Posts Tagged ‘save money on car rental’
20 Ways To Save Money On Your Orlando Vacation
We have now finished our guidebook to 20 ways to save money on an Orlando vacation. This guide is filled with ideas for saving money while you are in Orlando on vacation. Before you travel to the MCO airport and rent one of our discount rentals, print out this guide to reference while on your trip!
Download Link To The .PDF Version
Here is the link to download and print out the guidebook. Inside, you’ll get all 20 tips along with two coloring book pages to keep your kids occupied while in your cheap rental car.
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Text Version of 20 Ways To Save In Orlando
For those of you who don’t want to download and print out the 20 ways to save, here is the full text version of the guidebook.
1. Bring snacks and water with you to the theme parks so you are not spending your money on little items that can be bought ahead of time for much cheaper. You could easily spend $100 on snacks and food inside the theme parks, so pack snacks like juice boxes, small bottles of water, granola bars, cheese and crackers, and fruit.
2. Visit Restaurant.com and look for places that you may want to dine. In addition to getting things like a $25 gift certificate for $10, you can find coupons for the gift certificates, making them even cheaper (We have seen them as low as $2 for a $25 gift certificate). Check websites like couponcabin.com and dealcatcher.com, for 60%, 70%, and even 80% off of the price of the gift certificate!
3. Instead of a normal hotel room, consider a vacation home rental. You will get significantly more room, and it will be easier to prepare meals and relax. Plus, you often get other amenities like a pool and gaming systems for the children. Buy groceries when you first check-in, and eat breakfast and lunches at the rental home.
4. When you arrive, ask people around you like the hotel staff and the companies that you are planning to visit if they have any specials or discounts currently going on.
5. Set budget limits ahead of time on souvenir spending with the children and yourself. Your children will be overwhelmed with the amount of goodies and souvenirs that they will come across while in the theme parks, so make sure that you stick to your guns and only spend what you budgeted for.
6. Consider other activities for arrival and departure days. Spending a few hours in the park might not be worth the price of full admission when you could be visiting free places like International Drive, CityWalk, Disney’s Boardwalk and Downtown Disney. Relax on your arrival and departure days, because you will be walking a lot in warm weather for the rest of your stay.
7. Look for I Love Orlando magazine, which contains many coupons and discounts. You can often find them in tourist area, restaurants and shopping malls. Visit their website here.
8. Bring your film, batteries and sunscreen with you. It can be very expensive to buy convenience items at the theme parks. Remember to stock up on batteries, disposable cameras, and over-the-counter medications before you leave for your trip.
9. Consider purchasing an entertainment book for the discounts. Browse the vendors first to see if you will actually get value out of the purchase because it is area specific (you can’t take it home with you after your vacation is over).
10. Register for a Buy Local Orlando card. It’s free and encourages you to visit the local businesses in the Orlando area. Originally designed for Orlando residents, but the Mayor’s Office was excited when they heard it would be promoted on this list for visitors as well.
11. If staying at Disney, consider the Disney dining plan. It straps you into eating within Disney property while you are visiting, but if that was what you were already planning on doing, it will save you money. Another quick tip: Reserve your dining as far ahead as you can (up to 90 days if you are staying on Disney property).
12. Book an Orlando hotel with a refrigerator to save on quick snacks and breakfast, which can add up over a week long trip. If you can’t find a hotel or vacation rental with a full kitchen, upgrade to something with a small kitchenette to store food.
13. If visiting Universal Studios, consider the Universal Meal Deal. For $20, you can eat and drink all day.
14. Remember that time is money. Plan your day at the parks accordingly, so that you can maximize your stay. For instance, most people watch the Shamu show at SeaWorld at the end of the day. To avoid large crowds, visit the show in the morning. Get an early start when visiting the theme parks. If you are staying on Disney property, take advantage of the special extended hours. You are entitled to visit the parks earlier and later than guests not staying on property.
15. If you are planning on visiting some attractions outside the major theme parks, consider the Go Orlando Card, which gives you entrance into over 40 attractions, plus discounts for dining and shopping, for one low fixed price.
16. Print out your free Orlando Magic Card. You get discounts on hotels, vacation homes, attractions and dining. If it’s free, it’s for me!
17. If you are staying off-property of Disney, Universal or others, see if your hotel offers free shuttle service. Parking at the resorts is expensive ($12 and up per day), so if you can get free shuttle service to the resorts, it may be a factor in choosing your hotel as well.
18. If you are doing grocery shopping while in Orlando, find a retail chain away from the tourist attractions to grocery shop. Publix is Florida’s most popular retail grocery store chain, and you can find everyday deals like “buy one, get one free” on many different items.
19. Consider free souvenirs. If you have really young kids or if you are into scrapbooking, these free souvenirs are a great alternative to expensive park souvenirs. Hotel room keys, napkins, park maps, tickets and items made at Epcot at the Kidcot centers throughout the park are great alternatives
20. Rent your vehicle with E-Z Rent-A-Car. We are the only discount car rental provider located in terminal at the Orlando International Airport, and we offer more ways to save than with any other Orlando car rental company. We provide website exclusive coupons, and you can earn additional automatic discounts just for being a member of our car rental loyalty program. It’s really the only way to the cheapest car rentals for Orlando, FL.
Tags: Orlando Discount Car Rental, save money on car rental, saving money in Orlando, saving money on travel
Car Rental Fees And How To Avoid Them
Every company has fees associated with doing business, and they can be quite annoying for the customer. These fees serve a purpose, mainly to allow companies to re-coup the cost they incur when a customer does something that costs the company money. Whether a company should charge a fee for this or that is a different debate, but for now, let’s focus on how to avoid fees in the car rental industry.
Be prepared for paying tolls and knowing their location
Some cities such as New York, Chicago, and Orlando have toll roads, especially near airports where tourists will be driving. Many car rental companies are charging fees for toll violations by the customer, because they are also charged a fee when they are issued a toll violation. Before you pick up a car, check Google Maps to see if your route will be taking you on any toll roads. If so, keep a healthy amount of loose change and single dollar bills in your wallet or purse to pay for the tolls. If you happen to run a toll by accident, make sure you immediately call the rental car company. They can supply you with the number you can call to pay the toll before it is sent to the rental car company as a toll violation.
Always fill the gas tank back to the level it was before you rented it
It costs rental car companies extra time and money to be filling the car up with gas, and they will often charge to fill up gas at a rate double the normal gas price. My advice is to pre-pay for filling up the gas tank. When you rent the car, you can offer to pre-pay for gas at a discount rate. Then, you don’t need to spend the time filling up the tank before you drop it off.
Avoid one-way rentals
If possible, try to pick up your discount rental car at the same location you drop it off. It is always more expensive to rent a car as a one-way rental, and you should avoid it, if possible.
Don’t Be Late!
Time is money for rental car companies, and they will sometimes charge a late fee or an extra day of rental if you don’t drop the car off within a certain time period that you said you would. Rental car companies have hundreds of customers coming to get cars at all hours of the day, so if you’re late, they’re losing money.
We understand that this article is coming from the perspective of a rental car company that does charge fees as part of a contract agreement that you agree to, but to maximize your experience as our loyal customer, we want to help you avoid extra fees as much as possible!
Tags: cheap car rental, discount car rental, rental car fees, save money on car rental, saving money on travel
How To Save Money On Your Car Rental
photo credit: mangpages
For most of our customers, price is a huge factor when determining what company to use when renting a car. The economy isn’t great right now, which leads to even more price-sensitive consumers. Here at E-Z Rent-A-Car, we understand that you are looking for the best price, so here are a few ways that you can ensure getting the best car rental rate from us or any other car rental company you choose.
Book In Advance
In economics, supply and demand drive the price of any good or service that we consume. This is no different in the car rental industry. The more advance notice that you book a car rental, the better your chances are of getting a great deal. As the time gets closer to your expected date of rental, the supply for a car rental goes down and the demand goes up. This is why airlines and rental car companies charge higher rates when booking a car or flight with less time in advance.
If you know that you’ll be renting a car over a busy holiday, make sure you book further in advance to lock in the best rates possible.
Take advantage of our online coupons.
If you are a veteran, senior citizen, teacher, student, airline employee, or policeman, we have a discount code waiting for you! These coupons are offered frequently on our website, so make sure you use them when you book a reservation with E-Z Rent-A-Car.
Here is the page for E-Z Rent-A-Car Discounts and Promotions
Join Our E-Z Money Rewards Program
When you join E-Z Money you’ll receive instant discounts and have access to exclusive member only coupons. Every member automatically receives 10% of their future car rentals. Plus you’ll start earning points that can be redeemed for credits on future rentals with no black out periods.*
Once you sign up, we’ll also give you a complimentary, personalized page where you can log in and easily find your future reservations, past rentals, access receipts, and keep track of all your E-Z Money points.
Click here to learn more about our three E-Z Money programs and which one suits you best.
The most important tip is to be an informed and educated consumer. Don’t just settle for the first car rental rate that you find. Search for different rates, read customer reviews, and search for the company with the best customer service and fleet vehicles. We are confident that E-Z Rent-A-Car will fulfill all of your car rental needs.
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