Is it beneficial to take the fuel tank option with renting a car?

Every car rental agency has its own policy. However, they do have a common policy that allows customers to choose a prepaid option when renting one of their vehicles. This prepaid option permits the driver to pay an upfront fee, as stated in the rental agreement, eliminating the need for the drive to return the vehicle with a full tank of gas. No refund is given to the driver for any fuel that's left in the tank when the vehicle is returned.

If you decide not to choose the prepaid plan, and you return your vehicle with a gas tank that's less than full, you will most likely have to pay the rental company for having to refuel the vehicle. Their fuel charge will most likely be based on an estimate: the number of gallons needed to fill the tank times the cost per gallon as stated in the rental their rental agreement. Quite often, car rental agencies will charge a higher price per gallon than your local gas stations.

Rental Car Agencies May Charge $8.00 or More per Gallon

Here's the shocker! There are some rental companies that may charge $8.00 or more to fill up the gas tank after you return a vehicle. That's a huge dent in the wallet, especially for people who've opted for the prepaid plan. At some point, a person will need to add fuel. And if that person returns the vehicle with more fuel in the tank than starting with, he/she won't be credited for the additional fuel. So the rental company makes a profit on prepayment. That's extra gas the rental agency won't have to replace.

Business travelers can easily get the short end of the stick. Initially, they may have chosen not to go with the prepaid option. And in a hurry to return their car and catch a flight, they didn't fill up the tank. This last-minute chaos can cost them to pay dearly. Rental car agencies may charge $8.00 per gallon or more.

Think Before You Sign the Dotted Line

Is it possible to know exactly how far you'll end up driving and what the fuel costs will be? Probably not! So, in the rush to take advantage of what seems like a good bargain up front, people quite often go for the prepaid plan. And this attitude may be what many car rental companies are counting on. Business travelers may take the attitude that paying the extra fee is no big deal, since their companies are footing the bill. That may be the wrong attitude. Companies do examine their expenses.

Some Car Rental Companies are Flexible

A number of car rental companies may allow you to forego the prepaid option, and free you from the worry of having to fill up the tank before returning the vehicle. In this scenario, you're only required to replace the gas you've used. If your rental had a half tank of fuel to start, you're only required to return it with a half tank of fuel. Take the time to weigh the pros and cons of the fuel tank option.

You won't pick a cheap car rental if you leave it to the last minute

There's a very simple rule in this world of predatory sellers. If they think you are desperate, the price goes up. Just picture the scene. You quickly packed a bag, ran down to the airport and got on the plane. Now you have arrived with a crowd of others and begin queuing at the nearest rental agent's stand in the airport lobby. When you finally get to the counter, there are only a few of the most expensive, top-of-the-range vehicles available to drive away. If you could wait. . . but, obviously, you are in a hurry. Then there are additional fees to cover the paperwork. The price just keeps going up and up. So, to protect yourself against being gouged, you should always prebook as far in advance as possible.

Let's start with a quick summary of the reasons for advance booking. No matter how many times you see the advice, it remains true. Shopping around really does save you money. This site offers you access to multiple car rental companies, all of which are competing for your business. That gives them all an incentive to keep the rental rates low. Now check whether the airline or travel agency is offering a package deal of flight plus cheap car rental (and possibly plus accommodation). If that's the case, you could make a bigger saving instead of buying direct. Or perhaps your credit card or some other affiliate group to which you belong has a promotional offer on car rental. Or perhaps you belong to a loyalty program or your air miles reward program can be used to pay for the car rental.

Then take a further moment or two to check out the off-site rental agencies. Yes, you will have to take the airport shuttle bus or a taxi, which can cost you a few dollars, but often the more distant sites have really cheap car rental offers. If there's any doubt about whether it's going to be easy to get to the location to collect the vehicle or you are worried about finding additional fees, a quick telephone call will usually resolve matters. Remember the rental companies located at airports always have higher rates. Protect yourself and drive away the car you booked, at the time you booked, at reduced rates.

Cheap international flights and the best destinations

With most airlines offering their customers competitive airfares to keep pace with their peers it is simply a matter of doing a little research to get cheap flights nowadays. If you are planning to go on vacation, you can save lots of money by looking for cheap flights online but where are the best places to go to when you're low on cash?

There are a number of destinations you can go to where flights are cheap however this is rather relative because the price would depend on where you're coming from.

Traveling from one place to another is a fondness of this generation and it is often leisure that is the reason for this travel. Whether you'd like to see white sandy beaches in a tropical destination or would like to climb a mountain located on the side of the globe, it is now so easy to make these things come true thanks to international travel and cheap airfare.

Cheap airfare however is relative and would depend on how much money you are willing to spend and how much money you have but let's talk about real cheap prices i.e. ones that you can't believe will bring you to another part of the globe.

There are a number of destinations to choose from if you do not have one in mind just yet. The most popular include India, Hong Kong, China, and Austria. For those who would like to explore beaches, flying to Bali is a good idea because the airfare going to the said place is rather cheap compared to going to prime destinations such as London, Paris, and Frankfurt. Other destinations where you can get cheap airfare include places like Nicaragua, Bulgaria, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, and Mexico.

Traveling to the Pacific Islands for a holiday is also a wonderful choice. Whether you are going to New Caledonia, Vanuatu & Solomon Islands, Polynesia, Micronesia, Tonga & Cook or Fiji, you can be sure that you can get great deals from your travel agency of choice. Aside from looking into travel agencies, you can also plan your own vacation and just book a roundtrip ticket with a major booking firm.

Looking for cheap flights is relatively easy if you have the time to do some research. When looking for cheap flights however, make sure that you read the fine print so that you won't be surprised if there are additional charges later on.