Cheap Car Hire: Slash £100s in hire and insurance costs

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Comments

  • tncm
    tncm Posts: 10 Forumite
    yaspop,

    you need a credit card when you pick the car up , for secuity and a fuel deposit so the comany can charge you 2 tanks of fuel on return if you dont refuel it.
  • JJ13_3
    JJ13_3 Posts: 1 Newbie
    Please note CarJet don't just cover Spain, Portugal & UK. (54 countries according to their website!) We have used them several times: they always come out cheaper than travelsupermarket, Holiday Autos or any of the airline affiliates and the service is impeccable.
  • withabix
    withabix Posts: 9,508 Forumite
    Try joining BA Executive Club:

    http://www.britishairways.com/travel/execenrol/public/en_gb

    Then, when you've got your membership number, go to www.avisba.com

    When you book a hire car you will get:

    a) Special Avis British Airways afiliate rate
    b) A FREE UPGRADE to the next car grade (if available at your hire location)
    c) Currently a chance to win 50,000 BA Miles
    d) BA Miles with your booking
    British Ex-pat in British Columbia!
  • hansol_2
    hansol_2 Posts: 3 Newbie
    :money: We've had two bad experiences hiring cars, one from Enterprise where we paid for a 1.6 car (the altered key fob confirmed this) only to find, after a long and tedious journey and searching through the car that it was actually a 1.4. The manager said it was human error.
    The second was through Carhire 3000 (internet) where we paid extra for the super excess waiver cover only to be told by Avis in France that they did not recognise it and that we would only have the same cover if we paid extra for theirs. Fortunately we used the card to pay and it was only with trading standards help that we got our money back from Avis.
  • koru
    koru Posts: 1,501 Forumite
    Name Dropper Combo Breaker First Post First Anniversary
    The Capital 1 cashback card (the one with 4% cashback for 1st 3 months) gives free insurance for the excess on your car hire insurance.

    Airline Network gives you a free option which adds in insurance, additional drivers and a tank of petrol. The CDW has zero excess. Even though TravelSupermarket listed other companies that were ostensibly £20 cheaper, this was by far the cheapest after adding on the cost of these extras. Not sure if the same offer applies to every Airline Network rental - mine was in Denver, Colorado.

    Edit: With car seats, it is often cheaper to buy out there, rather than pay someting like $10 per day to hire. Plus, the hire ones are usually dirty and may not be suitable. Obviously, cheaper still to take with you, but not if you have to pay extra on, say, Ryan Air, or if you have too much luggage to handle. In Florida and Colorado, car seats are not compulsory for age 6 and over.
    koru
  • richardw
    richardw Posts: 19,458 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post
    I'd read all the small print with the capital 1 insurance and make sure you understand it all.
    Posts are not advice and must not be relied upon.
  • thebigbosh
    thebigbosh Posts: 298 Forumite
    First Post First Anniversary
    I read this article yesterday because I'm looking to rent a car in Florida over Xmas. Unfortunate thing is I'm 24 (6 months away from WAY much easier!) and so most of the companies screw us with at least $25 extra per day.

    So I looked at Transhire (listed on the website) but *they* don't actually waive the surcharge. They only offer the Budget under 25 package, but this is about $600 a week! The best I've found so far is www.uscarhire.co.uk that offers a deal through U-Save but I'm not sure of the site's legitimacy. Any recommendations from anyone?

    Thanks

    B
    School is important, but Rugby is importanter.
  • acwalters
    acwalters Posts: 14 Forumite
    thebigbosh wrote: »
    I read this article yesterday because I'm looking to rent a car in Florida over Xmas. Unfortunate thing is I'm 24 (6 months away from WAY much easier!) and so most of the companies screw us with at least $25 extra per day.

    So I looked at Transhire (listed on the website) but *they* don't actually waive the surcharge. They only offer the Budget under 25 package, but this is about $600 a week! The best I've found so far is www.uscarhire.co.uk that offers a deal through U-Save but I'm not sure of the site's legitimacy. Any recommendations from anyone?

    Thanks

    B
    If you can get hold of an Avis AWD (corporate) number, then the underage fee is waived in most US states. (in NY from 18yrs, and most other places 21yrs).

    If you really can't get hold of one, PM me, and I may be able to help. (PS Search the web for AirMiles clubs - I know that BA has an Avis AWD number, but I'm not sure if it waives the underage fee - not all do)

    Good luck
  • d_forway
    d_forway Posts: 17 Forumite
    I live in Fl, USA and my cousin used U-Save when he came to visit me in Feb. They were great and gave him a free upgrade too. We would totally recommend them.
  • thebigbosh
    thebigbosh Posts: 298 Forumite
    First Post First Anniversary
    I checked on the BA website and they do have AWD numbers, see here

    https://www.britishairways.com/travel/ecpartnrcarhire/execclub/_gf/en_gb
    However, there is still the comment (and no further clarification) that if you are under 25 you may have to pay a fee locally. And no mention on the website www.avisba.com of this being waived.

    It also looks like uscarhire gives me the cheaper option...
    School is important, but Rugby is importanter.
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