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How to Get the Best Deal on a Rental car Even if You are Under the Age of 25

If you are under 25 and tried to rent a car, you probably were shocked at the amount which you were required to pay.

What you probably don’t know is that the rental car companies charge a young driver surcharge to any driver that is under the age of 25.

Their excuse is that young drivers are a much higher risk than drivers over the age of 25.

The young drivers surcharge ranges anywhere from $15-$55 per day. That is an insane amount of money, compared to how much you can actually rent a car for. I once found an amazing car rental deal for only $12 per day. The thing that killed me most was that I had to pay $35 per day for the young driver surcharge fee!

Here is a comparison chart of renting a car for the weekend at JFK airport as a 25-year-old vs. a 22-year-old with Hertz:

Car Class 25+ Year Old 22 Year Old Economy (Group A) $138.77 $232.75 Compact (Group B) $146.82 $240.80 Intermediate (Group C) $154.87 $248.85 Standard (Group D) $168.30 $262.28

As you can see the difference in prices is astonishing! An increase in prices upwards of 60%! Crazy huh? But I have some very good news for you.

There is HOPE!

While trying to find a way around the surcharge, I came across a site called USAA. USAA is an organization that provides benefits for military personnel and their families. However, you do not need to be affiliated with the military to take advantage of shopping and discounts benefits.

The screenshot below is from the USAA website, after I took a survey asking if I am associated with the military.

By joining USAA (membership is free by the way) you can take advantage of the discounts that they provide. And guess what?! They allow young drivers to waive the young driver surcharge fee! Meaning you get to rent a car just like “normal” older people.

But waiving the Underage (Young) Driver surcharge isn’t the only perk you will receive when booking via the USAA website. You actually get a very good discount on TOP of the already waived surcharge!

By using the USAA coupon codes you will get a 25% discount off retail rates, Awesome right?…..wait there’s more!

Another perk that you’ll receive is the “Limit Damage Liability” which is kind of an insurance policy. This means that even if you total the rental car (and it’s your fault) the max amount that a rental agency can hold you/your insurance accountable is limited at only $5,000! Saving you a ton of money, if such an accident does occur.

So how do you book your rental car?

You have 2 options.

Visit USAA.com and register (for free) then go to the car rental page and then select one of the 4 rental car companies. Visit the rental car company USAA page. Each rental car agency (that’s partnered with USAA) has a dedicated USAA page. You can visit them by clicking the links below:

(We did NOT include a link Enterprise, due to their high prices and low discounts)

Choose one of the two options above and book your rental car!

We recommend that you rate shop with all Rental car agencies. I’ve booked cars with both Hertz and Budget. Depends on the current promotions and the location that you are booking at.

NOTE: You are not required to show proof of USAA membership when picking up your rental car. They may ask if you are a USAA member, you simply have to confirm.

Now let us do another comparison chart of the same location, same dates, and hours as before, but this time, we will use the USAA discount coupons:

Car Class 22 Year Old 22 Year Old w/ USAA Discount Economy (Group A) $232.75 $88.75 Compact (Group B) $240.80 $93.12 Intermediate (Group C) $248.85 $101.17 Standard (Group D) $262.28 $114.60

As you can see the discount is amazing! Not only are you getting the “young driver surcharge” waived. You are getting a price better than a 25-year-old!

Here are actual screenshots of the rates which I ran.

And this is how to get the best deal on a rental car even if you are under the age of 25!

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