Backpack Rabbit: Car Rental Strategy in the United States

Choose a car rental company
There are numerous rental companies in the United States. The top ten rankings by turnover are: Enterprise; Hertz; National; Alamo; Avis; Budget; Dollar; Thrifty; Advantage; U-Save; Rent-A-Wrec; ACE Rent A Car. These companies have their own official website and can be found on the Internet. Some companies have offices in China and provide Chinese services.
In general, large companies have strong strength, strict management, and standardized services, but prices are relatively high; small companies have price advantages. Different companies have different business scales, business scopes and business outlets, and the related supporting facilities and services are also not the same. For self-driving travelers, it is mainly rental cars. Which company is more appropriate to choose is mainly to compare the models, prices, outlets, and services for renting cars.
Model selection. There are many models available for large companies, and they should rent the right model according to their own travel plans and the actual needs of the number of drivers. For example, sightseeing in a National Park in the United States is generally a good road. Unless you need a special vehicle for an adventure away from the road, you generally rent an ordinary car and you don't need to have a buggy.
price comparison. The composition of the rental price mainly includes three basic rental fees, insurance premiums, and taxes. Among them, insurance premiums account for about half of the total price. The same model, the price of different companies are different, sometimes the difference is very large. In addition, companies do not regularly introduce preferential policies, pay attention to browsing this information, you can save a lot of money.
Distribution of outlets. "Aircraft + self-driving" is a common travel method in the United States. Large companies have business outlets at major airports. You can rent a car and get off the plane to get on the plane. However, picking up cars in the city is generally cheaper than picking up cars at the airport. Each car rental company has its own business outlets. The more outlets there are, the more places for picking up and returning cars, and the more room for selection. Large companies have outlets throughout the country, and some have multinational chains, such as driving from the United States to Canada or Mexico.
service quality. It is generally felt that the service quality and service facilities of major car rental companies are similar and can be determined according to their own preferences. The most important is to consider services such as rescue, emergency, trailers, maintenance, and procedures.
Comprehensive comparison. Which company to ultimately choose, according to the needs of their own travel arrangements, fully consider the cost. Our trip to North America has a long time span and a total of 5 rental cars. Among them, Hertz was selected three times. The reason is that there are many business outlets, and it is convenient to travel in different places and is suitable for cross-border travel. The second is the (BANNED) price; Dole company was selected twice, on the grounds that the price was relatively cheap and the service was good.

Online car rental process
You can take online reservations, check-in counters, or go directly to the on-site counter. However, the first time you rent a car, it is best to book online. The advantage of doing so is that you can calmly and carefully read the company’s conditions, terms, and policies regarding car rental, and avoid omissions caused by carelessness; second, register online as a member of the company. Personal information at the company's record, you can enjoy the benefits, but also save time at the counter for car rental procedures.
Online booking is divided into 6 steps:
The first step is to open the selected company's website, carefully read the relevant conditions, terms and policies, if you find yourself unacceptable terms, leave the company and choose another one.
The second step, according to the website prompts, choose the time, place, model, price, additional equipment (gps, child seats, etc.) for picking up the car, returning the car.
The third step, enter the driver's driver's license information.
The fourth step is to enter credit card information. At this time, the money is not deducted. To deposit the car at the counter, the deposit is frozen and the payment is made when the car is returned. Note: The name and information of the credit card holder and driver's license holder must be the same, or they cannot rent a car. Some companies do not require credit card information when booking a vehicle.
The fifth step, carefully review all personal information and company policies and terms, and submit it after confirmation.
In the sixth step, the company website sends back the rental car reservation confirmation by e-mail, and the customer checks and prints it. If there is any objection, the order can be modified, changed or cancelled.

Car Rental Process
According to the information provided by the order, after finding the address of the company's business store and confirming that it is the company sought, there are five steps to follow:
The first step is to provide my passport or other valid ID and driver’s license. The United States, Canada, and other countries recognize China's driver's license. Notarizing a driver's license is not necessary, but for the sake of insurance, it is best to notarize or bring translations. Any notarization agency with appropriate qualifications can do so. We rented a total of 5 times, and only once was required to produce a notarial deed; in the case of 2 police investigations, the function of the notarial deed was mainly to serve as a translator.
In the second step, the salesperson fills in the basic information for renting the vehicle and the customer purchases the insurance. Car rental prices on the Internet usually do not include insurance. Insurance covers several items. In general, vehicle robberies (LDW) and third-party liability insurance (SLI) must be purchased, which is mandatory in some states. Other projects can be decided according to their own situation. For example, we purchased overseas travel accident insurance, and we no longer purchase the customer property damage insurance provided by the car rental company.
The third step is to submit the credit card and swipe the deposit. The funds that are usually frozen are 1-2 times of the actual rent. When the car is returned to the settlement, the actual amount is deducted and the rest of the frozen funds are returned. Note that you must make sure that your credit card has enough credit, otherwise you cannot rent a car. We had a credit card swiping and the amount of mortgage was insufficient. We had to make up for it with cash and we had to make a fuss. From the perspective of financial security, car rental companies generally do not welcome cash and do not receive advance payments.
The fourth step is to confirm the lease contract, sign the contract, get the car rental slip and get the key. Some companies also give a vehicle delivery order, but most do not. There is only one set of keys. Beware of losing or locking in the car. Some companies propose to purchase "keyless rescue service insurance."
The fifth step is to go to the parking lot to check the car and pick up the car. Usually, the parking lot is near the car rental office. Sometimes the staff leads the customer to pick up the car. Most of the time, the customer goes to the parking lot on their own to provide the car according to the parking lot number. The first inspection is for safety: lights, brakes, wipers, tire pressure, etc.; second is to check whether the driving procedures are complete, mileage; the third is to see if the body has scratches, collision damage. We feel that a large car rental company regularly maintains and maintains vehicles. The vehicles that are delivered are generally quality-assured, and do not particularly care about small scrapes. Vehicle injuries are handled by insurance companies. If it is a small company, it must be strictly examined. It has been seen on the Internet that some people rent cars for small companies at a low price. They have not been carefully checked and the results have suffered a large loss.
After checking the car and making records, you can drive on the road. When you get out of the garage, pay attention to the zigzag roadblocks set on the ground floor of the gate, and you can only enter or exit in one direction. It is not retrograde.

return car.
Returning the taxi to the car is very simple: drive the car to the parking lot without pulling out the key, and the salesman simply looks at the appearance of the vehicle, checks and verifies the information with a laptop computer, checks the amount of oil, and then prints a receipt to the customer. Get it, it takes only one or two minutes. Further inspection, maintenance, and maintenance of the vehicle are performed after the customer returns the vehicle.

Need to pay attention to three points: First, check the receipt. The receipt is a valid certificate for repaying the vehicle and payment, carefully checking the charges and deductions, and promptly negotiating if there is any doubt; the second is to avoid returning the vehicle overtime. The return time is calculated by the hour. The overtime will be fined; the third is to fill the tank with gasoline. , or charge a very expensive service fee. The tank is full when you mention the car. Someone was clever, the fuel tank was not very full, or it was over a long distance after being filled with oil. As a result, the car rental company required the Chinese to submit a fueling receipt or a small ticket when returning the car, and provided for the last refueling before the car. Must be within ten miles of the return point. Advise these people not to covet cheap and harm people's image and the rights of others.