For the last year or so, my go-to car rental website has been carrentals.com.

That is until a couple of weeks ago.

I’d seen a few other bloggers mention using AutoSlash, so I decided to give them a try.

The biggest extra feature is that once you make a booking, they’ll continue to monitor the prices. If the price for your reservation drops, they’ll automatically rebook at the lower rate and then send you an email with your new (cheaper) booking.

I was looking for a car rental in Dallas.  The rate at AutoSlash and CarRentals was the same, so I decided to book with AutoSlash.

Within an hour, I got an email saying that they’d found a rate $19 and change cheaper, and they automatically rebooked me.

I like that it saves me money.

And, I like that it saves me the time of checking around to see if there are any cheaper rentals available.

Last week, my dad was making a car rental reservation, and I suggested AutoSlash.

The exact same thing happened.  Got an email that they found a reservation $20 less.

While I think AutoSlash is a great option for US rentals, I’ve found it isn’t so strong overseas.  I think the reason is that there are other cheaper rental companies overseas, and a more comprehensive search is likely to reveal cheaper rates.

I wouldn’t book AutoSlash if their starting rate wasn’t lower, but if the rate was equal to what you were otherwise going to book, then I’d suggest you book with Autoslash in case they do find a better rate.

This is not a paid for post, nor was I compensated in any way by AutoSlash – just impressed with the product.

To leave a comment or easily share the article with your Facebook or Twitter friends click here -> Braggin’ on AutoSlash.com

Related posts:

1. Rent A Car For A Family Road trip Or Drive Your Own Car?

It’s a little early, but we’re planning a family vacation that is about nine months out.  We’ll be vacationing with my parents which is great because there are a lot of advantages to vacationing with extended family.

Since we are going to be staying in a condominium, we know that we’ll need our own transportation, but the question is – should we each rent a car (my family of five and my parents) or should we rent a van together?

Advantages of Renting a Van When Vacationing With Extended Family

1. Rental cost.  Depending on your destination, you may be able to rent a van for less than the cost of two cars.  In our case, the price is actually about the exact same.  A van costs the same as two cars for a day.
2. Parking cost.  If you plan to head to any theme parks or any destinations where you might have to pay for parking, you will be better off renting a van.  It is not unusual to pay $10 – $15 to park a car for the day downtown, at the zoo, or at a theme park.  Splitting the parking cost works to everyone’s advantage.
3. Reduces the ‘extra costs’.  If you typically pay for extra vehicle insurance, you can dramatically reduce your cost by paying the excess insurance fees on only one vehicle.  Also, if you plan to rent a GPS, you only need one if you share a vehicle.
4. Extra family time.  Doing a lot of driving means you’ll be missing out on family time.  Instead, if you share a vehicle, you can still spend time as you are driving from place to place.
5. Share the driving responsibilities.  Again, the importance of shared driving responsibilities will depend on how much you plan to drive.  However, it is always nice to have extra drivers to share the responsibility.  Remember, most car rental locations will charge you extra for each additional driver you add to your rental.
6. Split the gas.  While a van will take more gas than a car, a van will not take more gasoline than two rental cars.  If you split the cost of the gasoline, both families will come away with more savings.

Disadvantages of Rending a Van When Vacationing With Extended Family

1. Loss of flexibility.  If you each have your own vehicle you can make separate plans for a day or two.  Unfortunately, both families cannot make separate plans if you share a van.
2. Loss of privacy.  Some families might think it is too much to share an accommodation and also the vehicle.  Some families simply prefer to have their own sacred space.
3. Airport arrival and departure times.  Sharing a vehicle means both parties should be arriving and departing close to each other.  Otherwise, someone may be forced to wait at the airport for a long time.

In our case, we will likely be renting a van together for our vacation.  The advantages seem to outweigh the disadvantages.

Would you rather rent two cars or a van when traveling with extended family?  Any advantages or disadvantages that I missed?

To leave a comment or easily share the article with your Facebook or Twitter friends click here -> Vacationing With Extended Family: Rent Two Cars Or A Van?

Related posts:

1. Rent A Car For A Family Road trip Or Drive Your Own Car?
2. Family Vacations: 7 Advantages of a Condominium or Apartment
3. 10 Tips for Hassle-Free Family Road Trips

I heard about a family who took a road trip last summer. They thought about renting a car, but in the end, they decided it was too expensive.  Unfortunately, they had car troubles along the way and ended up being away for home for an extra two days.  By the time they had paid for their hotel and car rentals, it would have been much much cheaper to rent.

Should You Rent A Car For a Road Trip?

Step #1: Find out how much it costs to rent a car.

For discount opaque websites, check out Hotwire.  Otherwise, check out carrentals.com or Orbitz.

Step #2: Calculate the distance.

Visit Google maps and type in your driving destinations.  Google with automatically give you the total mileage.

Step #3:  Estimate the cost of fuel.

Visit this fuel cost calculator to calculate the average cost to operate your vehicle, or as an appropriate reference point, you could use something like the IRS mileage rate.

Step #4: Compare the gas mileage.

Compare the gas mileage between your vehicle and the type of vehicle you would rent. 

Step #4 Compare the prices and confirm the options.

A last step before booking a rental car – if cheaper – is to check on the rental policies.  Obviously, if you are taking a road trip, unlimited miles will be important.  Just remember these days unlimited are not necessarily unlimited.  Some agencies say unlimited, but that only applies to adjoining states. 

Be sure you factor for rental insurance if you don’t have any insurance to cover this cost. 

Other Factors to Consider When Thinking About Renting a Car for Family Vacation

Comfort: Some family vehicles are just not fit for long road trips.  This could be because of the vehicle condition or simply the vehicle size.  For a vacation, you might be willing to pay the premium for a little extra leg room.

Besides, most rental cars are a nice upgrade for the typical family.

Hassle: Depending on your location, it may or may not be a hassle to pick up a rental car.  If you need to drive 30 minutes to get the car, that will certainly be an added expense. 

Peace of mind.  If there is any question if your vehicle can handle the trip, then renting a car makes complete sense.  Don’t spend hours in the vehicle sweating bullets because you wonder if the vehicle will survive the trip. 

Pre-purchase trial.  If you are considering buying a certain make and model, you might want to try and rent that car for a family road tip.  This way you can get a good feel for the vehicle before you make the final decision to buy it.  Let’s face it, some people were never built for certain types of cars. 

With the low price at some car rental locations, if you can rent a car close to what it will cost you to operate the vehicle, then you should.  Why put all those massive miles on your own vehicle? 

Have you ever rented a car for a family vacation?  How did it turn out?

To leave a comment or easily share the article with your Facebook or Twitter friends click here -> Rent A Car For A Family Road trip Or Drive Your Own Car?

Related posts:

1. Vacationing With Extended Family: Rent Two Cars Or A Van?
2. Car Games for a Family Road Trip
3. 10 Tips for Hassle-Free Family Road Trips

A reader send the following question about credit card rental insurance coverage:

I also noticed you had a section on car rental insurance and using a credit card for that.  I was under the impression that you have to have a primary insurance first in order to take advantage of the card car insurance.  We spent over $800 in car insurance last November.  I’d sure like not to have to repeat that if possible.  We have a Capital One Visa and MasterCard, plus the American Express that I’m thinking of canceling.

Credit Card Car Rental Insurance

Car rental auto insurance rates are outrageous.  In fact, they must generate a great deal of revenue, because there have been occasions when the customer service representative has almost insulted me for not getting the insurance. 

I grabbed a Visa credit card agreement and this is what it has to say about the auto rental collision damage waiver:

Who is eligible?  You are eligible only if you are a valid cardholder whose name is embossed on an eligible U.S- issued Visa Business [this is a business card] card.  Only you, as the renter of the vehicle, and any additional drivers permitted by the auto rental agreement are covered.

So, there is nothing here about needing your own primary insurance first. 

As far as auto rental insurance, here are a few other things you should know:

1. It is possible that your auto insurance policy covers you as a driver in a rented vehicle.  The only way to know is to call them.  Some companies insure the person (any vehicle they drive) and others the car (anyone who drives the car).  If your insurance company covers you when you drive any vehicle, then you do not need additional car rental insurance.
2. The auto rental collision damage waiver does have some specific exclusions – i.e. rentals over 31 days.  Be sure to read your credit card policy closely for details.
3. Certain countries are excluded from the credit card coverage.  Commonly countries like Australia and New Zealand are excluded.  When traveling overseas, confirm that you are still covered in your country. 
4. You must rent the car with the credit card that offers the auto insurance.  On some occasions, I’ve put down a credit card at the time of rental because it has the insurance.  Then when I return the car, I charge it on another card that has a better rewards program.  Most car rental companies will let you hold and make the reservation on one card and pay for it with another card.
5. You must decline the CDW/LDW in order for your credit card insurance to take effect.

Generally speaking, you should be fine – even if you don’t have your own personal insurance, to rely on the credit card auto coverage.  Just do your homework and confirm your terms and conditions with the credit card.

I’ve always wondered if credit card rental insurance was legit, but my dad did have some damage done to a rental car.  In his case, there were no issues, no hassles.  The credit card company quickly and professionally took care of all the charges.

Anyone else had good or bad experiences when making a claim with your credit card when you rented a car?

To leave a comment or easily share the article with your Facebook or Twitter friends click here -> Credit Card Car Rental Insurance

Related posts:

1. Hotwire Car Rental: Advantages and Disadvantages
2. Rent A Car For A Family Road trip Or Drive Your Own Car?
3. What You Need to Know Before Renting A Car

Hotwire.com and Priceline are consistently the cheapest travel options.  Hotwire

It is important to remember that both of these sites are opaque travel sites (you do not know some exact details when you book) so you must have some flexibility.  If you are unfamiliar with the opaque travel websites you should read an introduction to opaque travel websites. 

How To Get the Best Price Between Hotwire and Priceline

Step One: Go to Hotwire.com

Step Two: Once you have your Hotwire price standard, go to Priceline and be sure to click on the “name your price” tab.  At this point you decide what price you want to suggest, but just make sure the price and fees come to less than $79.50.  You might just knock off $10, or you could do more if you wish.  You will have opportunities to change details and revise your offer if you want.  If you can get the hotel for cheaper with Priceline, great! You have officially found the lowest price.  If, on the other hand, Priceline cannot get you anything for your Hotwire price, just go back to Hotwire and make the booking there.  Enjoy the trip. It will be easy because you will have a cheap, but very nice hotel.

Before You Decide Between Priceline and Hotwire

Even though I am specifically speaking about Hotwire and Priceline, don’t forget to check Sidestep and Expedia to see if you can grab a great deal with a hotel’s posted price. Nine out of ten times you will be better off with either Priceline or Hotwire, but just in case this is the one time – check.

4 Extra Suggestions on How to Reduce Your Air Travel Fares

1. Start planning early – the more time you have, the more likely you are to find a great deal. This is especially true during busy holiday seasons.  If you plan your trip at the last minute you will pay dearly.  My advice is to book your tickets as soon as possible.
2. Be flexible – often the more options you have (i.e. I can leave on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or I can leave in the morning) the more likely you are to find a great deal.
3. Commit some time – the emphasis is on “some”. You do not need to get to every site, but check out three or four key sites (www.sidestep.com, www.expedia.com, Hotwire.com and www.priceline.com).
4. Be smarter than the computer (check prices between each major hub) – computers are amazing in that they can find endless scenarios for booking your tickets. But the truth is that they can only do what you tell them.  Remember with airline tickets 1+1 does not = 2.  When booking tickets if you have a stop somewhere you can sometimes save if you book one set of tickets to the first city and another set to the other city.  Sometimes buying two tickets is actually cheaper than one.

Which site usually gives you the best price – Priceline or Hotwire?

To leave a comment or easily share the article with your Facebook or Twitter friends click here -> Hotwire and Priceline: How to Guarantee the Lowest Price

Related posts:

1. Priceline or Hotwire: Which is Cheaper?
2. Suggested Site to Assist with Priceline & Hotwire Booking
3. Priceline and Hotwire Hotel Bidding Tips | Book Early or Book Late?

Hotwire.com is a premier source for all things travel.  In fact, Hotwire consistently has some of the best travel deals for airfare, car rental, and hotels.

While flight bookings offer a deeper level of inconvenience there is very little inconvenience involved in renting from Hotwire.

Hotwire Car Rental Disadvantages

You will not know the exact rental company (but you will know the car class) until after you book your car.  This can be a disadvantage for two reasons:

1. The rental location might not be on site so you will be required to take a shuttle
2. You will not know the extra charges that differ from company to company.  Such things that differ are: insurance rates, car seats, mileage fees, and late returns.

Hotwire Car Rental Advantages

No doubt the biggest advantage is the HUGE cost savings.  Significant rental savings.  Depending on the rental market, season, and your car type you can save between 10 – 50%.

The basic opaque travel website formula is as follows:

THE LESS details you know before booking = MORE cost savings.

 To determine your actual savings, visit a site like Sidestep.com and get your base car rental rate.  From there, visit Hotwire to see their rates.  I think you’ll find that Hotwire car rentals are a great way to save money on your next vacation.

To leave a comment or easily share the article with your Facebook or Twitter friends click here -> Hotwire Car Rental: Advantages and Disadvantages

Related posts:

1. Rent A Car For A Family Road trip Or Drive Your Own Car?
2. Credit Card Car Rental Insurance
3. Hotwire and Priceline: How to Guarantee the Lowest Price

When we travel we often look for travel options most familiar to us.  For example, people who own cars often rent a car when they fly to a new destination.  There are, however, so many alternative forms of transportation that could save you a bundle.

Photo by Diego_3336

Most major cities have at least a decent public transportation system.  Between subways and buses you can get to many popular destinations.  Public transportation is most appealing when:

1. You can get a pass that allows unlimited travel
2. Your destination charges expensive parking fees
3. The larger the city, the more traffic, one way signs, and road closures there are.  Who wants to mess with their own vehicle?  While in Washington D.C. I drove from place to place … big mistake.

Free or inexpensive promotional transportation.  Some hotels provide shuttle buses to city centers.  Major tourist attractions offer free pick up or will pick up for a small fee.

Walk or bike.  Bike rentals are inexpensive and a fun form of transportation.  At times distances are closer than you might assume.

Certainly there will be times when renting a car makes the most sense, but on other occasions you might be better off using another form of transportation and it could even be cheaper.

One last tip, go to Google Maps and select your departure location and arrival destination.  Google maps can tell you the distance and time by foot, car, and even public transportation.

To leave a comment or easily share the article with your Facebook or Twitter friends click here -> Save Money on Ground Transportation

Related posts:

1. Ten Ways to Save Money on Your Family Road Trip This Summer
2. Airport Transportation and Parking Options and Alternatives
3. Fifteen Ways to Save Money When you Fly on your Family Vacation this Summer

I am assuming you are planning on taking a family vacation this summer.  I hope your planning on doing it with cash, but I suspect there is not much I can do to change your mind if you not so my ultimate goal is to help you make your summer vacation as cheap as possible.

Photo by Global Jet

1. Set a vacation budget. I know vacations are supposed to be a time of freedom and liberation.  No rules and no boundaries, but you do not want this one week to make you miserable for a year (or longer).  Far too many people complain that vacation credit card payments follow them home.  Here is a simple tool.  Break down your vacation budget into five broad categories: transportation, meals, entertainment, lodging, and other.  Put the predetermined amount of cash into each envelope and go on vacation.  You don’t need to keep receipts or anything and there’s not book keeping.  Just spend money out of the predetermined envelope and then its done.  Another option is to buy gift cards for your dining out.  When the gift cards are done so are you.
2. Start to save now for the family vacation so you can pay with cash. What my family does is takes our budgeted amount and divides that by the number of months till we vacation then we put that monthly amount into our budget each month till the vacation.  For example, if our vacation will cost $1,000 and we plan to go in 8 months we save $125 per month before our vacation ($1,000/8 months).
3. Save on Gas.  When driving for long distances you will be purchasing a lot of fuel.  Use the AAA Fuel Cost Calculator to determine approximately how much the fuel will cost.  Be sure you have at least that amount in your budget.  Before blindly driving off visit GasBuddy to see where you should get your next tank of gas.  If you know how many miles per gallon you get it should be fairly simple to calculate where you will need to get your next tank of gas.
4. Don’t buy food at convenience stores.  Stock up at your local grocery store before you go.
5. Take a cooler.  You can probably buy a 2 liter drink at your grocery store for the same price you can buy a canned drink at a convenience store.  Fill it with ice and go.
6. Consider renting a car.  AAA says the average driving cost (not owning and operating) cost is 15.4 cents per mile for a midsize sedan.  The maintenance and tire portion plus .23 cents depreciation would cost you 28.7 cents per mile.  If you were planning on driving from Denver to Memphis roundtrip you would rack up 2,200 miles.  Using the AAA average driving cost you would put $631.40 worth of wear and tear on your vehicle.  As an alternative you could rent a midsize car from Hotwire for $196 total for the week.  This would save you $435.40 in wear and tear on your vehicle.
7. Plan to purchase some meals from a grocery store.  Eating out can get expensive.  You can save 50%-75% by buying premade foods from the grocery store.
8. Take advantage of current hotel promotions.  Hotels are really trying to fill up their rooms right now.  Both the Starwood Program and the Priority Clubs group have a stay two nights get one free promotion.  You can read about the Starwood promotion here and the Priority Clubs promotion here.  Be sure to read the terms and conditions.  Book your hotel ahead of time to be sure you will get a great deal.
9. Don’t forget about cheap and free entertainment options.  Check out the National Parks to see if there is one near your destination.  Go to Trip Advisor and check out things to see and do in your desired city.  Pay attention to free options.  If you have young kids just spend an hour a a McDonald’s with a play area.
10. Allocate funds for your kids.  Tell you kids before hand how much you plan to give them for spending money and special snacks (be sure to include that amount in your budget).  When little Sally wants an ice cream cone take it out of her allocated funds.  It saves you money and teaches the little angel an important lesson about budgeting.

To leave a comment or easily share the article with your Facebook or Twitter friends click here -> Ten Ways to Save Money on Your Family Road Trip This Summer

Related posts:

1. Fifteen Ways to Save Money When you Fly on your Family Vacation this Summer
2. Rent A Car For A Family Road trip Or Drive Your Own Car?
3. Smart Ways To Save Money On Airline Tickets

Earlier I posted an article addressing the question Should You Prepay for Fuel? While I had the vehicle I had serious doubts if I had done the right thing when I prepaid for fuel.  Now that the car is safely back in the hands of Enterprise I thought I would make my final verdict.

No, no, no.  I definitely don’t think you should prepay for fuel when you rent a car.

Several advantageous things did happened when I prepaid:

I bought the tank of gas for $.69 per liter.  By the time I returned my car (when I would have filled up) the price of gas was up to 93.9.  With a 64 liter tank I saved $15.94.

With a lot math, a GPS, and fuel trip estimator in my vehicle I think I arrived at the rental location on fumes.

Here was the biggest reason why I would not prepay again – I was too cheap and stubborn to leave a lot (any) gas in the tank.  I figured whatever gas I left was a donation to the rental agency.  As a result I had to make two stops close to my destination buying approximately $4 worth of gas each time.  It was a lot of hassle and was not worth the frustration.  In the future I would rather just stop at the gas station next door and fill up.

Prepay fuel in a rental car … Two Thumbs Down.

To leave a comment or easily share the article with your Facebook or Twitter friends click here -> Should You Prepay for Fuel When You Rent A Car? Final Thoughts

Related posts:

1. Should you Prepay For Fuel when you Rent a Car?
2. Rent A Car For A Family Road trip Or Drive Your Own Car?
3. Vacationing With Extended Family: Rent Two Cars Or A Van?

Photo Toy Ferraris by David Masters

As I write this post I am on a family vacation in beautiful Saint-Hippolyte in Quebec, Canada.  My family rented a car and the experience made me wonder: should you (or in this case I) prepay for fuel?

 What does it mean to prepay for fuel when you rent a car?

When you rent a car you often have the option to prepay for a tank of fuel.  This price is typically or just below current market price, but can even be above current market price.  The renter can then bring the car back without refueling first.  In fact, it is best to bring it back empty because you have already paid for any fuel you do not use.

 Here are the details surrounding my “should I prepay situation”:

• The trip was about 700 km each way (about 435 miles)
• They offered me the chance to prepay for my fuel at $.69 per liter.        Photo Retro Gas Pump by Alesist
• There was a gas station across the street that was selling gas for $.849

At the moment I thought prepaying was a great idea, so that is just what I did. 

Then along the way I considered several other factors:

1. How full is full?  A full tank can fluctuate between several gallons (or even more liters).  Ever filled your tank, drove 30 minutes and the tank still read full?  Well, the rental car I got was on the low side of ‘full’. 
2. How empty can you go?  Who wants to stop every block near the rental car location just to put in another $.25.  You will likely end up returning the car with at least a handful of gallons/liters. 
3. In my case, it will probably be a wash.  It will not be the great deal I expected when I agreed.  At least I don’t feel like I got ripped off though.  I hate that feeling.

When you might actually want to prepay:

1. If you have a vehicle that estimates how much more distance you can cover on your tank.  You are much more likely to reach the illusive empty.
2. If you are a person who typically finds herself in a rush.  The very worst thing you can do is bring a car back with less than you rented.  You can be charged up to and probably above $100 just for bringing back a 1/2 tank when it was supposed to be full.
3. When you know you are going to drive at least 400 miles.
4. When flying to an airport location you are unfamiliar with.  As long as the price is right, you may want to prepay just to avoid the hassle of looking around for a gas station right before you get to the airport.  Better yet, get on Google Maps and check out the area gas situation before you rent.

Since I still have the car, I will let you know how close I got to empty and how I would rate my first prepay experience.

To leave a comment or easily share the article with your Facebook or Twitter friends click here -> Should you Prepay For Fuel when you Rent a Car?

Related posts:

1. Should You Prepay for Fuel When You Rent A Car? Final Thoughts
2. Rent A Car For A Family Road trip Or Drive Your Own Car?
3. Vacationing With Extended Family: Rent Two Cars Or A Van?