Saving Money on Rental Cars

If you've ever needed to rent a car, you've probably noticed that Hertz, Avis, and all of the big companies are much too expensive. The secret to renting through Hertz and Avis, and the other large rental car companies, is to get a discount. The undiscounted rates are way too high, but it seems that discounts are available to almost everyone.

When making a reservation through Hertz, you have an option to supply a CDP number, which is the code for the discount plan. You can get a discount on Hertz through dozens of organizations, and you probably already belong to more than one of them. Here's a list of common groups that qualify for discounts, along with the CDP numbers that I found on their web-sites or in magazines:

Costco: 336436
American Bar Association: 13000
AAA Southern California: 00014
AARP: 50075
Marriott Rewards Program: 154080
Southwest Airlines Rewards: 205418
American Airlines Mileage Plan: 217692
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan: 321739
American Express Open Card: 306613 (this was in a magazine ad for Amex)

If you don't belong to any of these organizations, you can join most of the rewards programs (American Airlines, Alaska, Southwest, Marriott) for free. Different organizations have different discounts, so if you belong to more than one, check them all. Also, organizations also offer additional coupon codes to save even more money, but the coupons change every few months, so check your organizations' web-site before making your reservation.

Avis has a similar discount program, but their number is called an "AWD number". They also offer coupons. Check the web-sites of the organizations listed above to find your AWD number and coupon codes, or go a google search for "Avis AWD".

To get the best rates, always rent over a weekend. Weekday rentals are the most expensive because they assume you're a business rental. In fact, it is sometimes cheaper to rent for a whole week (because you go over a weekend) than it is to rent from Monday to Thursday. That's right: If you keep the car over a weekend, it is cheaper.

Also, some of these discount codes also qualify you for free membership in their elite/gold programs, which allow you to bypass the rental counter and go straight to your car. Check out the web-sites of any organizations that you belong to for more details. Or, do a search online for "Hertz Gold Free" and you'll find a list of organizations that qualify.

Here's a site with even more information:

http://www.mousesavers.com/hertz.html

Also, when renting, it is rarely a good idea to take the rental car company's insurance. Also, many major credit cards will provide the rental insurance for free, but only if you decline the rental car company's insurance. Check with your credit card company for details before you rent.