The Upgrade Game

Have you ever noticed that when you rent a car, assuming that you are renting in a class that leaves room for an upgrade, you’ll almost always be offered an upgrade of your reserved class for something paltry like $4 a day. If you plan for that upgrade when you make your reservation, that’s your chance to save some money!

For example, I recently made a 5-day business trip to Tennessee with three other people. We knew we’d need a large car such as an SUV or Mini-Van to comfortably accommodate all of us, and our baggage, on the 4-hour road trip that followed our flight. According to the rental company’s web site, the published rate for an SUV was $259.00. But I’ve played this game before!

When I made our reservation, I noticed on the rental company’s web site that they were running a special on a Ford Taurus (or similar) for just $94 a week. That’s a substantial savings over the published rate of the SUV, and even if I wasn’t offered an upgrade we could find a way to make that car work. So I booked the Taurus and kept my fingers crossed for the upgrade.

When we picked up our rental car we were offered an SUV, as predicted, for just $4 more per day. Now we’re in the SUV we wanted and it only cost us $114.00 for the week instead of the advertised price of $259.00. That’s a substantial savings – and we didn’t have to give anything up to get it! In fact, everyone in my group was expecting the Taurus. So when I showed up with the SUV I was a big hero.

Before you try this on your own there are some things that you need to consider:

If you are holding out for an inexpensive upgrade to a convertible in a place where they are in high demand, like Hawaii, you probably won’t get it. Likewise, cars that are in high demand, like the Ford Mustang, are also very hard to come by. You can’t even reserve a Mustang and be guaranteed to get it.

The same is true for busy travel periods like Christmas, or Thanksgiving. Cars need to be sitting around the lot for the upgrade game to work. During these peak travel times it’s advisable to reserve a car that is large enough to meet your needs because you may not be offered an upgrade.

Then again, everyone is always looking for the best deal – and that never changes. Not even during peak travel periods. So you just never know. But it’s best to hedge your bet with some extra comfort during the peak travel periods – just in case.

If you are traveling mid-week, and there’s nothing special about the time or place of your travel, and if there’s nothing too terribly specific about the upgrade that you are seeking, play the upgrade game! You’ll almost always come out on top!

Lastly, don’t tell anyone in your group what you are doing. That way no one gets mad if the upgrade isn’t offered.