Although car rentals bring innumerable benefits to consumers, you may be surprised when you get your final bill to see some charges you never expected. When renting a car during your trips, it’s crucial to have knowledge about these additional fees so that you can avoid them if possible. The extra charges might be because of gasoline, exceeding mileage, concession fees, etc. fortunately, there’s a way you can avoid these costs.
Insurance
Loss damage waiver or collision damage is some of the common insurance fees that car rental companies charge their clients. If you aren’t guilty of gross negligence, you may avoid paying these fees. Before subscribing to the insurance fees, you should first confirm if you’re ordinary car insurance covers these cost. You should also confirm if you can use your credit card for this service. Other optional insurance packages may get from the car rental company may include additional liability insurance, personal accident insurance, and personal effects coverage.
Gasoline Fees
A majority of car rental companies allow you to pick the vehicle when it’s on a full tank. If you return the car without fuel, you’ll have to pay more for the gasoline. If you want to avoid these charges, you should fill up the car’s tank in a gas station before returning the vehicle to the company.
It’s usually cheaper to purchase the gasoline from the gas station than what you’ll pay at the car rental company. However, before you go for this option, you should be aware of the company offers if you return the vehicle on a full tank.
The 24-Hour Clock
Most car rentals work in the 24-hour system. This means if you pick a vehicle from the company at 1.00pm today, you’re supposed to return the car at the same time tomorrow. For most car hire companies they’ll grant you 30-1200 minutes extra time to surrender the car failure to which you’ll pay for an extra day.
When renting a car, it’s essential to consider this aspect since it can increase the cost of the services. Alternatively, if you want to avoid trouble, stick to the authorized time.
Driver’s Age & One Way Trips
Another aspect that may introduce extra charges on your car rental is the driver’s age. Most car hire companies charge additional fees if the driver is under 25 years or an elderly (i.e., over 65 or 70years).
If you pick a vehicle from the company and drop it off in a different location, you’ll have to pay for the trip back to the company. If any of these cases apply to your car hire, then be ready to pay more for the car rental service. The best option to avoid these charges is to familiarize you with the terms and conditions of the service.
These are some of the extra charges you may pay for your car rental. But fortunately, you can avoid them if you implement the details above.