Senior Car Rental
When traveling, one of the hardest logistic items to figure out is transportation. Senior transportation can be even more challenging to arrange; are there ramps instead of stairs, what happens if we need to leave due to an emergency, how many seats are available, etc. Sometimes the easiest mode of transportation is simply a senior car rental.
Your license needs to be valid and your eyesight in good condition to get a senior car rental. Other restrictions might apply when trying to get a senior car rental internationally.
Senior Car Rental Restrictions
Lucky for seniors looking to rent cars in the states, none of the major senior car rental companies have a cutoff age for senior discount car rentals. However, when going abroad, the age restrictions on senior car rentals changes depending on the country, so you will want to ask each location about their rules before booking. Some examples of age limits in foreign countries (as of 2006) are as follows:
- Senior car rental age restriction in Australia: 75
- Senior car rental age restriction in the U.K.: 69
- Senior car rental age restriction in Czech Republic: 70
- Senior car rental age restriction in Greece: 70
- Senior car rental age restriction in Denmark: 80
These certain countries are the ones that have a national age limit on senior discount car rentals. Other areas of Europe might only have restrictions in certain areas, not the whole country.
Even in America, you might not want to assume you can rent a car for your senior trip. Individual rental agencies might have age limits on senior car rentals, or might have a stipulation that individuals will be denied senior transportation if they appear unable to handle the road rules and conditions.
Also, even though you might be using an American senior car rental company in a foreign country, they will still have to abide by those countries rules. The best thing to do is to call the company you are planning to rent a car from and simply ask them. Talk to them on the phone and get as many questions answered as you can. Websites do not respond right away and can also be outdated, so talking to an employee is usually your best bet on finding the senior car rental age restrictions.
How to Find a Senior Discount Car Rental
Once you know the restrictions a certain area or country has on seniors renting a car, the next step is figuring out the best way to go about renting. Here are some quick tips that makes senior discount car renting easy and cheap!
- Take advantage of ongoing senior travel deals! Travel tour companies aren’t the only ones who are using the boom of senior travel to their advantage. Many rental companies offer discounts or special rates for seniors of a certain age.
- Search for last minute deals! Going online, following a RSS feed or being a part of an online newsletter source is a great way to get up to the minute deals.
- Use the Yellow Pages. Calling different companies will help get you the very best deal.
- Use your AARP and AAA memberships! These communities will help seniors in any way they can to make senior car rentals cheaper and easier to get.
- Rent on weekends! Some senior rental companies offer up to 50% discounts on weekends.
- Do not settle! Do not pick the first price you find. Rates change depending on supply and demand so keep checking the same sites and check more than one.
- Become a club member. Most rental companies offer a membership for free. The membership allows you to qualify for discounts and perks such as a free car rental for a day, frequent flier miles, etc.
