Travel Deal of the Day (March 28, 2008)

If you are renting a car, you probably already know to inquire whether any membership clubs offer discounts on your car rental. But, I have recently noticed that car rental companies are offering vastly different discounts for each membership club.

The Deal:
When checking rates for a car rental, be sure to check rates using the discounts available from all possible membership clubs (AAA, American Bar Association, Costco, Sam’s Club, BJ’s Wholesale, Airline Frequent Flyer Club, Hotel Chain Frequent Guest Club, AARP, Union Membership, American Medical Association…). The discounts vary dramatically. Quite often, the amount of the discount and the base (pre-discount) rate vary based on the club. For instance, a recent quotation I received involved a rate quoted with a AAA discount – the rate itself and the discount (33% off) were far superior than another other discount.