Hawaii Travel Tip No. 2: rental cars
Money Saver: Prices for rental cars fluctuate mysteriously. Call again before your vacation and you may well snag a better price. You can also often get a larger car, if you’re interested, for little increase in price, since higher gas prices have lessened the demand for larger vehicles.
Money Saver: Look for specials online which may deliver a special code. Also, memberships, such as Costco and AAA, will earn a discount of five percent. Rental car companies used to strong-arm customers at the counter into buying daily insurance, CDW, or collision damage waiver. The incentive was that if you hit a bug you would spend the rest of your days cooling your heels in a Hawaiian jail until you could pay cash for the car. Nowadays, they just make you check off boxes saying you decline. It’s a good idea to bring a copy of your proof of insurance with you, though it is rarely needed.
Money Saver: Check your insurance coverage before you leave or call your broker. If you have full coverage at home you will very likely have full coverage on your rental car and should not pay for additional coverage. Some credit cards also include insurance when using them to rent a car.
More Hawaii budget ideas in the No Worries Hawaii guidebook
