Hey, it's Ernest from Trip Astute. In this video, I want to share our top 10 tips
when renting a car during your trip.
(light chiming music)
Renting a car, like many other travel experiences, can be both easy and
complicated. It's easy to reserve a car but then you're often presented with a
bunch of choices that can be a bit confusing. Things like GPS, insurance, and
refueling. All these things seem important, but they come at a fairly high
premium. So today, I want to review some things that I recommend when renting a
car, especially here in the US. But first, if you're new here, I want to welcome you
to our channel. Trip Astute is a travel channel that is focused on sharing ways
to make travel easier, affordable, and more enjoyable. Traveling can be
stressful and expensive, so we're looking for ways to help you maximize your
experience through travel tips, points and miles, and innovative gear. If that
sounds interesting to you, please consider subscribing. So, let's
jump into our top tips. Some of these things might seem obvious especially if
you're a savvy and experienced traveler. But I'm hoping that there are a few tips
in this list that are still helpful to you. Number 1: Sign up for a car rental
rewards program. Some of you might have access to a car rental rewards program
through work or your credit card. If so, you're going to want to make sure to
register for the loyalty program. I think the biggest perk is that some of these
programs will have your car ready for you when you get to the airport so you
don't have to waste time checking in to the counter. You just pull up your
reservation on your app or look for your name on the board in the lot, which
should indicate your car. If you have a premium travel credit card like the
Chase Sapphire Reserve, you have access to some of the higher status levels with
certain rental car companies. If you need more information, check out our video on
how to maximize these benefits on the Chase Sapphire Reserve. Number 2: Inspect
your car. A lot of times, we just want to get on the road as quick as possible.
However, I suggest doing a quick visual inspection of your car's exterior
and making sure that any damage, especially any big scratches or dents,
are recorded when you were checking out of the rental car lot. You definitely
don't want to be held liable for any damages to the car, especially if it was
there when you picked up the vehicle. This is especially important if you
don't have some kind of primary insurance coverage for your rental car
through a credit card. That brings me to number 3: Know your insurance options.
Many premium travel credit cards offer primary insurance coverage for rental
cars. This allows you to decline the expensive and limited insurance coverage
when renting a vehicle. We did a video a while back on how it works and different
scenarios for coverage, so definitely check it out. It's a bit complicated, but
definitely worth understanding before your next car rental. Number 4: Don't
use points to book your car rental. This one's a bit controversial. I haven't seen
anything official about this, but I noticed a few folks on FlyerTalk who
said that car insurance coverage from a credit card only applies if you pay for
your car rental in full with your credit card. I heard this advice a few years ago
as well, so I generally pay for car rentals out of pocket instead of using
points. Though if you have any experience or first-hand knowledge with the
situation, let me know below in the comment section. Number 5: Avoid
underage rental fees. Most rental car companies will charge you extra if
you're under the age of 25 and want to rent a car. While this charge is hard to
avoid if you're under 25, there are some potential ways to get around it if you
happen to be a AAA member, you can get the fee waived with Hertz. And if
you're a USAA member, you can do the same with Enterprise. Number 6:
Avoid refueling options. Rental car companies will often pitch refueling
options which seem convenient, but are generally a bad deal. One option is to
refill your car to the necessary level but at three or four times the normal cost
of fuel. I think that on our last trip, the signs at the Las Vegas
Avis desk said that they were charging $9 per gallon for a refuel.
Also, another option is to pay for a full tank refill. The per gallon rate is
generally a little bit higher than the normal market rate, but the catch is that
they will charge you for a full tank regardless of your fuel level when you
return the car. In general, it's a better deal to just fill up your gas tank
before returning your car. And with all the tools and apps available, it's easier
than ever to find a gas station near your location. Number 7: Pack a phone
charger, cable, and cradle. If I plan to rent a car, I always pack a car charger,
two charging cables, and a cheap vent clip cradle for my phone.
It's so much cheaper than renting a GPS from the rental car company. Plus, I can
use the apps that I'm already comfortable with and familiar with. Number 8: Turn
on speed limit indicators. Several navigation apps offer the ability to
show speed limits in certain areas. I find this feature to be so useful when
driving in new areas, especially when the speed limit isn't visible or know. I use
Waze most times when driving and you can enable this feature under settings in
the speedometer section. Also, if you're an Android user, you can enable this
feature in Google Maps. Sadly, this feature is not available in the iOS
version of Google Maps. Number 9: Enable eco mode. I've noticed a lot of
cars I rent have the option to enable an eco mode. As some of you know, I
drive a Prius, so I tend to be a bit more conscious when it comes to my fuel
consumption. What I found though is that the eco mode setting on a lot of rental
cars seems to be disabled by default. So if you're trying to conserve fuel and
lower your consumption, it might be worth enabling the eco mode in your car. It
usually makes the throttle and cooling system a little bit less responsive, but
it can help to save money at the pump. And finally, number 10: Carry an emergency
kit. This might seem like overkill, but I think it's very valuable. I actually use
a special case just for this purpose. If I know that I'll be renting a car, I'll
pack my important documents like a copy of my insurance,
along with backup maps in the case. I'll also throw in a mini flashlight that
pulses, pen, tissues, and a basic tire pressure gauge. This makes it easy when
dropping off the car too since I have everything in one place, and I'll even
put my chargers and cables in there so I don't forget them. We're actually going to
do a review of the travel case that we use, so stay tuned for it. Though I
honestly think it's always a good idea to be prepared especially since you
never know when you might encounter a problem while on the road. Do you have
any tips for renting a car? If so, please share them below in the comment section.
I'm always curious to hear about other tips and tricks that people use to save
money and improve their travel experience. I've included Amazon links in
the video description. Trip Astute does get a percentage if you use our link. It
doesn't cost you anything extra, but it does help us to continue building
content for this channel. If you enjoyed this video or found it useful,
please give us a thumbs up and consider sharing it with others who might
also benefit from our content. Until next time, travel safe and travel smart.
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