Tips on getting a free upgrade on your holiday car hire including booking a pick up later in the day
MOST people booking a hire car for their holiday are looking for the cheapest deal available, which in turn can mean a smaller car.
But actually, there are some surprisingly easy ways where you can get a free upgrade.
It means that for the same price, you could be driving away in a better car or extra perks that you didn't have to pay for.
So before you stump up the extra cash, here's what you need to know about getting your car hire upgraded.
Be a loyal customer
Many of the big car hire companies have loyalty schemes, just like airlines and hotels - you collect points over time and they can be exchanged for upgrades or even free car hire.
It's always worth joining because they're completely free and you can reap the rewards straightaway.
Plus being a member could sometimes automatically entitle you to an upgrade over someone who's not.
Some car hire schemes you can join
Members of Hertz Gold Plus Rewards scheme will receive faster reservation, pick up and returns services.
You get 25 per cent discount on child seats, five per cent off the usual hire car rates, plus an additional driver (spouse or civil partner) completely free.
You also collect reward points that can be exchanged for free rentals.
Once you've collected enouh loyalty points, you'll also automatically get a free upgrade.
Priority service is offered for Avis Preferred Loyalty members as well.
After their second rental, they will get an upgrade voucher and a discount voucher for their next hire.
And after a third hire, they will get a free weekend hire.
You don't collect points but if you regularly hire cars, you can move up in membership tiers that will give you extra perks including free upgrades and a free additional driver.
The Enterprise Plus loyalty scheme is a straight-forward points collection scheme - you can redeem your points for rewards including free rental days.
You also get a dedicated check-in desks at certain locations as well as faster service.
Once you've progressed to the higher membership tiers, you'll also receive a limited number of free upgrades.
Even if you're not renting with a big company, it can still be worth mentioning to staff if you're regularly hiring from one company in one destination.
Book a late pick up
According to the experts at , a search engine for hire car companies, booking a pick up slot that's later in the day could mean free upgrades.
A spokesperson told Sun Online Travel: "Securing a car hire upgrade is closely related to supply and demand.
"If you arrive at the rental desk a bit later in the day, they might not have the full range of vehicles left out in the car park.
"You might think that would limit your chances of an upgrade, but it could actually play to your advantage.
"There’s always a chance that they’ll be running low on certain models and if the one you booked is in short supply, you could be oh-so-generous to help them out and suggest taking a different car instead."
It's worth asking
Like in hotels and airlines, it can be worth it to simply ask for a free upgrade or find out if there's another car in the same class that you might prefer.
And even if you're not offered a free upgrade, they could suggest that price that's much less than you would have paid online.
Plus, you could always try to haggle down the fees.
The experts at rentalcars.com advised: "It’s highly likely that the counter staff will have some freedom to negotiate, as if you don’t take the better car it will just sit in the car park all week.
"Think in advance about the maximum you’d be happy to pay for an upgrade, and start low when you begin to negotiate, working your way up to that limit."
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Hotels also offer freebies - you just have to ask for them.
Sun Online Travel recently revealed how you can get free airport lounge access just by booking your hotel room.
And if you are travelling with young kids, it's easy to baby-proof your hotel room.