I hate waiting in line. And so do you. Back in the day I had this job that required travel to different parts of the USA two-to-three times a week. One day I would be in South Carolina and the very next day in Salt Lake City. And the bane of my existence was having to wait at the car rental counter once I left the plane.
Luckily, there's something called "pre-registration" and when our company's travel department switched to doing this, I felt so much like a baller! And now, I'm gonna show you how to get it.
This guide is sponsored by Rental Scanner. Rental Scanner provides the best car rental prices right around the world. Check them out before your next trip!
The good news its the same information that you would give at the counter. You need:
Driver's License information (name, expiration, country of issue)
Address - always best if its the same as on your Driver's license
Phone number and Email address contact details
Date of Birth.
That's it! Most rental companies (including Rental Scanner) will have a place for you to enter this info when you complete the booking.
Normally when you leave the airport and take the shuttle to the rental car lot, there is a pretty long line.
However, if you have pre-registered, the driver of the shuttle, or the guard at the parking will ask to see your booking and probably your drivers license. If all is well, they may well take you straight to your car in the lot without even going into the office.
Some locations will have a special line for pre-registered customers -- very similar to first class checking when you're taking a flight.
Yup. You don't have to be coming off a flight. Maybe you're just renting a car in town -- it works in a similar way.
In the worst case, you might have to wait a bit because other pre-registered people who were smart enough as you are were there before.
Most of the big boys do it:
Dollar
Thrifty
Europcar
Keddy by Europcar
Hertz
Alamo
Avis
Budget (with their Fastbreak program)
Well, you might have a bit of a wait depending on the length of the line. At busy airports it can be 20 minutes or more.
If you do make the rental car booking through Rental Scanner, they will actually show you which car rental companies offer pre-registration.
Good luck on your next rental and safe driving on your next trip!
