In this section we will provide you with some pieces of advice to save some euros. We will not discuss every single option; we will just deal with the traditional ways to save money when renting a car. Likewise, we recommend that you follow these pieces of advice in order to save money but do not focus on them too much. It is advisable to gather all the money you will be able to spend on your holidays and see what you can do with it: do not spend you entire holidays worrying about how much you have saved. What we want to point out is that these are ways to save money, but if they do not work, do not worry and enjoy your holidays. Furthermore, do not speculate on possible discounts, since if they do not work and you take them for granted, you will not have enough money to pay the service you hire: think about this discount as a possibility, and not as a certainty.

Price comparison: The first step, the essential one, to save money when renting a car is to compare the prices of the different agencies. The easiest and most comfortable way to do it is on the Internet; find out which are the agencies near the place you are going and then check the prices. But be careful: do not verify one price; it is not that simple. Maybe Agency A has cheaper «economical cars» than Agency B. However, the «standard cars» in Agency B are cheaper than those in Agency A. Therefore, by paying a little extra you can rent a better category car in the agency that, at first glance, seemed more expensive.

Second price comparison: The price of the car is not the only price you have to find out about. You also have to find out about the insurance costs ―which is mandatory― and about the prices of the other extra things you want ―such as: two additional drivers and a car seat for babies― since may be in Agency A the car is more economical but the additional features are very expensive, and if you add it all, it is better for you to rent a car in Agency B, which has more expensive cars but the additional features are cheaper and the total price is lower.

Reservations: It is highly advisable to make your car reservation as son as possible. Once you have decided the date and the destination, make the reservation of your car, since agencies tend to increase the price of rentals as you get closer to the date you ask for it. Besides, the closer to the date you make the reservation, the fewer cars will be available and you will probably have to rent a car of a category you did not want and this means a lot of money.

Packages: If you buy a plane ticket from an airline that has commercial agreements with a car rental agency or if you are staying in a hotel that has them, you will have a discount on the rented car. Furthermore, if you buy a tourist package that includes, for example, plane ticket, hotel and car you will probably get a better price for the latter.

Clubs: Becoming a member of a car rental club is very simple and it is generally for free or it costs a few euros. By being associated to one of these clubs, you will have discounts on the rental and obtain benefits, such as: free additional features and adding points to obtain a totally free rental. This is a very interesting option if you want to save money, and becoming a member is quite simple: you enter an Internet site, fulfill some personal data and that is all.

Coupons: You can obtain discount coupons to reduce costs. Car rental agencies give discount coupons to certain places so that people can get them. It is better to know beforehand if these coupons are valid in the place you are going and check their expiration date.

Ask: It is worth asking the agency if they are offering promotions or discounts. Maybe you are lucky enough and you find an agency which is looking for new clients and it offers facilities for new clients.