Cheap Car Rental Tips: One-Way Rentals

Let’s consider a few reasons why someone would want to get a car rental one way: maybe you are moving across the country, and you need a vehicle to move your stuff to your new house. In this case, you probably only have enough stuff for one or two trips, but the point is you will return your car to a rental company location other than the one where you picked it up.

Choosing the Right Rental for Heavy Loads

Take a good look at the vehicle and make sure that you are renting something powerful enough to carry a heavy load. If you can look at the car specifications, look for some indication of how much it can haul. Maybe you aren’t a pickup truck type of person, but you need the right tools for the job, and if pickup truck commercials have taught us anything, it’s that a fuel-inefficient tow truck is going to beat your average cheap car rental at moving a heavy load. Rent your car based on the task at hand.

But maybe you are not moving. Maybe you are getting a one-way rental because the circumstances of your business trip dictate that it is the most economical way to travel. In this case, it is important to note whether you are paying for the rental or your company is. You wouldn’t want to put unnecessary miles on your one-way rental, especially if company transportation is a taxable benefit. Of course, if it’s yours then by all means go wild.

One-Way Car Rental Pitfalls

What kinds of problems could someone run into when renting a car one way? Suppose you’re halfway through Texas when suddenly it occurs to you that you left your lucky tie back in Phoenix. When you bring your vehicle to the rental car company’s drop-off location, the agent there is going to know where you picked up the car and about how many miles to expect on it. This is where you have to be careful that you fully understand the terms of your one-way rental upfront. Depending on time and mileage limits that may exist depending on your agreement, you might have to make do without that lucky tie after all.

Optimize One-Way Car Rentals

The smartest way to use a one-way car rental is to make sure you ask your rental car agent…and make sure it’s an Off-Airport location so you can save big money on the taxes and surcharges alone…ask the rental car agent if they have “One Way Car Rentals” available going to or towards your destination. You’re doing the company a favor by shuttling this vehicle to its proper rental car location, rather than paying staff to do it. And you should NOT get over-charged for this one-way rental either.

One-way rentals have become less common lately as competitive pricing in air travel and travel buses have offered many different alternatives for getting around. Even so, there are a few scenarios where there is just no substitute for a good one-way cheap car rental. Keep these tips in mind and try not to get lost along the way.