Almost every time we travel, there are a ton of people on the rental car shuttle, all waiting to get to the counter and pick up their car.  Usually there is a rush to get off the shuttle before anyone else to beat the line.  A lot of times there will already be a line for the counter.  You can easily bypass these people by following this one important tip when renting a car:

JOIN THE RENTAL COMPANY’S LOYALTY PROGRAM

Why?  Every company offers easy and fast check out for those who are apart of their loyalty programs.  Some companies have a special counter for members only.  These counters tend to have NO LINES.  Sometimes, they will direct you to the car aisles where your car and rental papers will be available for pickup.  All you have to do is grab your papers, head to your car, and leave. IT IS SO EASY!  This can save you a good hour or more of waiting in line!

When signing up for the loyalty program, they will require that you enter your personal information and driver’s licenses number.  Sometimes they will require a credit card on file.  This is all so that they can expedite your rental once you are at their counter.

National car rental probably has the BEST loyalty program.  They have a system called the “Emerald Aisle”  For members, you are able to rent a Mid Sized car and choose ANY car in the aisle.  This means, you can rent a van or truck FOR THE COST of a mid-sized car.  This has saved us hundreds of dollars on trips!

ANOTHER TIP WHEN RENTING A CAR:

1. Always use a credit card that offers car rental protection.   This allows you to deny the car insurance the rental company offers AND still have coverage at NO ADDITIONAL charge.
2. Always stick with the major companies: Alamo, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Avis, Budget, Dollar, and Thrifty.  The newer, cheaper car rental companies are NOT worth the money you save.  The cars are old, rundown, and poorly maintained.  And the customer service is awful.   We drive a lot on trips and having a car with bare tires just isn’t worth the money saved!
3. Pump gas when you’re about 20-30 miles away from the rental car return center.  The tank will still read FULL and you’ll save money

 

For more travel related advice and blog posts: Travel Blog Posts