Great Ways to Save on the Prices of Airport Car Rentals

What do travel industry businesses do to compensate for an economic slowdown? Hotels try to keep rooms full by announcing promotions and low prices, airlines cut down on fares (and get all sneaky with their add-on fees), and car-rental companies slash prices. Well, that last bit about car-rental companies would fit right in there if it weren't for one little inconvenient truth - America's car-rental companies responded to the slowdown by doubling their prices (renting a compact car at any airport around the country now will cost you twice what it used to two years ago). What that means is that you’ll need a few inspired ideas to get good prices on airport car rentals these days.

Have you ever taken the time to look at the morass of fees and charges on the bill they hand you for airport car rentals? Buried somewhere in there are fees, taxes and charges to do with the convenience they provide you  giving you a car right in the airport. There is one simple way to relieve yourself of all those charges that they throw at you (that could in fact add up to 12%). All you need to do is step off the airport premises. Car companies like Enterprise help you do this by picking you up anywhere you want in the city to take you to your rental car. Of course, with most car-rental companies, getting to the off-airport lot can be a lot of trouble. You might even have to take a taxi or something that could wipe out your savings. And city car rentals usually close by early evening. But it could work out sometimes.

If you happen to travel to one of the several dozen cities around the country that Zipcar operates in, you could be in luck. You could get one of several desirable cars for no more than six dollars an hour. It works out great for those who need to rent by the hour and not by the day. And gas and insurance happen to be included in the price too. If you happen to visit a Zipcar city often, this could really work out well for you.

RentaWreck happens to be a great service for people who need airport car rentals. While their lots happen to not directly serve airports, they are usually very near them. Now the name, it might occur to you, doesn't exactly inspire confidence. The name though is just a bit of a joke. They happen to be the country's biggest renter of well-used cars – ones with at least 50,000 miles on them. But they happen to be reliable cars and you get them for a mere $25 a day. Even in places where major airport car rentals would set you back by about $100. You do need to work with them when they ask you to return the car to the same location though. But there are those prices.