NEW CAR RENTAL CODE PAGE
I’ve cleaned up this post with a brand new comprehensive car rental coupon code page. Make sure you head over there once you’re done reading here.
Read more about travel deals
- The Uber airport hack
- Review of the new American Express Aeroplan cards
- Best credit cards for Canadian travel hackers
- Our best travel hacking tips
Where to find deals on hotels?
- We’re big fans of Booking.com as a starting point for most of our hotel searches for trips. With their Genius program, you can get instant savings of 15%. If you love codes, make sure to check out these list of the best hotel corporate codes.
In This Article
I’ve always want to summarize all my knowledge about car rental coupon codes because I have random bits of notes here and there for when I need it. In a selfish way I guess I’m doing this for myself but now that this is on here you guys get to benefit as well!
A HEADS UP
We’ve recently had to remove corporate codes for a few brands but there is still a good selection of codes from several car rental companies. Thank you for understanding.
Assumption
You are in North America though that is not to say that these won’t work internationally. I have tested some of these in Europe and in Australia/New Zealand but the international marketplace is very different. For example Europcar has some of the best rates in Europe but obviously doesn’t exist here.
Beginner Tips
- If you’re going to rent with a company, sign up for their loyalty program. For most like Avis and National that I have experience with, you automatically get into their “priority” section whether that means an express counter or bypassing the counters completely.
- When booking a car rental, don’t just look at one rental car company, go to each one and try your top coupon codes and pick the cheapest one.
- Renting from the airport usually means higher surcharges so if possible try to rent within the city for even cheaper rates.
- One way car rentals (picking up in one location and dropping off in another) will always cost more but coupon codes may still help.
- A lot of these are corporate codes so should you worry that you don’t have proper ID to prove that you work for XYZ or have membership to ABC? In all the years of my experience I have never been ID’d so I am 99% certain that you will be okay as well.
Things to Consider When Renting a Car
- Is inclusion of the under 25 important?
- Is unlimited miles important?
- Is additional driver important?
- Is inclusion of insurance coverage important?
What about parking at the airport?
Something that’s easy to forget in trip planning is how you’re going to get to the airport and if you’re driving your own car, where you’re going to leave it behind.
That’s where booking platforms like Airport Parking Reservations and Park Sleep Fly come into play. Whether you need to get a hotel package that includes parking or just parking itself, they have you covered.
Use the code AWESOME7 to save up to $7 off of your booking.
The Coupon Codes
Here are a list of my favourite codes I have consistently used and have been able to save hundreds of dollars. In parentheses I’ve put my 2 cents on the code and what it can get you. To simulate the prices I’m even going to do the following example to show you how the codes can give you killer deals. Price without codes is at the car rental company title level. Price after taxes and fees in USD.
Example car rental search
- Location: Salt Lake City, Utah (round trip)
- Dates: January 23-29, 2013
- Class: Fullsize
- Duration: 6 days
Avis ($530.76)
- Coupon Code = A442100 ($277.65, Unlimited miles. This is supposedly the Deloitte code.)
- AWD = C682300 ($436.34, Unlimited miles. This is from Air Canada for some bonus miles. If you use this you HAVE to make sure you include your flight details in your reservations or you might not get any of the bonus points)
- AWD = C070127 ($464.21, Unlimited miles. Supposed to be the best but I guess not eh?)
- AWD = U405347 ($448.86, Unlimited miles.)
- AWD = A555500 and Coupon Code = UULA004 ($401.50, Unlimited miles. US Government + upgrade coupon code)
I find that the Avis rates are usually kind of ridiculous. The Deloitte one is a secret one that seems to do the trick and comparable to National.
Thrifty ($339.44)
- Corporate Code = 1660228069 ($331.13. Apparently underage fee and extra driver fee waived but I have never tried and doesn’t show up in the booking)
To be honest I don’t have much experience with Thrifty except for this one code. Their cars are definitely crappier than the other big companies and selection usually more slim. There really isn’t much out there for Thrifty though I know Rental Car Momma can sometime get great deals through Thrifty if you go through their site.
Hertz ($400.69)
- CDP = 1757580 ($364.92, Unlimited Miles. Apparently THE best CDP to use for Hertz from Car and Driver)
- CDP = 1955226 ($364.92, Unlimited Miles. Some corporate code with similar results as the first)
Again I have actually never rented from Hertz but every time I see their cars in the lot they just have an aura of being more high class than the rest of them. Good cars but I would say one of the more expensive companies.
Others Car Rental Options?
There’s Fox Rent A Car, Budget, Discount, Dollar and Alamo to try as well. Never used them but could be worth a shot. See the secret links for more coupon codes.
Conclusion
From this mini-test we can see that the National Car Rental codes (the codes have since been redacted due to cease and desist) are some of the best out there. That’s not to say the other codes aren’t as good. Like I mentioned before, it really depends on what you’re looking for (namely underage in most cases) and where you’re renting. There are some codes that work better in Canada vs the US.
So if you’re serious about saving money, try ALL of these codes and compare. It’s totally worth your time!
Alternative Options
- Priceline (Name Your Own Price) & Hotwire – Just do a quick search and you might be able to find some good deals that way
- Expedia – Travel sites such as this one can still provide good results
- Airport Rental Cars
Resources
Here’s a list of links that I often use to find car rental coupon deals.
- Rental Car Momma (good especially for states like FL)
- RFD car rental tips thread
- RFD Enterprise thread
- RFD National Car thread
Featured image via Flickr by Atomic Taco
Travel Resources For Your Next Trip
If you’re in the process of planning your trip and putting together your itinerary, these are genuinely the best resources that the Going Awesome Places team stands by 100%.
Credit cards: Don’t get burned by hidden fees on top of terrible exchange rates. When we travel now, we use the Wise Card. Simply load it with the currency you need before you go and use it as a regular VISA or their digital wallet card. Use their free app to track how much you have and top up when you need to.
Flights: Of all the booking search engines, Skyscanner is the most helpful and easy to use thanks to their Everywhere feature. Kayak is also another that’s we will often check as well.
Car Rental: If you’re looking to save money, these car rental coupon codes will be a true game-changer. Otherwise, DiscoverCars and RentalCars are great places to start.
Airport Parking: You’ll need a spot to leave your car at the airport so why not book a spot at a discount. Use code AWESOME7 to get at least $5 off at Airport Parking Reservations or Park Sleep Fly packages.
Data: We’ve been a huge fan of wifi hotspot devices like PokeFi because their rates are so good and you can use it globally but recently, we’ve really loved using eSIMs. The best one is Airalo. Save money by getting region-specific eSIMs and use referral code WILLIA9500 to get $3 USD credit on your first purchase. Ubigi is another one that we’ve had success with where they uniquely offer 5G coverage. Use code AWESOME10 to save 10% on your first order.
Hotels: Our go-to is Booking.com because they have the best inventory of properties including hotels and B&Bs plus they have their Genius tier discounts. The exception is Asia where Agoda always has the best prices. TripAdvisor is also useful for reviews and bookings.
Vacation Rentals: Your first instinct will be to check Airbnb but we always recommend checking VRBO as well if you’re looking for a vacation rental.
Tours: When planning our trips, we always check both Viator and GetYourGuide to at least see what’s out there in the destination that we’re going to. They often have different offerings and prices so check both.
Travel Insurance: Learn how to buy the best travel insurance for you. This isn’t something you want to travel without.
- Insured Nomads – Popular insurance provider for frequent travelers and comes with great coverage and special perks.
- RATESDOTCA – Search engine Canadians looking for the cheapest insurance including multi-trip annual policies.
- SafetyWing – A perfect fit for long-term nomads.
- Medjet – Global air medical transportation.
- InsureMyTrip – Best for seniors, families, and those with pre-existing conditions.
If you need more help planning your trip, make sure to check out our Travel Toolbox where we highlight all of the gear, resources, and tools we use when traveling.