Travelers encouraged to avoid car rental upgrades

Travelers making use of the services offered by car rental companies are encouraged to avoid upgrades, even if they are offered for only a nominal extra fee and on a few occasions, this may even be free of charge. This piece of advice was suggested by travel planning advisor Brook Wilkinson, who believes that although they may sound good, upgrades often made available for only a few dollars extra end up costing renters much more. For example, upgrading an economy-class, compact car may seem like a deal if it only costs a couple of dollars, but those using a hired car to go on longer road trips will soon find that the cost of filling up an SUV or full-size vehicle with fuel is much more expensive and will increase over-all costs significantly.

Another reason to avoid an appealing upgrade opportunity is that this is a good way to do one’s part for the environment and limit pollution. The only time it would make sense to take a car rental company up on a free, or low-priced upgrade to a larger vehicle is if one is traveling as a family, with several small children and plans on taking a lengthy road trip. Occasionally, it may be necessary to accept an upgrade, if the rental company is temporarily out of the requested economy-class vehicle. In these cases, however, the customer should request that insurance and collision damage waiver fees remain the same as if it was for the originally requested car. If the rental outlet is out of the requested vehicle, it can be worthwhile to try waiting for a short period of time—especially if the pick-up time is before 11am–as many renters from the previous day may yet to return their car.