Travel Deal of the Day (Dec. 12, 2006)

If you are young and renting a car, it can be very expensive due to fees tacked on by car rental companies which usually are around $20/day above the normal car rental rates. There are ways to avoid these fees, which can save you a ton of money.

The Deal:
Most car rental companies charges fees for underage drivers (usually drivers under 25). There are various ways to avoid these underage car rental fees.

How:
1) Investigate whether any associations that you are a member of have a deal with the car rental company to lower the minimum rental age from 25 to 21. Professional organizations often have negotiated contract rates with car rental companies, and sometimes those contracts apply for renters 21 or above (as opposed to 25 or above). The American Bar Association, for instance, provides discounted rates to drivers 21 and above renting with Hertz – so, by using the ABA rate, you are saving in two ways: you do not get charged the underage fee and you are get a discount off normal rates.

2) Check with your employer to see if your company has negotiated rates with the car rental company. Also, try renting a car through your corporate travel agency. Corporate travel agencies often have contracts with car rental companies that lower the minimum age for standard car rental rates to 18 or 21. Note that sometimes these lower rates are limited to situations when you are traveling on business.

3) Check with a university travel office to see if the university has negotiated special discounts with car rental companies. Often the young driver fee under such negotiated contracts is waived.

4) Check to see if the young driver fee is waived if you join the frequent driver club of your car rental company. Usually you can join the frequent driver club for free or for a low fee – even for a small fee, you will likely save money versus paying a young driver fee.

5) Check with neighborhood (off-airport) car rental companies. Sometimes the policies of local car rental companies will be more lenient than larger, nationwide car rental companies.