Almost every company is competitive these days because they have to be, but that doesn't mean they will always give you the best discount they can. One area that has risen owing to fuel costs and inflation is car rentals and it has seen many rises so if you're not sure, here are a few tips on how to make your cheap car rental more realistic.

Always use the internet to reserve you car if at all possible. Internet sites, offer internet only discounts which could very beneficial for you, rentals can be achieved by being wise, so put discounts like these to your advantage and you're sure to save a lot. The aim is to try and get everything you can for less money with you cheap car rental.

When you collect your car it will have a full tank and that is how they expect it returned and you can save a great deal buy finding and using the cheapest gas station to do this before you drop the car off. You will save more than when they make you pay for the gas at an inflated rate. Many companies will supply some form of discount either in costs or some other for of benefit if you are a returning customer.

don't forget to ask them if you can exchange your flyers miles for car rental miles. This is especially useful when your flyer's miles is about to expire, instead of just letting it go to waste, get a cheap car rental for it. Early reservation is always a good idea and another time when a discount is usually available to customers.

Although it is not exactly a discount, a way to get a free vehicle upgrade is to be at the car rental depot as they open the doors and as they will almost certainly be waiting for a large number of cheap car rentals to be returned, you may be offered an upgrade at no charge. It is also possible to get discounts on more than just a car if your rental agency is affiliated with hotels and airlines; there may be further discounts available if you decide to use all of these. It can be just as easy to use one of these comparison sites that give the cost of the cheapest rental and you can enter your budget and they will find a car rental deal to match.

You would be wise to check the company that is prepared to offer you this package, not just their history but see if the same deal is available for another source at a better discount. If you're going to use the vehicle for more than five days try to find weekly rates from car rentals, with weekly rates, the sixth and seventh day are almost always discounted, so remember to look for this. Instead of picking up your rental at the airport, save money by picking it up at the shop, this'll reduce airport surcharges.