar (maybe even higher) than the standard rates listed on company Web sites. It’s worth checking Priceline, but don’t expect it to save you significant money on every rental of course.

Speaking of company Web sites, some of the best rental rates originate in special offers pages. Here are some “deal” pages worth checking:

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Travel for your Budget with Cheap Car Rental

Haziran 4th, 2008

If you are to About Budget Travel, chances are good that you shop for the best deals you can find prior to each journey. You use the Internet to find good airfares and you seek out the best room rates for each night of your trip.

Do you give car rentals the same attention? Probobly not.

Many travelers operate under the misconception that car rental rates are all about the same, and that shopping is a waste of time. But rates do vary -sometimes by quite a value -between companies and destinations.

Another fact: car rental companies reward people who make life easy for them and penalize those who don’t know the ropes. Here are five points, in no particular order, for lowering your car rental expenses.

Beware hidden fees and extras

If the rental company has to top-off the gas tank after your return, you will pay a ridiculous price per gallon. Always ask that the car be filled up prior to your departure, and then bring it back full of gas.

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Top Car Rental Tips

Haziran 3rd, 2008

Renting cars mainly for the purpose of vacation is left in the past. These days, things have changed. The car rental industry has grown by leaps and bounds; the most current estimates available (for 2004) put annual car rental revenue at a whopping $17.6 billion, which is definitely an industry. Airport rentals have historically been the main revenue driver, but that segment has remained virtually flat over the past decade and a half; the industry’s growth is due almost entirely to the explosion of the ‘home-city’ rental market — renting from a neighborhood location — which has snowballed from $2.5 billion in 1991 to today’s $9.5 billion. Auto Rental News, the industry’s leading trade publication, estimates that for the first time in the history of the industry, home-city rental captured the lion’s share of the market in 2004, with 54 percent of total revenue.

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Travel Secrets To Save Money

Haziran 3rd, 2008

Travelers are usually penny-pinchers. Even if you are not, you definitely want to spend as few as possible during your trip. What really surprising is that the best customers for travel agents are usually the most educated ones

In fact, the travel industry is full of secrets. Spending some time for analysis and figuring out them can help you save a lot of money on your next trip. Below are some tips: 

1. Plan As Early As Possible.

 Most agencies, hotels and airlines keep the prices low when there is plenty of time. So, planning your summer vacation during winter is not a bad idea.

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