Added on January 25, 2018  The News Wheel   , ,
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Five Big Things to Consider Before You Rent a Car

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No matter where in the world you’re looking to rent a car, there are a few big things that you need to take into consideration before you actually go ahead and make the commitment. In this article, we take you through five of the main things you need to remember before you hire a car on your next holiday adventure.

  1. Use Your Credit Card, Not Your Debit Card. This might seem like an odd one, but it actually makes a great deal of sense once you understand why. Using your debit card might seem like the easiest thing to do, but a large number of car rental companies that will perform credit checks to ensure that you would be able to pay any additional charges. This kind of hard search can negatively affect your credit score. Paying with a credit card means that you don’t have to worry about passing the credit check. As a side note, don’t use a prepaid credit card, as many places won’t accept them.
  2. Fewer Drivers Means Lower Costs. When going on holiday, many people will list several members of their family or group as drivers for the car. The issue with this is that it’s going to cost you a lot more to have four or five drivers, and in the end, it is often not worth the extra expense. The most sensible option is to have just two people assigned as drivers to keep the cost down while also having a backup driver.
  3. Consider Other Insurance Options. Many car hire companies will allow you to buy insurance from them, and a rare few will even include insurance in the price. If you aren’t lucky enough to discover the latter, you will find that the hire company’s insurance often costs an arm and a leg. However, you don’t have to choose to go with their insurance, and this is why we recommend shopping around for better quotes. You will find that it’s way cheaper, and may even be fortunate enough to end up with the hire company matching the new quote.
  4. Fill Up the Tank Before You Return. Aside from being common courtesy, there is another reason you should strongly consider refilling the fuel tank before you return the car. You can let the rental place fill it back up for you, but the majority of the time it’s going to end up costing you double what it would have if you had just filled it up at the local petrol station. Take the time to fill up yourself and save yourself some money.
  5. Bring Your Own Extras. When possible, bring your own additional tech for the car. The GPS system from the hire company usually costs extra, and so you might want to consider using the one on your phone instead. Similarly, you can use your mobile device to listen to satellite radio instead of wasting fuel listening to local stations and ads that you might not enjoy as much. Some airlines will even let you bring a child’s car seat on the plane if you are thinking of saving even more cash.

We hope that we have given you some food for thought before you embark on your next adventure, and that you might take some of these points into consideration. Whether it’s a London, Salzburg, or Phuket car rental, these tips will help ensure that you save the most money and have the smoothest rental experience during your travels.

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