How to Save Money on your Car Rental
Pay less for your rental vehicle
Follow our tips below to rent your vehicle for less without having to navigate the confusing world of online travel agencies:
Long-term discounts: ask about discounts for rentals over six days. Most car rental agencies have reduced rates for any rental of a week or longer, and even a two week rental could be reduced by 10%.
Schedule drop offs and pick ups at the office: delivery fees can be avoided by collecting or returning your rental vehicle to the same agency office. If you are flying in and out of different airports, expect a fee of around $50 for returning the vehicle to a different office to pick up. Hotels in the immediate vicinity of the international airports usually have no delivery or return fees attached.
Pre-pay: a number of car rental agencies offer the option of paying when making the reservation rather than at the counter at the end of the rental period. This pre-payment can be discounted by as much as 35%, so a saving worth having. Other benefits of pre-payment include loss during currency conversion on paying with the credit card once in Costa Rica; the credit card exchange rate for colones into your own currency is often lower than the official rate.
Visit in Low Season: come to Costa Rica in Green Season for the cheapest car rental rates available. Expect to pay less for accommodation too.
Buy full CDW coverage: while the initial investment may be more costly than purchasing the basic CDW coverage available from the car rental agency, or taking CDW through your credit card; this decision could save you a small fortune if the rental vehicle is damaged. With zero deductible on your coverage, you can enjoy complete peace of mind on your Costa Rican road trip which is priceless.
Brush up on your stick shift: some car rental agencies charge a small daily rate for an automatic vehicle which adds to our overall rental cost. Automatic vehicles may be the first to sell out from the fleet too; leaving drivers unable to drive with manual transmission having to rent a more expensive car category.
Fill up the gas tank: stop by the gas station on you way to return your rental vehicle to save money. Your contract requires that the vehicle is returned with the gas level it left with, and if it is not, the car rental agency will charge more than the gas station rate to refill. The car rental agency has to take into account the time taken sending an employee to fill your tank and that the vehicle is unavailable, and this is added onto your fuel charge.
Follow one of all of our tips to see substantial savings on your car rental and start your vacation with a smile!
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