Peter Greenberg: Car Rental Cancellations

By: Peter Greenberg | Source: AARP.org | 2008-12-2

Mr. Greenberg, if you find falling prices for a car rental, can you just cancel your original rental and resubmit a reservation to pick up a lower price?
-John, Lakewood, Colo.

Generally speaking, the answer to your question is "yes." And it's usually a good strategy and one we recommend in order to get the best prices on car rentals.

However, there are some things that you need to know. When you're making your initial reservation, make sure you read the fine print (which can be tough to spot, especially online). What you're looking for are the cancellation policies. Most rental car companies do allow you to cancel your reservation without a financial penalty, provided that you do it with enough advance notice. With most companies, that's generally anywhere from 24–72 hours before you're supposed to pick up your car.

If you find that the car rental agency has lowered its own prices within the cancellation-penalty phase (i.e., really close to the date you're picking up your rental), then your best bet is to give the rental branch a call, speak to the manager, and ask for the lower price. Often, though certainly not always, you'll be able to get the lower price by talking to a human being. Online systems generally lack this flexibility.

This is one of the reasons I say that it often pays to talk to a real, live human being first.