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We have all been there. You arrive at the rental car counter and you put the keys for a rusty box and sub-compact wheels. Then, your horror - you see the invoice at the end of the trip and that the company hit you with a bunch of fees that you have not even known. (Toll charges? Additional insurance? Mileage limits?). To avoid more automatic struggles, we have compiled the most common mistakes you should avoid when renting a car. So, next time, everything you have to do is essence and go.

If you are often on the road, you can harvest many benefits by joining rental cars loyalty programs. For example,Favorite notice andEnterprise Plus will let you skip the counter,Alamo insiders offers a small discount of 5% for members and hertz'sGOLD PLUS PROGRAM facilitates the implementation withDismissThe identity verification program using facial recognition for you to skip long safety lines at the airport.

Before connecting your phone to the car Bluetooth car, know that some of your private information can be left behind. When you synchronize your device, your personal information is stored in the car and rental companies are not required to remove this data. It could give the next driverAccess to GPS information This could reveal where you went and all the addresses of the house you recorded. If you need to connect your phone, make sure to first search how to wipe the specific system data from this car.

Organize a trip on epic road? Be careful at the mileage plan because you could be slammed with exorbitant fees if you go further than the maximum distance.Hertz andBusiness Offer unlimited mileage in some states (but charge you if you will intervene state lines). And if you rent a weekend, there may be different rules than a weekday. For example, the company has a100-mile cap a day On some weekend rentals, and Hertz will charge you$ 0.25 for each additional mile on the limit. Pro Council:Sixt Offers an unlimited free mileage on all its standard vehicles.

Many rental companies offer fast passes, such as E-Zpass or Fastrak, which will allow you to use express channels in toll stands. Although it may seem the sentence of convenience, you will not be happy when you see the final invoice. Alamo, business and national fees $ 3.95 a day, even if you do not use a toll road, and Hertz load $ 4.95. Advantage is even worse: if you pass through a toll cabin without buyingE-Z toll packet of the advantageThey will charge you whenever administrative fees of $ 15 a day, up to $ 90 in total. The smartest route? Proceed to tollways only in cash or use your own personal transponder.

We have all done it all before. You get tired drivers and switch, or, Ahem, stop a glass and put the keys to a sober friend. Although it seems harmless, you can actually have a lot of problems if you have not added a second person to booking the rental car. If you encounter an accident when someone else is behind the wheel, your insurance does not cover any damage, because that person was not allowed to drive the car. This means that you will have to pay your pocket, which will cost you a lot more than the additional pilot fees of $ 10 a day. Fortunately, there are some loopholes. InCalifornia, pilots can be added free of charge and innine states, the spouse of the driver can be allowed without charge

You have not heard of us about us, but the car insurance rental is a bit of a scam. If you already have a car insurance for your personal vehicle, it is not necessary to double pay at the office - regardless of the amount of agent for which the agent could try to persuade you. In addition, you may have more protection thanks to your health or credit card services. The only time youshould buy extra insurance is if you rent a car abroad likeSome countries are not covered by American automotive insurers or banks.

Even if you do not have your own car insurance, you can always be protected by your credit card. The favorite chase sapphire card, for example, includes aRenunciation of automatic rental collision damage, which covers the collision damage and theft. It isMain coverWhich means you do not need to file a complaint with your personal insurance company and coverage includes other factors on the rental agreement.

Insurance included with your credit card benefits only applies if you pay using this credit card. If you pay with another card or someone else pays, the insurance will not apply. Even if you use another card from the same bank, it will still not count. You can book your rental car with points and be covered by insurance, but only if these points have been won on this specific card.

If you decide to opt for tenant insurance, be sure to read the fine impression and what is the insurance and does not cover. Many things can be obvious, but if you drive into aforeign countryYou may encounter unusual situations that you would never face the house. In New Zealand, for example, you must be looking for Keas, a species of mischievous parrots that like to destroy cars by pecking the rubber lining on the windows. Before locating a car in an unknown place, look for driving conditions and make sure your insurance will cover all kinds of unexpected damage.

Do not be fooled by this "case". Of course, it sounds like not to worry about filling the tank before returning thecarBut in the long run, you will always end up paying for more fuel than you actually use - and at a premium rate. You should also avoid leaving the supplies of the rental company for you because they could charge up to five times the price of the gas station. Your better bet? Fill the tank yourself and go back it before depositing.

It is always wise to chase offices and coupons that might save you a pretty penny. Discover all the different rental companies of the region and see if there are new membership reductions that you could enjoy. You may already have access to discounts if you are a member ofAaa,Bj's, WhereCostco.

Since there is more demand for compact cars, rental companies will sometimes offer a free upgrade to a SUV if they work down on smaller vehicles. But you can not get thegood deal You think you are. The biggest cars are much less fuel efficient, so you will end up spending more money on the gas you have maintained your original Sedan reservation. In addition, parking is always more difficult to find for large vehicles, which means you will probably have to pay a garage instead of hanging a free place on the street.

When you book a rental car, the company will ask you for taking care and removal. But the 24h / 24 clock does not start as long as the agent really gives you the keys. Let's say you book the car for five hours (from 11 am to 4 hours), but you did not choose the car up to 1 p. Technically, you have this car up to 1 p. The next day, at no extra cost, despite the hours you could have it originally online. Note: This does not apply to businesses like Zipcar, where cars are reserved for the time. Meaning If you return the late vehicle, you will be charged a heavy fee since someone else can have it booked for the same time as you were supposed to give up.

It costs rental companies more money to operate out of the airport, so their rates are generally higher to compensate for this. If you have time on your side, do you see if you can visit a desk in another area of ​​the destination you visit, either on the airport road or in the city center.

Give the car a quick on-site inspection is not enough. Before leaving, make sure you walk throughout the vehicle and take pictures of each angle. Some scratches or damage are easy to miss during a first look, but with a photo, you will have evidence showing what was and was not there when you took the car. For more insurance, save your photos online in case something happens to your phone during your trip.

Thanks to smartphones, there is no reason to pay for a GPS. The days of separate devices are long behind us. So you really do not need to borrow a fancy equipment from the rental agency. If you aretraveling In a foreign country and is worried about not having reliable Internet access, consider investing in a portable Wi-Fi access point or a local SIM card, so you can stay connected to the road. Pro advice: Keep a spare part of all your ropes and important accessories of your suitcase. In this way, you will have them when you need it.

If you land early in the morning or late at night, you might find yourself in an obligation if the rental office is closed. In major airports, such as JFK or Heathrow The rental offices are generally open 24 hours a day, but in smaller destinations, they could keep hours more limited and close early. Before deciding to rent a car, make sure the office you intend to visit will be open.

And for more general Mechajaps that you should avoid, consult the 20 worst travel mistakes you should avoid in 2020 .