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Spend enough years as a travel rewards geek, and you can almost book free flights and hotel stays in your sleep. But these days, rental cars can be one of the largest expenses you’ll have to worry about on your next vacation. That’s because during the COVID-19 pandemic, the rental car industry spent 2020 selling off cars while attempting to avoid bankruptcy. And prices are surging as rental-car services still haven’t been able to replace their cars quickly enough to meet the growing post-pandemic demand.
Thankfully, I've learned a few tricks along the way. Here's how to get discounted or free rental cars, including by redeeming credit rewards and finding special discounts.
Rental Car Discount Tips How to Get Free or Discounted Car Rentals
If you know where to look, you'll never pay full price again
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1
Book Through a Travel or Airline Portal
A great travel card will often let you book a rental car right in your favorite travel or airline portal with your rewards points.
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2
Get a Credit Card With Travel Statement Credits
Statement credits can be a super easy way to pay for a car rental. If you've already got miles or points racked up on an existing card, even easier.
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3
Sign Up for a Loyalty Program
If you've got a favorite rental car company (or could become a fan with the right incentive) sign up for its rewards program to earn rewards toward discounted or free rental cars.
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4
Use Corporate or Alumni Codes
Check with your employer or college to see what perks are at your disposal—car rental promo codes could be among them.
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5
Take Advantage of AAA Discounts
AAA members have access to several car rental discounts at popular companies like Hertz.
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6
Check Out Car-Sharing Services
Car-sharing services let you book a vehicle online directly from a car owner based on your needs—like the dates you're traveling and type of car you want.
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7
Look for Military Discounts
Current and former members of the military can find discounts on lots of products, and rental cars are no exception.
1. Book Through a Travel or Airline Portal
One easy way to pay for your rental car with credit card rewards is to use a card that allows you to redeem your points directly for travel.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card lets you book rental cars through the Chase Travel portal. The rates are fairly low, and you get 1.25 cents in value per point redeemed.
Chase Ink Business Preferred® cardholders can do the same. And if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you’ll receive 1.5 cents in value per point redeemed toward rental cars and other travel reservations. So if your rental car or other travel reservation costs $150, you’d only need to redeem 10,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points from your Sapphire Reserve account, or 12,000 points from your Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card.
Credit Card | Intro Bonus | Annual Fee | Rewards Rate | Learn More |
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Chase Sapphire Preferred® |
60,000Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $1,380 (60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points * 0.023 base) |
$95 |
1x- 5xPoints
The card offers 5x points per dollar on Chase Travel℠, 3x points on dining (including eligible takeout and delivery services), as well as 3x points on select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs). This card earns 2x points on all other travel spending and 1x point per dollar everywhere else. Chase broadly defines travel to include not just airfare, hotels and rental cars, but expenses like parking, tolls and public transit too. |
This product is currently not available via Slickdeals. All information about this product was collected by Slickdeals and has not been reviewed by the issuer. |
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100,000Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $2,300 (100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points * 0.023 base) |
$95
This fee includes extra cards for authorized users, such as employees, at no additional charge. |
1x - 3xPoints
Earn 3x points on the first $150,000 of combined spending in a number of key business categories |
Apply Now |
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$750Cash Bonus
Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening |
$0 |
1.5%Cashback
Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase made for your business. The advertised rewards type is cash back, but it’s important to note that you’re technically earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points (which can then be converted to cash back). |
Apply Now |
Chase Sapphire Reserve® |
60,000Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Earn 60,000 bonus points after using your card to spend $4,000 within three months of account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $1,380 (60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points * 0.023 base) |
$550 |
1x - 10xPoints
The card offers 10x points per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars as well as 5x points on air travel booked directly through Chase Ultimate Rewards immediately after you spend $300 on travel purchases annually. Additionally, earn 3x points per dollar spent on all other travel and dining purchases and 1x everywhere else. |
This product is currently not available via Slickdeals. All information about this product was collected by Slickdeals and has not been reviewed by the issuer. |
2. Get a Credit Card With Travel Statement Credits
Another great way to use points and miles to pay for your rental car is to use a travel credit card, including one that offers statement credits toward travel purchases. The leading card in this field is the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. This card offers double miles on all purchases, and its miles are worth 1 cent each as statement credits toward a variety of travel purchases, including rental cars. What's more, you can earn 5 miles per dollar on all rental car and hotel purchases that you make with the card through Capital One Travel.
Other benefits of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card include a $100 credit toward the application fee for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, and the ability to transfer rewards to airline miles or hotel points. There’s a $95 annual fee for this card.
Similarly, the Discover it® Miles card offers 1.5 Miles per dollar spent on all purchases and will match the miles you earn during your account’s first year. Miles can be redeemed for travel statement credits, cash back or other options. There’s no annual fee for this credit card either.
Recommended Travel Credit Cards
Credit Card | Intro Bonus | Annual Fee | Rewards Rate | Learn More |
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Chase Sapphire Preferred® |
60,000Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $1,380 (60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points * 0.023 base) |
$95 |
1x- 5xPoints
The card offers 5x points per dollar on Chase Travel℠, 3x points on dining (including eligible takeout and delivery services), as well as 3x points on select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs). This card earns 2x points on all other travel spending and 1x point per dollar everywhere else. Chase broadly defines travel to include not just airfare, hotels and rental cars, but expenses like parking, tolls and public transit too. |
This product is currently not available via Slickdeals. All information about this product was collected by Slickdeals and has not been reviewed by the issuer. |
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50,000Southwest Rapid Rewards Points
Earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $700 (50,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards Points * 0.014 base) |
$69 |
1x - 2xPoints
Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming. Earn 1X points on all other purchases. |
Apply Now |
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$200Cash Bonus
Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. |
$0 |
1% - 5%Cashback
Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025. |
Apply Now Rates & Fees |
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60,000Citi ThankYou Points
Earn 60,000 bonus ThankYou Points after making $4,000 worth of purchases during the first three months of account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $1,080 (60,000 Citi ThankYou Points * 0.018 base) |
$95 |
1X-10XPoints
10X total ThankYou® Points per $1 spent on hotel, car rentals and attractions (excluding air travel) booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through June 30, 2024. 3X -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Other Hotels 3X -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets 1X -- Earn 1 Point on All Other Purchases |
Apply Now Rates & Fees |
3. Sign Up for a Loyalty Program
You may want to join a rental car company’s loyalty program to earn rewards you can redeem later to help pay for a rental. Of all the rental car loyalty programs, my favorites are National and Hertz:
- National is great in my experience because it offers points based on the number of times you rent a car., which is ideal for those who rent for shorter periods, rather than many days at a time. It also makes sense for those who rent a midsize or other inexpensive cars.
- Hertz has a decent loyalty program that rewards you based on the amount you spend, so it's often a better choice for those who rent expensive vehicles and those who rent for longer durations.
You can also occasionally find Hertz points sold during the U.S. Travel Association’s Daily Getaways online promotion. And while this can be an excellent value, these points sell fast. The program was on hiatus during the height of the pandemic but is returning in 2023, so it's worth checking out if it will be offering Hertz points again. Also note that Hertz significantly devalued their program within the last few years, but I feel it’s still a program worth using.
4. Use Corporate or Alumni Codes
Depending on your situation, you may be able to take advantage of a discount code through your job or college. Many employers, especially at larger companies, offer discounts to staff on services like car rentals, phone plans and more. Check your discount portal to see if there are any offers or ask your human resources team if you’re not sure. Some government employees and private sector staff are also eligible for discounts or free rental cars if they’re on official business for their jobs.
Quick Tip
Many schools offer alumni discounts and other perks, and car rentals are often among them. Contact your college or university or search its website to find out if you can snag a deal.
5. Take Advantage of AAA Discounts
If you’re a member of AAA, you may have some lucrative discounts at your fingertips already. The auto club offers deals with multiple rental car companies. For example, AAA members get a percent off car rentals at Hertz, Thrifty and Dollar Car Rental. You could potentially save up to 20% on a rental through AAA.
6. Check Out Car-Sharing Services
A rise in car-sharing services have made renting a vehicle cheaper in some situations. Turo, for example, is a little bit like Airbnb, but for cars. This peer-to-peer car-sharing service pairs automobile owners with drivers looking for short-term use of a car. Hosts can list their vehicles, and drivers can search based on their dates and other needs to find and rent the right car. In many cases, Turo is cheaper than traditional rental car companies, and it boasts free cancellations up to 24 hours before your reservation, so if you find a cheaper option, you’re not out any money.
Get The Most Bang for Your Buck with RewardsBest Rewards Credit Cards
Visit the Marketplace7. Look for Military Discounts
If you’re a member of other organizations, look into any perks or promo codes they offer. For example, military service people can sign up on miltary.com to access a range of deals, including discounts on rental cars through Hertz, Enterprise and others. You may also be able to get a discount directly through some of the big car rental companies by letting them know you are an active member of the military. Check with their customer service and shop around before you reserve a car so you can find the best deal for your situation.
Bottom Line
With many rentals selling for two to three times what we used to pay, now is the best time to look for ways to redeem your points and miles—or get a discount—instead of paying full price. By examining all of your options, you might be able to get the wheels you need without feeling like you’re being taken for a ride.