There is no denying that the business travel industry is fast-growing. Post-COVID-19, many employees worldwide traveled for work purposes. With the current scenario of economic inflation, companies should look for cost-saving opportunities.
Business travel isn’t just about flights and hotels. Rental cars are crucial in enabling employees to navigate their destinations efficiently. Getting corporate discounts for rental cars acts like a cherry on the cake. However, the costs associated with rental cars have been on the rise, especially during peak travel times.
If your company frequently uses rental cars for business travel, you’re likely looking for ways to save on these expenses. That’s why we’ve compiled the 5 best hacks to get the best corporate discounts for rental cars in this blog, specifically tailored to your needs.
5 Best Hacks to Get Corporate Discounts for Car Rentals
Car rental companies usually offer the best deals during certain seasons of the year. However, these offers are not available during peak travel season, which is when getting the best discounts for car rentals is crucial.
Here are 5 main hacks to get the best deals:
1. Take the Assistance of Travel Management Companies
If you are a travel manager, you know the hassle of business travel bookings. You must take care of everything from when the business trip is announced until the employees return safely. With prices soaring in the market, you should also ensure that you don’t spend too much. Looking for corporate discounts on rental cars can be a time-consuming and cumbersome process.
You can eliminate all these hassles by assisting a travel management company (TMC). A TMC has experts from the business travel industry who help various organizations and employees get the best deals on travel. The TMCs have tie-ups with leading car rental companies from across the globe. Some rental companies also offer corporate discount codes for rental cars for TMC users.
Hence, they can help in negotiating and getting the best corporate discounts for rental cars. Moreover, they can access exclusive deals and offers unavailable to the general public.
Suggested Read:
What is a Travel Management Company?
2. Establish a Corporate Account with Major Car Rental Companies
The next best hack to score corporate discounts for rental cars is creating an account with major car rental companies. It is simple yet the best way to secure deals and discounts for rental cars. Some major US companies, such as Hertz, Avis, Budget, National, etc, offer tailored programs that provide pocket-friendly rates, extra perks, and top-class customer service.
Here is how you can establish a corporate account:
Research and Compare: Firstly, you must investigate the corporate programs offered by various car rental companies. Compare the prices, deals, discounts, additional benefits, and the flexibility of their terms.
Contact a Sales Representative: Speak with a sales representative from their team who can explain the benefits. They can help tailor a program specific to your company’s needs.
Negotiate Terms: Don’t be hesitant to negotiate. You can frequently secure better rates and terms if your company has more travel needs.
Sign Up and Communicate: Once you’ve chosen a provider, sign up and ensure all relevant employees know how to access and utilize the corporate discounts.
3. Utilize Credit Card Perks and Rewards
Many credit card companies and travel reward programs offer great discounts and additional benefits when booking a rental car. By leveraging these, your company can ensure significant cost savings. And if you’re a specific credit card user, it’s easy to get discounts. It includes some exclusive corporate discount codes for rental cars.
Leveraging credit card perks and travel programs is an effective way to secure corporate discounts for rental cars.
Some of the benefits of credit cards for car rentals are:
Discounts and Special Rates: Many business credit cards partner with rental car companies to offer exclusive discounts. For example, cards like American Express, Chase, and Citi have agreements with rental companies such as Hertz, Avis, and Enterprise.
Insurance Coverage: Most credit cards provide travel insurance coverage as a complementary benefit. This helps you save a huge chunk of money that you otherwise would spend on purchasing additional coverage from the rental agency.
Rewards Points and Cashback: Some credit cards offer rewards or cashback on travel-related purchases. You can collect these points for redeem them for future business travel expenses.
4. Compare Rates Offered by Various Car Rental Companies
If a rental company offers corporate discounts for rental cars, don’t just go with it blindly. It is important to do your own research and compare prices with competitors. When comparing rates offered by various car rental companies, several factors come into play that can influence the overall cost and value of the rental. Some of them are:
Base rental rate: The base rental rate is the initial cost of renting the vehicle, typically calculated daily or weekly. When comparing rates, it’s essential to consider each company’s base rental rate for the same type of vehicle over the same rental period.
Additional fees and charges: Besides the base rental rate, these companies charge extra fees and charges. These can include taxes, airport fees, fuel charges, driver rates, etc.
Rental period and flexibility: You must also consider the duration of your rental period and any flexibility offered by the rental companies. You can check for daily vs. weekly rates and flexible pick-up and drop-off to better understand.
Vehicle options and flexibility: Compare the availability of vehicle options and the condition of the vehicles. Some companies may offer economy cars, SUVs, vans, and luxury vehicles.
5. Keep an Eye on Promotions and Special Offers
Even with established corporate accounts and discount codes, monitoring promotions and special offers can yield additional savings. Rental car companies frequently run sales or offer extra discounts during certain times of the year. You can look for corporate discount codes for rental cars that some offer.
Here are a few tips for monitoring promotions:
Sign Up for Newsletters: Subscribe to newsletters from major rental car companies to receive updates on promotions and exclusive offers.
Set Up Alerts: Use tools like Google Alerts to notify you of new deals on rental cars.
Social Media: Follow rental car companies on social media for real-time updates on special offers and promotions.
Choose from the Best Corporate Discounts for Rental Cars
Choosing the best car rental company is difficult with so many available options. Let itilite help you with that. itilite is a new-age SaaS-based corporate travel management platform that helps businesses and employees make business travel seamless.
Securing corporate discounts for rental cars doesn’t have to be a complex process. You can significantly reduce your travel expenses by utilizing the hacks mentioned above. Additionally, optimizing the use of corporate discount codes for rental cars will ensure you get the maximum benefit from every booking.
itilite offers a wide range of budget-friendly car rentals that suit every traveler’s preferences. We have tie-ups with major rental companies from across the globe, thus can help you in getting discounts and deals. Moreover, we also provide 24/7/365 travel support during emergencies.
To know how, book a free demo with our experts now!
