According to Consumer Affairs, as of 2023, more than 3,360 car rental companies served travelers in the U.S. But three companies accounted for 94% of the market share that year, due in part to their name recognition. When you’re renting a car, do you simply shop the brand with the biggest name, or do
you use tools to get the best deal?
Car rental aggregators like EconomyBookings or RentalCars.com help consumers compare prices and options without having to research each car rental company separately:
- They can help you find great deals on car rentals and save you time on travel planning.
- However, they don’t eliminate all the risks of travel, so it’s important to understand what aggregator sites do to help protect your trip and what steps you can take yourself.
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What Might Go Wrong With A Car Rental
Even a well-planned trip can run into challenges. When renting a car through an aggregator, some disruptions are travel-related, while others relate to the booking process.
Things that might go sideways with a car rental include:
- Flight delays that cause you to miss your car rental pickup window
- Unexpected weather or road conditions that change your plans
- Personal situations that require you to cancel or delay a trip
For example, many people make car rental arrangements through sites like EconomyBookings so they can get a rental car when they fly into a destination. In those cases, the trip is a long chain of events that’s supposed to stay linked. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work like that.
The Department of Transportation reports that 1.4% of 2024 flights were canceled. It also reports that only 78.10% of flights in the same year arrived on time. That’s a 1-in-5 chance of a flight arriving late, potentially affecting rental car pickup windows.
How Sites Like Economybookings Help
A car rental aggregator connects travelers with rental companies through a single platform, making it easier to compare prices and options in one place. Many aggregators also offer protections to help customers when plans change.
Cancellation Policies
The ability to cancel a booking and recover some or all of your payment is an important protection. However, canceling through an aggregator works differently from canceling a direct rental.
Aggregators coordinate reservations with third-party rental companies on your behalf, and they need time to handle cancellations. Rental car companies may also charge fees if bookings are canceled at the last minute. Due to these factors, aggregators typically require you to cancel 48 hours or more before a scheduled pickup time to qualify for a refund or credit.
EconomyBookings, for example, lets travelers cancel eligible bookings up to 48 hours before pickup and receive a full refund in the form of BookingCredit™.
- That credit can be applied to a future reservation or withdrawn to the original payment method at no charge.
- Credits and refunds are handled via an E-Wallet.
- It’s important to note that cancellation, refund, and service terms are also subject to individual supplier conditions.
Optional Coverage
Aggregator sites often offer optional add-ons at checkout that can provide an extra layer of protection. Common options include:
- Extended cancellation coverage. Standard cancellation windows typically require 48 hours’ notice, but some platforms let you pay to extend that window. EconomyBookings, for example, offers a Last Minute Cancellation product that lets travelers cancel closer to pickup and still receive a full refund as BookingCredit™.
- Damage and theft protection. Standard rental agreements often include some coverage, but damage to windshields, tires, and undercarriage is commonly excluded. EconomyBookings offers Full Coverage, which can be added at booking and covers excess damage, theft, bodywork, glass, tires, towing and lost keys. VIPCars offers a comparable Full Protection Cover with similar reimbursement-based claims.
- Roadside assistance. If your rental breaks down, gets a flat tire or you lock yourself out, roadside assistance coverage can help coordinate emergency support. EconomyBookings offers a Roadside Assistance add-on covering phone and email support, emergency coordination with the rental company, flat tires, dead batteries and lockouts.
- Deductible reimbursement. RentalCars.com offers a Full Protection product that may reimburse you for the deductible charged by the rental company in the event of damage or theft.
Customer Support
Customer support is most valuable when you use it early and proactively; most aggregator platforms offer it at every stage of the rental process for this reason.
If your flight is delayed and you’re concerned about your pickup window, contacting the aggregator or rental company directly as soon as possible increases the chance your vehicle reservation is held until you get there. High-quality aggregators have support teams that can help clarify what’s covered under your booking terms, assist with modifications and mediate disputes with rental companies when issues arise at the counter.
For example, EconomyBookings provides multilingual customer support 24 hours a day on weekdays and 14 hours a day on weekends. For travelers navigating an unexpected disruption mid-trip, having a direct line to a support team familiar with your booking details can offer helpful peace of mind. Since different issues can be handled though different channels, for best results, reach out online so you can be directed to the right assistance.
More Tips For Protecting Your Trip
Because aggregators connect travelers with rental companies rather than operating fleets directly, some situations, like disputes at the counter or supplier-specific policies, fall outside what the platform can always resolve on your behalf. That makes it worth taking a few steps of your own before and during your trip.
- Read the full terms before you confirm. Your booking terms govern what’s covered, your cancellation options and what the rental company will require at pickup. Reviewing them before you confirm is the most effective way to avoid surprises.
- Communicate proactively if plans change. If your flight is delayed or your plans change, contact the aggregator and the rental company as soon as possible. Rental companies may hold a vehicle for a limited time, but only if they know you’re coming.
- Keep all your documents in one place. Your booking confirmation, rental voucher, insurance documentation and any add-on coverage should be easily accessible on your phone or as a printed hard copy when you arrive at the counter.
- Photograph the vehicle at pickup. Walk around the car with the rental agent before driving off; document existing damage with photos or video. This protects you from being charged for damage you didn’t cause.
- Pay with a travel credit card. Many travel credit cards include secondary rental car coverage, purchase protection and dispute resolution tools that can provide an additional layer of recourse if something goes wrong.
- Check your pickup location type before you arrive. Some rental locations are at airport terminals; others require a shuttle. Knowing the location in advance and factoring in transit time reduces the risk of missing your pickup window.
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