Rental Cars: Saving Money, Avoiding Fees and All the Secret Tricks with Jonathan Weinberg

#66: Rental car expert, Jonathan Weinberg, joins me to discuss saving money and getting the best rate when renting a car. We also delve into the state of rental cars today, strategies to avoid paying exorbitant fees, the advantage of status loyalty programs, car rental insurance, money-saving hotel, airfare, and travel tips, and much more.

Jonathan Weinberg is the co-founder and CEO of AutoSlash, a website dedicated to saving people money on car rentals.

Partner Deals (Advertiser Disclosure)

For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, go to our Partner Deals

Selected Links From The Episode

AutoSlash | HotelSlash - discount code: allthehacks

Resources Mentioned:

• Hertz Gold Plus Rewards®
• Upgrade to Hertz President Circle with your Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Enjoy Emerald Club Executive level membership with your Visa Infinite Card
• National One Two Free program
• Kyte - Rental Cars, Delivered On Demand
• AutoSlash Blog post: Hot to Avoid Car Rental Additional Driver Fees

Full Show Notes

History of the rental car industry and the state of rental cars today [2:05]

Advice about when and where to book your rental vehicle and the many variables that complicate the search [5:21]

How the AutoSlash search engine operates [11:15]

Prepay versus postpay and searching for the best rates [12:45]

Using discount programs to save money and get the best rate [14:01]

Avoiding exorbitant fees and hassle by exercising caution when using an employer or corporate discount code [17:03]

Timing the booking of your rental to get the best deal [20:05]

How flexible are pick-up times, what companies offer grace periods for late returns, and how do weekend rental rates work? [23:07]

The differences between a 4/5 star brand and a 2 stars brand [28:01]

Other benefits to consider when choosing a car rental company to rent from and the advantages of status loyalty programs [33:18]

What to look for when choosing your rental vehicle [35:55]

Factors to consider when choosing to rent from the non-traditional rental companies [37:40]  

Exercising caution when using opaque rentals or broker websites [40:43]

Rental companies overselling their inventory and what to do if your rental is not available [44:11] 

Negotiating discounts when you get upgraded to a larger vehicle [48:49]

Never leave money on the table by paying for pre-paid fuel [49:52]

Using your credit card car insurance, personal car insurance, or rental car company insurance. [50:59]

Should you add more liability coverage than what is included, and are you covered if you book with points? [53:17]

Using Amex rental car coverage [56:07] 

Tips to avoid paying for various add-on rental fees [1:00:04]

Tricks to score free upgrades [1:05:15]

Documenting imperfections on your rental car [1:06:05]

Tips and tricks when renting a car internationally [1:08:17]

Two ways to use AutoSlash [1:11:35]

Money-saving hotel, airfare, and travel tips and tricks [1:14:17]

Connect with Chris

Newsletter | Membership | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

Editor’s Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.