This section is designed to inform you about the different ways to get discounts on the final price of the car. Before listing the possibilities to get them, we will give you certain pieces of advice to save money beyond the discounts themselves. For example, it is a good idea to surf the Internet and compare prices among the different agencies, which are in your destination zone. Another good idea is to make the reservation as soon as possible since agencies tend to increase prices when you rent a car urgently or in the middle of a season; and therefore, if you make the reservation beforehand, you will avoid renting a bigger (and more expensive) car due to the fact that the smaller ones have been already taken. You can also find out about the categories (economic, standard, etc) of cars the agency has in excess since they will offer you discounts for those cars that they have not rented yet. Another way to save money is to use coupons, which allow you to rent a car of a better category than the one you had in mind without any extra money.

Having examined all the strategies that will help you save money if you do not have special discounts, we will discuss the different types of existing discounts. We will focus on the most important ones. Now we will see the reductions offered by Premium clubs, credit cards and the membership to different groups or organizations that little have to do with cars.

Premium clubs: These are the clubs of the car agencies that offer many benefits to the members. These clubs require an annual payment of about $50 and frequently the first year is for free to attract more members. You can also be a member without any cost if the company you work for has commercial agreements with any car rental agency. These clubs offer important discounts for renting the car or for getting a better category without any extra cost. As regards categories, members may have access to certain car models that are not offered to the general public. Besides, Premium clubs award their members by saving newer cars for them as well as making the paperwork for renting a car quicker or by giving you the possibility of listing additional drivers without any cost. As regards administrative matters, it is very convenient being a member of these clubs since companies take care of their members and they will do anything to make you feel comfortable: if your flight is delayed or if any inconvenience arises, they will take more time to wait for you or to solve the problem than otherwise they would not do if you were an ordinary client. Premium members can add rental credits and get in this way free rental days.

Credit cards: Not only will you get free coverage using a credit card, but also you will get a better category or discounts on the car you choose. You should find out whether your credit card company has this type of agreement with the agency you have chosen and, if it is not the case, which lines do (for example, if it is valid for the Gold line). Furthermore, some cards offer trailer and lock work services absolutely for free just in case you have any problem while driving the car.

Membership: When you are about to rent a car, it is a good time to start checking your mail and e-mail: you never know to what club you are associated with. The first thing to do is to check if the clubs to which you belong to offer discounts on car rental. You will probably find one. If this is not so, start looking through your mail to see if you have received a letter or e-mail from any organization to which you did not remember you were a member of and find out if this one offers this kind of discounts.

Finally, people working for the government or the Army may have important discounts if they deal with agencies willing to extend this special treatment they have with them during official or pleasure trips. This is a very usual procedure and that is why it should not be considered as an exception. It should be pointed out that it is a pleasure trip and not an official one since this confusion can cause many problems.