I've seen savings of as much as 50% just by pre-paying for a car. Obviously there's a tradeoff here, since you're effectively tying up your money for longer and losing some flexibility if your dates change. But if you're booking non-refundable airline tickets anyway, you're not going to change your dates unless someone dies. ;)

I have done this locally at my destination. One downside is that some local francises need the renter to return the car in person or else require a money order if you are not going to pay up front. This is when you fly out on a Monday morning and the local franchise is not open until after your flight + 2 hour pre-flight wait. No drop on Sunday night either.

Doesn't sound like it will save that much in reality for most people traveling in the US.

Taking a Taxi to a rental place will really only save you money if you're close to the airport to begin with or if the city you're traveling to has good public transportation. Your "savings" may be very quickly eaten up by cab fares, cab tips, and the extra fees that most airports tack on just to drop the flag on airport property.

The 2-rental solution sucks because if there is a one-way fee, you will pay it twice or find another way back to the airport. Plus, it's a huge hassle since you will then need to top off the tank for both of the rentals and have to deal with the rental car counter twice. Do you really want to be spending your time doing that on your vacation? I know I don't. Just look for the best rate online, look for discount codes, and don't worry about the fees too much.

Finally, I've found that cars at the in-city rental lots are older, smellier, and more abused than the ones that you get at the airport.

I will say that my 4 or 5 day rental from Dulles Airport cost me a heck of a lot less than a rental for the same period of time from the New Haven train station...and I had the luxury of an offsite rental, my grandparents and I waited HOURS for a car whereas my aunt had hers in like 5 or 10 minutes from the airport.

My solution is to take public transit from the airport to a point where an off airport rental car office can pick me up from. Depending on the day of the week you can save serious money because not only are you not paying the airport fees, but their rates may be better as well.

Best solution: Take the FREE HOTEL BUS to a hotel that has a rental car counter. The hotel buses don't usually ask if you are a guest, and you can always say you are meeting a friend at the hotel. Your new rent-a-car friend. Double check 1 thing, some Hotel Car Rental Companies add a fee as well...a Hotel Fee. Other than that, your out of the airport, and you probably check the car in the airport and never have to ride the shuttle back (Although getting dropped off at your gate, with out ridding the rental car shuttle, and maybe being the only guy on the hotel bus doesn't suck either.)

The only thing I'm looking forward to about turning 25 next year is not having to pay the RIDICULOUS fees they charge me whenever I rent a car. To the tune of over a 100% surcharge. Last time it was like $26 a day for the car and $35 a day extra for being 24.

Renting at a location outside of the airport is far cheaper, even if you have to take a taxi and waste a little time.

In August, I searched high and low for a 8 passenger SUV out of Norfolk, VA (Suburban or Expedition XL.) Budget and Avis has them for $1200 over the 10 days I needed one. I had reservations at both as I worried that there wouldn't be one when I get there... we had eight people with us.

One week before we left I did one last minute search and came up with a local rent-a-car dealer that was six miles from the airport. The cost for a Expedition XL was $850! Even after we keep the SUV two more days it was still less than Budget or Avis.

We flew in for a wedding so we had a ride to the rental office (and back when we left) even so, a taxi ride would have been far cheaper than the airport rental agencies.

It pays to search and search and search for the best deal!

Avoid airports and flying period.

@West Coast Secessionist:

When I 24, I needed to get a rental because my car was in the shop after being hit by a hit and run driver while parked. Enterprise offered me a car, then asked my age, then told me they couldn't rent me a "luxury" car because I was under 25. The "luxury" car they had offered me was a Volvo. I was too young to rent a Volvo.

Instead, they gave me a Corolla with power nothing that looked like it had been beat with a ball-peen hammer.

I saved money on my last business trip by picking up my rental car in Baltimore and driving it to Indiana instead of picking it up at the airport. Saved me the cost of a plane ticket, too. Spent a bit on gas, but it was a nice trip.

@madanthony: hahaha. i see what you did there.

Working in rental, I can add two bits of information to this. One: the airport service charge is a charge added by the city where the airport is, and passed on to the renter. Sometimes locations that are just close to the airport even have them because cities get greedy. Second: If you pick a company that will pick you up, take the shuttle to your hotel and have them come get you. Legally, non-airport locations can't pick up at airports, but there's no rule about hotels!

I have had good luck renting cars through priceline. Most of the time I have been able to get my rental for half price quoted on the rental car sites or other travel sites.

@West Coast Secessionist: Those do suck, but I was able to get around that through my employer. We have a preferred rental car company who waives the underage fee if you are renting with them, even if its a personal rental and not for business purposes.

@ckaught78: Priceline is always the best deal for me.

@West Coast Secessionist: If you have USAA, they waive the underage fee for 21-24 year olds...

I live in DC, and I always rent at National Airport. There are a bunch of places downtown, but their hours are limited, especially on weekends. National is very easy to get to via Metro.

Here's the real way to save on rentals: Use Priceline.

It's not like a hotel, where you might end up in an area you don't want to stay. I just tell it the airport, what size car, and my price. Who cares which counter you rent from, since they're all in the same place? This past weekend I rented a mid-size car for $15/day. I've gotten compacts for $13/day.

Renting from the airport saved me money last time around. I always get LDW but then I went to get the car the LDW was 50% more than they told me over the phone. They told me that the LDW was less at their off airport location. I declined the LDW and I drove right by it when I was leaving, it was FOUR blocks away. So I stopped there and they said that they would need to charge me twice for that first day. Both places got their cars from the same lot and it was a ten minute shuttle ride to the 'airport location'. What a joke! This was from the Miami airport, I wish I could remember the rental company.

@KayEetion: that depends on the company and the location. some franchises dont waive it regardless.

well i am a car rental agent at an airport in alaska. i can tell you one of the things i have learned: the offsite location may not have the airport taxes or fees, but the rate is also usually higher. also, we hate people who complain about the taxes (adds up to 30% here at the airport) being that WE rental agents have nothing to do with the taxes and EVERY company is REQUIRED to put those taxes on every contract. i could go on and on about about what customers take for granted but i digress...

@logicbox: It's waived 100% for active military.

@West Coast Secessionist: That fee totally amuses me. I was 25 my boyfriend at the time wasn't. We rented a car and went to my aunt's house. We get there and she asks if he drove, he btw is a PILOT for an airline. I said no he wasn't old enough to rent the car and she says "They let you FLY A PLANE WITH PEOPLE ON IT but you can't rent a car?"
I thought that was pretty funny.