10 Key Tips and Tricks when Renting a Car

10 Key Tips and Tricks when Renting a Car

Renting a car often becomes a necessity especially in a newer state. In the United States, car rental is a common practice due to poor or restrictive public transport systems. Car rental seems reliable because it is accessible everywhere in the United States. Although car rental seems feasible; however, car rental costs in MD and all major states of the US are skyrocketing after the covid breakdown. If you are planning to move into a new state or you are planning a summer vacation with a family, you should know all about renting a car in general and the tips on rental cars so that you may save some bucks while renting a car in vacations.

How to Rent a Car in the United States?

If you want to rent a car in the United States, there are some certain requirements for the US citizens and the international travelers. In the United States, a driver’s license is essential for renting a car, so keeping your driver’s license with you is among the top tips on renting a car. If you have a foriegn license, you must also provide some additional documents like passport or International Driver’s Permit (IDP). Furthermore, paying via cash is not encouraged while renting a car in the United States. You have to keep your credit card while renting a car in the US. Some companies urge you to get some rental insurance as well. Despite these basic requirements, there are some goodwill gestures that are encouraged in the United States while renting a car: never be late while returning a rental car and refilling the car’s gas before returning. Companies may also keep some additional deposit as a safety that is returned to you while returning the rental car.

Tips When Renting a Car

There are some tips on rental cars that can save you some considerable bucks in the whole process. Note them.

1) Pre-planning

The first and foremost car rental tip is to be well prepared before planning a trip and using rental cars. You must do your homework and compare several car rental companies and their rental plans before shortlisting some of the rental car companies. It is among the top tips on renting cars in the US. If you are well prepared, you won’t be troubled and you won’t overpay during your journey.

2) Always Book the Car Rental a Day before Your Flight

While moving to a new city, it is a great practice to book your car in advance because if you don’t book your car rental in advance, you won’t find any suitable rental car on site and you may need to bear the excessive rates at the airport.

3) Pay via Credit Card

Your prior payment option for car rental should be the credit cards. There are various companies that also award you some car rental insurance, if you choose to pay your car rental via their credit cards. Paying via credit card having some car rental insurance is surely among great tips when renting a car.

4) Fill the Tank Yourself

Fill the tank yourself while renting a car is surely among the best tips on renting cars. You can always save additional bucks by filling the tank yourself. Several car rental companies try to charge you a premium if you ask them to provide a filled tank.

5) Always Be Content with just One Driver

Don’t book the additional drivers if you don’t need to. Sticking with one driver is surely counted in the great tips when renting a car because it may save you from overpaying for additional drivers. Even if you have to stop for a while during the journey, the one designated driver is still affordable than paying for multiple drivers.

6) Always Rent for a Shorter Periods

Life is uncertain and anything may happen anytime. Don’t book your car rental for a week; instead, book for 2-3 days. If you won’t have to travel a certain day due to illness, bad weather, canceled meeting or a delayed flight, you should not pay for that specific day. That’s why, always be on the safer side and book the rental car for a limited number of days.

7) Avoid the Airport Car Rentals

Avoiding airport car rentals is the best way to avoid unnecessarily paying the overcharges. It is a rule of thumb that you should avoid shopping or buying from airports because they charge a premium for any service. Obviously, it is the most convenient way to have a rental car right from the airport; however, if you choose to come out of the airport and then book another rental car, you may be surprised to see the price difference.

8) Prefer the One Way Car Rental for Tourist Attractions

One way car rental is strongly advised in a guide for renting a car in Maryland , while visiting a famous tourist location. You may be surprised to know that you can save upto $80-$100 by just booking one way car rentals twice instead of renting a car for a complete day. If you need to be picked and dropped off at the same in/out spot of a tourist destination, why would you pay for the driver to wait for you?

9) Avoid GPS Plan

Simply use a Google Map option for your ride and don’t let the car rental companies rip you off for additional  GPS charges of $10-$15 per hour.

10) Don’t Ask for Multimedia Facilities

You have a smartphone having an abundance of entertainment opportunities while traveling. Don’t pay the extra charges for any multimedia entertainment options because you are not going to use them anyway.

Renting a Car for the First Time?

If you are not familiar with the car rentals in the US and you are wondering how the car rentals actually work and should you go for renting a car after moving to a newer place. If you are likely to stay for some days to spend some vacations at a newer place, take note of all car renting tips. If you have completely moved into a newer state like Maryland, try to buy a used car from a used cars listing in Maryland to buy . It would be a better and affordable option than keep relying on rental cars for several weeks or months.