Vacation Planning Tips

Oh what a title!

I played around with "inexpensive" and "saving", but what we all want is a cheap, reliable rental car, right? So, here are the tips from the experts at Tangerine Suites:

1. Where to Start? Expedia, Travelocity, or Orbitz all offer comparisons on rental cars for the dates and location you're looking for. If they are offering deals, that may be the end of your search. If not, it lets you see what the "going" rates look like.

2. Be a Weekend Warrior. Rates are typically cheaper on weekends. If you've got some flexibility with your rental arrangements, opt for weekend rental.

3. Weekly Winner. Weekend rates are great, but weekly rates are usually the best of all. We've seen savings of more than 30 percent off the daily rate by renting for the week (with savings still available even if you return the car after five days). If you a car for five days or more, try the weekly rate.

4. Book early. Rates depend on how many vehicles the company has on the lot at the time the rental is made, so sooner is better. Reserve your car at least a week in advance.

While I'm on the subject, consider that most car companies don't actually charge your credit card to make a reservation (the market is that competitive). Feel free to reserve and cancel should you find a better deal elsewhere.

5. Just Say No (to Insurance). When renting a car, you'll be offered a collision damage waiver (CDW) and a loss damage waiver (LDW). The first covers you in the event of a collision, while the second covers any loss to the rental company. Both kinds of coverage are a good idea, but not if they duplicate coverage already included in your own insurance policy. Give your insurance agent a call to verify coverage. If you're renting the car with a credit card, check with your credit card company to see if using the card to pay for a rental provides collision coverage.

There's one caveat: The collision damage waiver covers "loss of use," the charge levied by the rental car company to cover its lost income when the vehicle is out of service. In most states, auto insurance policies don't cover this loss, so if you have an accident, you may wind up having to pay this charge out of your own pocket.

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