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November 22, 2008 11:53:57 AM CST

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How to Curb Rental Car Costs

Posted Jun 19, 08 7:46 AM CDT in Glossies,  Arts & Living 

(Newser) – With $4 gas, shrinking competition, and airport fees, finding an affordable road-trip rental can be challenging. Travel and Leisure offers these tips to curb costs.

  • Avoid airport rentals: Rent your car from downtown and avoid airport fees that add 25% to 45% to your bill.
  • Ditch the rental specifics in favor of Hotwire or Priceline’s reservation roulette, in which you pay without knowing which rental agency you're dealing with.

  • Take the aggregator route: Try rental-comparison sites such as Kayak or SideStep.
  • Check with your insurance company to know what's covered.
  • Don't forget to top off the tank upon return.
  • Travel globally, rent locally: A better deal and broader selection may await abroad if you give a native rental agency a spin. 
For more tips, click below.

Source Travel Leisure

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Unless you want to pay a astronomical premium over gas-station prices, another good rule of thumb is to top off the tank before returning the car to the rental agency.   (Photo by Mark Renders/Getty Images)
A car pulls out of the Enterprise car rental lot at the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International airport.   (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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