46 rental car promotions that will save you money this fall - The Points Guy (2024)

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

With cruising and air travel out of the picture, more people are hitting the road this summer than ever. There are many incredible places to visit in your own backyard and renting a car is a great way to travel safely during the pandemic.

The great news is that nearly every major car rental company offers tons of great incentives for your next booking. We're talking waived young driver fees, discounts topping 35%, bonus airline mile promotions, travel credits and more. You don't have to bounce from one car rental website to the next either – we've compiled all the great car rental promotions and discount codes right here.

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Avis promotions and coupon codes

Avis has a huge line-up of discounts and promotional offers. In fact, there are so many that we decided to break them down into categories. You can save up to 30% on summer rentals or opt for cash discounts based on your total rental price. If you're feeling generous, you can even take advantage of Avis' partnership with several non-profit organizations that allow you to save money while supporting a great cause.

Avis is currently disinfecting all vehicles using EPA-certified disinfectants and minimizing contact during check-in and vehicle return.

Related: Your points, miles and loyalty guide to Avis

Avis discount promotions

Avis is offering three discount promotions on car rentals. The best deal is the $30 off promo on rentals of three days or longer. The catch is that you need to make a prepaid reservation. There's no promo code for this promotion -- simply search for a vehicle on the Avis website and choose the "Pay Now" option on the search result page.

Avis cash discounts

While Avis' 30% summer discount is pretty substantial, you may find further savings by combining this promo with additional promo codes. At the moment, Avis is offering an extra $10 - $15 off, depending on your rental period.

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I ran a test search for each of these discount codes and not only was the relevant cash discount applied each time, but I was given the option to save more by choosing the Pay Now rate.

Just keep in mind that the discount applies to the base rate, before taxes and fees. So if you want to take advantage of the $15 off coupon code, for example, your car rental cost needs to total $125 before taxes and fees.

Related: How to never pay full price for a rental car

Avis membership discounts and promotions

Avis offers several membership-based discounts, including AARP and Amazon. That's right -- if you have an Amazon account, you can get up to 30% off on your Avis rental, plus another 10% bonus in the form of an Amazon gift card.

Avis also offers discounts for members of the military and is temporarily waiving young driver fees for those aged 21-24.

Avis charitable promotions

What's better than saving on car rentals? Supporting a great cause while you're doing it. Avis partners with both the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Susan G. Komen to offer 25% off base rates along with a donation to each cause. Just remember to use the corresponding promo code.

Budget promotions and coupon codes

Budget currently has more than a dozen car rental discount promotions and codes, including 35% off summer rentals. Like Avis, Budget partners with several non-profit organizations to offer savings and charitable donations.

Budget rental car discount promotions

At 35% off, Budget offers one of the biggest car rental discounts out there. You'll need to book a prepaid rate to qualify for this discount. Beyond summer 2020, you can save big on truck rentals and long-term rentals.

Related: Should I buy a used car instead of renting this summer?

Budget rental car cash discounts

You can stack Budget's 35% prepaid discount with a promo code to save even more on your car rental. Just remember that the discount applies to your pre-tax total.

On a test booking, I was able to get the price of a 3-day luxury car rental down from $194.94 to $150.45 by stacking these promotions.

Related: How AutoSlash can save you up to 77% on car rentals

Budget rental car membership discounts and promotions

If you miss the cut-off for Budget's summer discount promotion, you can save up to 30% year-round as an AARP member. The great thing about AARP is that despite being targeted toward senior citizens, anyone can join AARP regardless of age.

Veterans and current members of the military can skip the AARP membership fee and save up to 25% on Budget car rentals. Interestingly, Budget also offers discounts for union members.

Budget charitable promotions

Budget offers 25% off the base rate when you rent a car with one of these promo codes. The company also donates 5% to Alex's Lemonade Stand or the Susan G. Komen foundation.

Budget partner promotions

Not only can you save up to 30% on Budget car rental bookings, but you earn some interesting rewards. For example, Budget is offering four months of free Apple Music when you rent a car and opt-in to receive emails.

An individual Apple Music subscription costs $9.99, so this offer is worth up to $40. If you can find a cheap one-day rental, this could be worth doing just for the Apple Music subscription alone.

Related: The top 3 easiest ways to save on rental cars

Dollar Rent A Car promotions and coupon codes

While Dollar Rent A Car isn't offering the biggest percentage discounts on rental cars, the company's rent-five-earn-two-free promo is pretty generous. You might also find value in some of the airline partnerships, some of which let you earn bonus miles and save on rental car bookings.

Dollar Rent A Car Discounts

With Dollar's rent-five-earn-two promotion, you'll earn enough points on five rentals to cover two free rentals in the fall.

Dollar Rent A Car membership and demographic discounts

In addition to the standard AAA discount, Dollar is offering savings to AICPA, Union Privilege and BJ's Wholesale Club members. Discounts aren't specified for the latter group, but it's worth comparing rates with the other promotions to see if you can save a few bucks.

Dollar Rent A Car partner promotions

Few of us are traveling right now, but if you're saving up for a post-pandemic vacation, Dollar's airline partnerships could be lucrative. For example, you can earn 2,500 LifeMiles on a one-day rental. TPG values these miles at $42.50, which offsets the rental cost.

On pricier rentals, you may be better off with the 10% discount that also awards 1,500 LifeMiles.

Enterprise promotions and coupon codes

Enterprise is currently running the Plus Your Points promotion, which offers double points on qualifying rentals through Jan. 31, 2021. Be sure to register for this promotion before your next booking to earn more points.

At the moment, CAA members also get 10% off prepaid fuel along with a free car seat at airports, two free additional drivers and unlimited mileage.

Enterprise also partners with a few travel rewards programs, enabling you to earn points on car rentals:

• Earn 500 Hilton Honors points per qualifying rental
• Earn 50 Amtrak Guest Rewards per qualifying rental day
• 4 Flying Blue miles per qualified Euro spent

Hertz promotions and coupon codes

Currently, Hertz is offering up to 20% off to travelers over 50. The fourth-day free rental and $250 travel credit promo is also worthwhile. Hertz is also jumping on the young driver bandwagon, waiving fees for drivers as young as 20.

Related: The complete guide to Hertz Gold Rewards

Hertz discounts and bonus points

Hertz's $250 in travel credits work out great for long road trips and one-day rentals alike. Right now is not the time to be attending live events, so that portion of the credit won't be particularly useful. However, the restaurant credit can come in handy if you're hitting the road or even just supporting local restaurants during a staycation.

As for the double points promotion, keep in mind that it applies to Pay Later rates only.

Related: Is the Hertz Free-To-Go Pass worth $99 per year?

Hertz membership and demographic-based promotions

Currently, Hertz is offering AAA members up to 20% off rentals. If you're between the age of 20-24, you won't have to pay young driver fees through Sept. 30. Those over the age of 50 get 20% off the base rate, which is the best discount Hertz offers.

Related: Loyalty programs can help save rental car companies — here's how

National Car Rental

National isn't very competitive with their current promotions. The company is offering $20 off weekend base rates on compact through full-size vehicles, minivans, SUV's or convertibles. You must book a 3-day minimum to qualify for this deal.

Additionally, you can get $20 off the weekly base rate by booking a 5-day rental. This offer is valid on economy through full-size, premium and luxury vehicles, SUVs, minivans and pickup trucks. It's not terribly exciting, but you should compare National's rates with the other companies on this listing before writing them off completely.

Bottom line

Overall, Avis and Budget are offering some of the biggest rental car promotions and discounts. Regardless of how great these promotions seem, you should always shop around to find the best rate possible. While Budget offers 35% off on prepaid rentals this summer, their rates may be higher than Hertz, which isn't offering any discount. So be sure to compare rates as well as discounts.

When you're ready to book, be sure to go through a shopping portal and use a credit card that offers primary car rental coverage along with bonus points. The Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred Card are both great options since they offer primary cover and earn 3x and 2x points per dollar spent, respectively.

Do your homework and check back on this page periodically for updated car rental discounts and promotions.