Earn money or reduce debt with our advice and tips.

Lowest Rates Vs. A Good Bargain

The thing is, Car Rental market is very competitive one and rates differences for comparable quality and service are relatively small, sometimes as small as $10 to $20. These minuet price differences are going to vanish in the wind when you consider the long lines and lost time at the cheapest renter counter, drop charges for remote destinations, late return fines, and gasoline inflated rates as well as other service charges you didnt think about when you shopped for the best deal.

Dont get us wrong, we dont like to pay higher prices more than you do.
We do recommend to shop around and check the various rates available,
especially when its so easy to do it via the Internet at comparison sites.

All we say here you need to consider other things beside the price and when
you compare please make sure you compare apples to apples and not apples to pears.

Things to consider when ordering a rented a car

Who is using the car, are you by yourself on a business trip or you are traveling with the whole family? How much luggage are you going to have, does the car you are thinking about is big enough to have you all plus all your hand luggage and big suitcases? If not, consider to change to a mini van or a car with extra large trunk.

Do you need an Infant seat or a child booster? make sure it is mentioned clearly with your order, usually there is a shortage of these seats and they are provided for extra charge. Check the state laws for where you are traveling.
A new law in Denver for instance, requires Booster Seats for all 4 and 5 year olds who are not 55 inches tall.

Do you actually need the car in the town or city at the first few days? If not, consider to take a taxi, a bus, a train or the hotel shuttle into the city and when its time for you to go out of town and travel around, then, rent the car from the city location and by that save up to 15% on Air-Port charges as well as on city parking fees.

Are you going to a very warm and humid destination? If yes, its recommended to order a car with air conditioning, usually the price difference is negligible, the problem is that its not available in all destinations like in some European countries.

Most major rental car companies allow for unlimited mileage in the same state, but it’s a good idea to check their policy before confirming. Many smaller local independent companies charge mileage after 100-200 free miles per day.

As mentioned before price is not the only factor to consider when choosing a car rental company. If you choose a very small, no-name company, dont expect them to provide you with service across all nation or continent, what would you do if the car is needed to be replaced or serviced for some reason?

Frequent or Preferred Renter Programs and affiliations

Frequent renter programs, Like airlines and hotels, major car rental companies track their customers rental histories and offer preferential service to loyal customers. Most of the major companies offer frequent renter programs that are similar to airline frequent-flyer programs and hotel frequent-guest programs.

Preferred renter clubs, Most major car rental companies also offer preferred renter programs or clubs (one example is the Hertz #1 Club). When you belong to one of these clubs, you get preferential treatment, including automatic upgrades when those cars are available. You can join these programs at any time, even if you are a first-time renter with that company.

While basic-level club memberships are often free, higher-level memberships (as in the Hertz #1 Gold Club, which allows you to bypass the rental counter) generally come with a price tag. What most people dont realize is that its often possible to avoid the membership fee by simply writing or calling your car rental company and asking them to waive it. They will do it because the car rental industry is very competitive, and they want your business

If you’re still faced with a steep rate, try getting discounts based on your affiliations with organizations like AARP, AAA or others. These discounts are usually not great, but they are better than nothing.

In addition, always check for corporate rates if applicable to your situation.

Car Rental Insurance

Some of the Insurance terms seem to be confusing, lets try to clear them out first.

CDW – Collision Damage Waiver.

LDW – Loss Damage Waiver.

PDW – Physical Damage Waiver.

PAI – Personal Accident Insurance.

PEC – Personal Effects Coverage.

ALI – Additional Liability Insurance.

Many of the Credit Cards have most of these coverage, therefore its not
mandatory to purchase excessive coverage. Its better to check this issue
with your travel agent, insurance agent and your credit card company a head of time. Some Car rental companies require that you show proof of insurance.

Also be aware that your personal insurance probably doesnt apply to your rental car when traveling overseas. All this is somewhat complicated and at times confusing because there are no industry standards for terminology and policies vary by locations.

Important things to check and do before leaving the Air-Port

After a long flight and the waiting in lines for your luggage and afterwards for
your keys at the car rental counter, it is understandable you just want to take the rented car and drive away to your hotel, but wait! Here is a list of things you must check first.

Start by making a careful check around the car, look for any small dents or scratches, in case you find some, dont be lazy, go back to the office and ask a representative of the rental company to write down all of these dents, ask for a copy of that report. Other wise you might be responsible for damages you didnt perform.

Open the trunk, make sure you have a spare tire, a jack and set of tools, there is noting more irritating than to find out in the middle of nowhere that you dont have a jack when you need to replace a flat tire.

Many car companies will provide you with an extra key if you ask for one. This can come in handy for some of us who are absent minded.

It is recommended to spend some time to get acquainted with the cars features and switches, make sure you know where the lights switches are, how to operate the windshield wipers, the air conditioner and even set your favorite radio stations as well as set your side mirrors. It might be quiet frustrating to fight with the new switches while driving, when all of a sudden it starts raining.

Make sure you have a map and its better to spend few more minutes and plan your driving route.

Last but certainly not least, If you have a lot of luggage, dont park the car in the parking lot and go for lunch, in many countries, this is an easy target for
the thieves, Its better to buy some sandwiches and beverages in the air-port, or stop somewhere along the way for refreshing but never leave the car unattended.

In case you are involved in a Car Accident

These are the most important pieces of information to collect from the involved parties: full name, mailing address, telephone number, insurance details, and drivers license number.

Also try to get the names and contact information of anyone who witnessed the accident. Make a note of the vehicles make, color, brand and license plate number.

Try to pinpoint the exact time and location of the accident. If the police get involved, ensure that you receive a copy of their report. Don’t forget to inform your insurance agent immediately and notify the car rental company.
They will let you know about their accident procedure.

If you purchased insurance through the car rental company, they will have to make the claim. If there is damage to the rental car, there will be much paper work to complete

Make sure any involved parties are ok. Any injuries should be taken care of ASAP.

Call the police and/or ambulance (if necessary), and then call the car rental agency. Be as cooperative as possible. The car rental agency will have its own policies regarding accidents.

Exchange information with the affected parties. Try to record everything on the scene. Your notes should include details of the accident, identification of the autos and people involved, and the names and badge numbers of all emergency personnel.

Take pictures if possible. If you are on vacation, you will probably have a camera handy already.

File an accident report with the police, and report the claim to your own credit card company or insurance company.

When returning the Car

Make all necessary arrangements to return the car on time, that includes looking the location in the map especially if you return the car in a foreign city.

Late return charges are high and arbitrary, secondly, if you are late, you probably wont have the time to fill the car with gasoline yourself and the rental company will charge you exorbitant inflated gasoline rates.

In case you return the car in a city location on Sunday, it might be that the station will be deserted, it will let you in via automated gate, make sure to take the card and leave it over the dashboard, this is your recorded time of arrival.

In addition, lock the car, take the keys plus your rental contract and insert them into the designated box.

Auto insurance is a must for all automobile owners, which repay you in case your automobile is stolen or damaged in an accident. Most people complain about the high prices of auto insurance policy. Here we offer you some money saving tips with the help of which you can get the best car insurance quotes online as well as best auto insurance policy.

If you are a new car owner or your previous auto insurance policy needs a renewal then its time for you to search for a new one. You will be surprised to know that different insurance company offers different premium for the same coverage. Thus, it is in your interest to find a low premium, more coverage best auto insurance policy. Local market search will be not enough, go to the websites of auto insurance companies and request for car insurance quote online.

While requesting for car insurance quote online provide all your details to the auto insurance company such as your name, age, zip code, address, your marital status, cars annual commuting miles and safety features of your car because as default they will surely offer you high car insurance quote online.

Your credit history matters a lot for auto insurance companies. Reviews of insurance companies have shown a correlation between credit scores and risk to an insurance company. Thus, manage your credit score to a positive level before requesting for a car insurance quote online.

During the request for car insurance quote online keep an eye on discounts provided by auto insurance companies, mainly on their websites. With offered discounts, you can drop your premium.

If you have a life insurance policy or health insurance policy or any other insurance, it is recommended to ask the same insurance company for auto insurance. They will surely provide lower car insurance quote online, as you are their client.

By following all these recommendations, we are sure that you will be able to buy the best auto insurance policy to protect your car, truck or any other vehicle against theft or damage.

Airline ticket rates can vary wildly for passengers on the same flight. One person can pay $250 for a seat, while the individual in the next seat may have paid $1000. There are many tactics to help your reservation resemble that of the first passenger, not the latter.

Book your flight as soon as you decide on travel plans. Airlines give discounts for reservations made at least 3 weeks in advance. The best rates often include a Saturday night stay and have travel dates during the work week.

Shop at the many online travel agents to compare the rates of many different airlines. Be sure to check at least 3 different sites, as each may have a different alotment of tickets, and service fees can also vary.

Be flexible about when you travel, since even changing the flight time on the same day can effect the reservation rate. Unpopular early morning or late evening flights tend to have lower rates. Also, try to avoid peak travel season, summer, spring break, and Christmas and New Years. The cheapest fares tend to be found during the off season and at other times when planes are filled below capacity.

If travelling to a large city, Check the fares for any nearby smaller airports, as it might be cheaper to fly into a neighboring city. Remember to allow for other costs when you considering this option, such as rental car or taxi fares. This might also extend travel time.

In some instances, splitting the trip with stopovers my bring savings. However, be sure the savings are large enough to justify the extra trouble of the stopover.

Look into booking your travel plans as a package deal. Sometimes it is possible to save money by reserving a hotel room and a rental car along with the airline ticket. If you are going on a cruise, ask the cruise company if they are affiliated with any airline. Some credit card companies also have discount agreements with some airlines. The reverse is also true : many airlines have agreements with hotel chains and rental car companies that can save you money on other travel expenses.

When dealing with a live travel agent, ask if this is the best rate that they have available or if there are any specials offering essentially the same itinerary when you are booking your reservation.

Apply any special discount programs for which you are eligible. Students age 16 to 26 are can get special discounts, and seniors may be able to get discounted fares through the AARP.

Belonging to, or travelling with a group, may get you a better deal on airline reservations. If you are a member of a club or service association, check whether they have a travel plan. If travelling with a group, ask for a group discount. Discounts are often available for government, military or corporate employees. Often, airlines will even extend these discounts even for non-business travel.

In the case of large groups, it is sometimes cheaper to charter a plane than reserve individual seats. This may save time as well as money, since the charter airplane will accommodate your schedule, and baggage can be managed for the entire group, with much less chance of loss of luggage.

When you reach check-in at the airport, ask if any special upgrade deals are available. Sometimes it is possible to upgrade to first class at a nominal fee, and this is definitely worth it on long flights due to the larger seats and extra leg room.

Your home is undoubtedly the most valuable asset for the vast majority of us and selling it will cost thousands. Using the money saving tips in this article should reduce the cost of moving home.

Estate Agent fees vary, so shopping around and dont forget to haggle and pay one off against the other. You should aim for 1% commission, also push then to limit the tie-in period to no more than 6 weeks, this gives then enough time to sell the house, but if they cant you can move to another agent without going multi-agent which will increase the fee to about 3%+, a big no-no! Ensure you get a fair valuation, never tell an estate agent what other agencies have valued your house at. They will use this to manipulate its offer, often resulting in wide distortions.

It is false economy to go for the cheapest solicitors, so get recommendations from all the estate agents you speak to and remember to ask for the name of specific people, rather than just the legal firms. Give them a call and ask what their charges are, also note whether they are they friendly, helpful, and most important efficient? Fees are negotiable so haggle! Play off each one against the other to get yourself the best service at the best price.

Selling you house privately can save thousands. One in twenty vendors are now taking the DIY route which could save you thousands. That is a massive money saving tip, but there are a couple of downsides, basically time and effort. You could consider newspaper advertising, flyers and signs. Newspapers usually charge per line or per word so try to keep your advert as brief as possible without making it uninteresting. The simplest way would to sell your house yourself is to use one of the many online house selling service.

Obviously it is best to sell your house when the market is strong and demand is high, so keep an eye on the local property market. Generally, the market tends to be stronger in early and late summer than the rest of the year, so aim to sell your house then. Also avoid completing with your neighbours so if there are already a few For Sale signs on your street, it might be better to wait a bit.

Research has shown that a poor presented house can take longer to sell and may reduce the price by thousands. So get your paint brushes out, give your home a lick of paint and finish all of those DIY jobs which are outstanding. Also talk to the estate agent about adding value to your property it maybe worth spending a bit of cash to make some more. However, be careful not to over spend, you might not get your money back, so talk all planned improvements through with your estate agent.

If you are determined to save money when selling your home, do some more research, as they say knowledge is power. Websites such as Maxxsave specialise in offering Money saving tips, a brief browse around such sites will allow you to get all the information you need to save you a ton of money.

The honeymoon will always be an important aspect in every wedding plan no matter how tight the budget is. While the wedding ceremony is the highlight of every relationship ending up in the altar, the couple will always look forward to the honeymoon.

Every newly- wedded couple will always feel the stress of wedding preparations. Even couples who are wise enough and who are capable of getting a wedding planner will not be exempt from the after- wedding desire to be stress- free. Thus, almost all couples will always consider their honeymoon the best part of getting married.

Honeymoon is a time to rest after all the wedding- related stress; it is a time to enjoy the company of each other away from the peering eyes of friends and relatives. It is a time for the couple to get to know each other better and intimately.

While majority of couples want their honeymoon to be wonderful, there is always the financial aspect that they have to contend with. The wedding ceremony may be the focal point of the whole preparation but the preparation itself requires a budget. The bride and groom and the entourage has to pay for their wedding dresses and tuxedos. The couple has to pay for the wedding services, the license, the wedding cake, the dinner and all wedding requirements.

What usually happens is that the couple spends too much on the wedding preparation that they end up having little and sometimes no budget for the honeymoon. But who said a couple could not have a romantic honeymoon if they o not have a large budget?

A honeymoon is basically already a romantic event because it is the time when the newly- wedded couple bond with each other. This alone should make the honeymoon romantic and memorable. Of course, there are at least five ways to make honeymoon a memorable event, even for a meager budget.

Every couple should take note of these five honeymoon money saving tips so they can have a fabulous time on their honeymoon without worrying about large financial requirements.

1. Avail of the services of a honeymoon registry so the guests will know what you need and want as a wedding gift

Gone are the days when a couple has to suffer in silence while opening the fifth identical wedding gift they have received; a dinnerware set. Through the wedding registry, the couple can inform the guests that they want or that they are in need of a honeymoon package. Guests who can afford such package can give them a free honeymoon instead of giving a gift that the couple does not need or a gift that they already have. Some of their friends may pool their resources together and gift them with a honeymoon package. This would mean great savings for the couple as well as a fabulous and free honeymoon.

2. Plan the honeymoon ahead of time and avail of promotions offered by resorts as early as one year away from the wedding date

Planning is till the best way to keep your resources intact and become more cost effective in your expenditures. With proper planning, the couple can take advantage of honeymoon packages or resort promotions offered by resort owners. There are honeymoon destinations that are offering big discounts for reservations made ahead of time. Some even offer as much as fifty percent discount for couples who book their honeymoon months before their wedding. This is to ensure the future income of the resorts. By availing of these promotions, the couple will not only be able to save on their finances but will also be able to plan their honeymoon itinerary ahead of time.

3. Spend your honeymoon in a fabulous tourist island but take advantage of home- stay programs offered by some areas

Some areas offer home- stay programs to promote their tourism at a lower cost. Local governments sometimes promote their tourism by gathering responsible folks and training them to become home- stay partners. Under this scheme, the homes of respected locals are accredited by the tourism officials and they become official tourist h9ome- hotels. Home stay accommodations are generally less expensive than hotels. Availing of this package can save the couple thousands of dollars that would have been spent for hotel accommodation alone.

4. Why not try being one with nature and go camping for your honeymoon instead of staying in an expensive hotel?

Couples who are nature lovers can go backpacking for their honeymoon and enjoy others company with only the moon and the stars as witnesses. His could be the best and the most romantic idea for a non- expensive honeymoon. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars for hotel accommodations save the money for other important matters and take a nice trip to a deserted island.

5. Timing is important so plan your honeymoon, if not the wedding during off season

Tourist and honeymoon facilities offer as much as fifty percent discount for tourists who would visit their establishments during non- peak seasons. Do not time the honeymoon with summer or other dates when tourists would be flocking to the islands or resorts because this would be very expensive. Visit these areas during the off- peak season can mean less cost and more privacy.

Losing weight. Finding a new job. Spending more time with the family. A new year means setting new goals. Why not make saving money one of them?

If you’re a homeowner, there are many ways you can cut costs and still live comfortably. The following tips will help lead you to financial success.

* First, set a budget. Figure out exactly how much you spend on the upkeep of your home. Compare each month’s expenses with the previous month’s to get a better idea of how much to budget for each necessity. Then, see what costs you can cut. Once you set a budget, stick to it.

* Save energy. You might be losing a substantial amount of energy dollars during the winter and summer because of air leaks. By caulking, sealing and weather-stripping all cracks and openings, you can save 10 percent or more on your energy bill.

Also, look into replacing older appliances with newer, more energy-efficient alternatives. Your light bulbs can make a difference, too. Fluorescent bulbs are four times more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs.

* Refinance. Shop around to see if you can replace your existing home loan with one that has a lower interest rate. You can easily save hundreds of dollars each month by refinancing your home.

* Purchase a home warranty. Most homeowners don’t account for possible repairs in their annual budget. There is a 68 percent likelihood of a home system or appliance failure in a given year. The average replacement cost of one of these systems or appliances is $1,085. A home warranty is your best defense against unexpected and costly repairs to your home’s appliances and mechanical systems.

The American Home Shield Home Warranty, for example, ensures you get the best possible service through the company’s network of pre-screened technicians. The minute something breaks down, you can contact American Home Shield and a local service technician will schedule an appointment that fits your schedule. The warranty covers a multitude of household systems and appliances, regardless of age.

The American Home Shield Home Warranty is a one-year contract that requires no home inspection to enroll. Several affordable plans are available to fit every budget.