Renting a car can be a long, drawn out, and intimidating process if you don’t know what you’re doing.  Back in the day when the Home Warrior was traveling for work he would unnecessarily use public transportation or slow hotel shuttles to get to his destination just so he could avoid the car rental process.  While it can certainly be annoying, I’ll tell you now it’s not as bad as it seems, and there are even some shortcuts.  Here are some ways first time renters can speed up the car rental process.

Bypass the rental car counter.  I highly recommend you sign up for the ability to bypass the rental car counter with rental companies such as Hertz Gold Plus Rewards and National’s Emerald Club. After a long day of traveling being able to skip the paperwork and wait at the rental car counter is so nice.  Plus you get to choose your car in some locations which could make the difference in you getting the perfect car for your trip. And while it may not technically speed up the rental process, don’t forget about the points you accumulate! It’s worth it to sign up even if you only rent a few times a year.

Use the Apps.  Let’s face it, apps just make everything easier.  Tons of info is just right there on your phone. To give you an idea of what a good car rental app can do for you, here’s a list of some of the National and Hertz app features.

• Make, modify, or cancel a reservation.
• Map car rental locations.
• See special offers and book from the app.
• Access roadside assistance and customer service.

Have an archive folder of registration emails.  You never know when you’re going to need your registration information.  By putting all your registration emails in an archive folder you can quickly access and find them so you can take care of situations that may arise where you’ll need them.

Now that I’ve sped up your car rental process you’ll have time to do something that will slow you down a bit: inspect your rental car for damage.  I skipped doing this for years, and as you’ll see in my post from a few months ago it backfired.  Sigh.

Readers, what tips do you have for speeding up the car rental process?

Be sure to check out my page with products I recommend for travel!

****************************************************************************
Have a travel question or suggestion? Send it to RW @RoadWarriorette.com.

Follow Road Warriorette on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest!

This post may include affiliate links. Thanks for your support!