Save on Car Rentals – Car Rental Coupon Code Extreme

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!

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?

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

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Featured image via Flickr by Atomic Taco