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There also are certain credit cards that confer automatic elite status with rental car programs. (Screenshot from AutoSlash) Use your car rental membership statusĮven before the current car rental shortage, one of the perks of being part of a car rental membership program is saving time by avoiding the pick-up line at some of the more popular rental locations.Įven better, you don’t need to have elite status to be able to skip the rental car counter and select among the available cars in your eligible aisle with certain programs, including Alamo Insiders and Budget Fastbreak. It also is a good idea to call the rental car company before you arrive and double-check on the status of your reservation. You can also lock in your rate before it rises - and you can often rebook without penalty if rates drop.įamiliarize yourself with AutoSlash, which allows you to track and monitor your reservation for a price drop and will automatically rebook you at the lower rate. Having an advance reservation will almost certainly increase your likelihood of driving away with a car compared to walk-up customers.

Book earlyįirst of all, book your car rental as far in advance as possible. Their challenges were exacerbated by a global supply chain shortage of key car parts, including microchips, that slowed new car production overall.Īs rental car companies work to address their inventory issues, here are some things you can do to increase the odds you’ll have something to drive the next time you need to rent a car. When travel abruptly halted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many rental car companies were forced to sell large portions of their fleets and stop ordering vehicles when demand dropped as much as 90% in the earliest days of the pandemic.Īs travel slowly began rebounding, rental car companies struggled to keep up with the pace. Maybe next year the company can expand to covering the entire NCAA tournament.To start, let’s back up a bit and remind ourselves how we got to this point. With the excitement surrounding college basketball in March, Zipcar is smart to capitalize on the craze regionally. According to the press release, for every hour that one of the vehicles is rented, the company will, “donate $1 to Future Founders Foundation, a Chicago-based non-profit organization that inspires the youth of Chicago to explore and practice entrepreneurship.”

Not only is this project a fun way to spread the Zipcar name and show school spirit, but it’s also going to raise money for a good cause. It’s become a popular alternative in major cities over owning your own vehicle. Tourists or locals can quickly rent cars to drive around a specific city and pay by a specified increment of time. The Chicago area has a large population of Big Ten alumni eager to support their alma mater, and who are also savvy city-dwellers that can benefit from simple and affordable access to wheels.”įor those unaware of what Zipcar is, it’s one of the world’s leading car sharing networks. “Zipcar vehicles are on more than 400 colleges and universities across North America, so partnering with the iconic Big Ten Conference was the smart thing to do.

Zipcar Chicago regional general manager Charles Stephens spoke about the company’s presence on college campuses and in the city: Zipcar Rolls Out B1G-Branded Cars | TravelPulse