Tagged: rental-car

Road Trips in Europe: 12 Pitfalls for U.S. Drivers to Be Prepared For

Prepare to enjoy life in the slow lane.Europe isn’t, generally speaking, the place to channel your inner speed demon, despite the myths about German motorways having no speed limits.…

5 Perks that Even Infrequent Travelers Can Get from Loyalty Programs

Even if you only travel once or twice a year and you stand no chance of earning power status, loyalty programs can still offer you some great benefits.  For a long time, hotel,…

Why You Should Think Twice Before Buying Rental Car Insurance From Expedia and Others

I have spent 39 years working in the travel industry, writing about travel, and advocating for travelers, but just like everyone, I still get caught off guard by consumer gotchas. No…

Florida's Visitor Toll Pass Saves You $20–$30 a Day on Road Tolls. More Tourists Should Know About It.

Cashless tollbooths may be convenient for locals, but they're hostile to out-of-towners. As states eliminate tollbooth workers so cars can zoom through sensor points using…

Why Your Phone's Navigation App May Be Useless for Driving Outside Your Home Country

If you're planning to rent a car on a road trip in another country and you think you can simply use your mobile phone for step-by-step driving directions, think again. Technology can…

Car Rentals in Europe: Travelers Have to Watch Out for These Pitfalls

Renting a car in Europe is subject to a slightly different set of default rules than renting in the U.S., so Americans have to be more alert during the rental process. This advice,…

How Consumers Can Game Our Over-Mergered Travel Industry to Their Advantage

Last month on Frommer’s, I detailed how the U.S. airline industry has never been more concentrated thanks to mergers and acquisitions, and I expressed hope that the U.S. Department of…

25-Plus Holiday Travel Tips From an Industry Expert: Save Money, Beat Crowds, Dodge Delays

Last year was arguably the worst holiday travel season we’ve ever seen. The Southwest Airlines operational meltdown lasted 11 days encompassing Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New…

Report: Car Rental False Arrests Not Limited to Hertz

We're sorry to tell you there's a new chapter in the ongoing saga of people renting cars legally yet somehow being accused of vehicle theft anyway—a story Frommer's has been…

Thinking of Renting an EV? You'll Need to Make These Adjustments to Your Plans

The major car rental agencies now offer electric vehicles (EVs) as part of their standard inventory, but knowing what it takes to operate an EV may not yet be a part of your own…

Should You Decline Prepaid Fuel When You Rent a Car? The Answer, Once and for All

It's a dreaded moment that comes every time you approach a car rental counter: the part where the agent pressures you to accept the prepaid fuel deal. The pitch seems convincing. If…

Hertz to Pay $168 Million to Falsely Arrested Customers—From Its Insurance

We have an update to the ongoing scandal involving the Hertz Corporation, which was accused by hundreds of customers of reporting them to police for stealing cars that were lawfully…

Scam Alert: Road Trippers Getting Fleeced by E-Toll Racket

During the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, road authorities around the world accelerated toward a destination they had been nearing for years: cashless tolls. From New York City's…

Lawsuits Against Hertz/Dollar for False Rental Car Arrests to Reach the "Hundreds"

The Hertz Corporation, the rental giant that also owns Dollar Rent A Car, is facing a growing tsunami of lawsuits after having hundreds of customers arrested. NewsNation, the…

Italy Just Made the Amalfi Coast Drive Harder for Rental Cars. Here’s How to Visit Anyway.

UPDATE, July 13: After publishing the story below, originally dated July 1, 2022, Frommer's received an email from a reader asking about, among other things, how the Amalfi Coast's new…

Are Avis and Hertz Fixing Rental Car Rates? Congress Is Demanding Answers

As excoriating letters from members of Congress go, these made little effort to soften accusations. "Hertz appears to have used its market position to raise prices substantially even…

Warning! Hertz Still Slapping Erroneous Fees on Innocent Customers, Paper Says

Hertz may have emerged from bankruptcy protection earlier this year, but for customers of the rental car company, warning lights are still flashing. The troubled brand that Vanity Fair…

Strategies for Finding Affordable Holiday Car Rentals in 2021

Although we're no longer seeing headlines blaring "Rental Car Apocalypse!", should holiday travelers still be worried about rental car prices? Sadly, yes. Rental cars remain in short…

Hertz Accused of Slapping Fees on Innocent Customers: How to Protect Yourself

Tuesday's Los Angeles Times had a skin-crawling story about Hertz, the rental car giant that just emerged from bankruptcy last week. The article tells the tale of a family who picked…

Why Uber May Be the Best Way to Rent Cars This Summer

Last week Uber announced it was expanding its reach in yet another industry. The tech giant, known for its ride-hailing and delivery services, has partnered with the major rental car…

A Massive Shortage of Rental Cars Is Confronting U.S. Travelers

Thinking you’ll rent a car for your next trip? Think again. Shortages are slamming Florida right now, and industry insiders say the problem will only grow worse. Much, much…

The USA's Most Expensive (and Cheapest) Cities for Rental Cars

Every now and then, the rental car booking site CheapCarRental.net aggregates the price quotes it's been seeing and comes up with a list of the best and worst American cities for…

Rent a Car for a One-Way Road Trip for $20 a Day with No Drop-Off Fees

Every spring, the major rental car companies need to spread their cars from warm-weather cities, where vacationers tend to go in the winter, to locations across the country where the…

Do Rental Cars Come with Car Seats for Kids? Are They Any Good?

Rental companies advertise that they offer safe and clean car seats. But how do you really know if the unit you’re offered is up to snuff? To decide, consider what we’re calling the…

Drive to Florida in a Rental Car for Only $7.99 a Day

Winter is coming, and in Florida, so are the tourists. Each year, the major car rental companies shift their inventory to where the business is, and now that summer is ending, Hertz…