How I saved more than $1,000 on a single car rental

July 20, 2024

My favorite rental car hacks

by Brian Kelly

I don’t often rent cars. So when I was traveling out west recently and looking to rent an SUV for a five-day trip from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas — by way of Zion National Park and a truly marvelous stay at the iconic Amangiri resort hotel — I was shocked to see it was going to cost more than $2,300 through Hertz for a one-way rental. Yet if I were to return the car to Salt Lake City, rather than a second location, that same vehicle would only cost about $1,000.

So I booked the SUV to be picked up and dropped off in Salt Lake City. But after I picked it up, I called Hertz and told them I’d be dropping it off at the airport in Las Vegas. I was charged a $100 fee to return the car to a different location, but I still paid less than half what I would have paid for the one-way booking!

These fees may vary across rental car companies — I’ve heard some may charge $300 for the same type of change. But that is still a lot cheaper than paying the outrageous amount Hertz wanted for a one-way booking. Keep in mind that this tactic may not work as well with smaller rental car companies or when dropping off at smaller airports, where vehicle fleets are limited.

Another way I find cheap rental cars is through AutoSlash. This free-to-use site aggregates offers across a wide range of rental car companies, factoring in coupons and discounts to help you find the best possible rate. You can also track price movements through AutoSlash, which is key to getting the best deal. Because car rental reservations are often refundable, you can (and should) keep canceling and rebooking as the price goes down.

I highly recommend booking directly with the rental car company, as I did with Hertz. This was a lifesaver, as we arrived around 1 a.m. after the counter was closed. But because I have Hertz Platinum status through one of my credit cards, I was able to make arrangements over email to drive the car off the lot that night without having to come back the next day.

Here’s a few cards whose perks include status with car rental companies:

In fact, two of TPG’s favorite cards with rental car perks — the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (which won’t get you status but offer highly valuable insurance coverage) — currently have impressive limited-time welcome offers, including the best offer we’ve ever seen on the Ink Business Preferred!

I always recommend booking rental cars with a credit card that offers insurance coverage. And if you do just one five-day car rental a year using either of those cards, the insurance benefit alone offsets their modest $95 annual fee.

Have a great weekend,

BK

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