Make sure to read the fine print on your rental agreement.

Like hotel rates and airfares, car rental prices seem to fluctuate wildly based on some unfathomable system of mysterious criteria, and the unwary or uninformed consumer can often end up paying far more than someone else who has chosen the same exact product and service. If you do your homework beforehand, however, you should be able to get a reasonable rate on a rental car and protect yourself if something should go wrong.

Who:
Vera Gibbons is a contributing editor to Smart Money magazine, a personal business magazine featuring practical and imaginative ideas for investing, spending, and saving. Here she offers ideas for getting on the inside track to car rental bargains:

• Rent off-airport.
  By investigating off-airport sites, you could end up saving 20 to 30 percent.

• Pre-price gas in area.
  Before you decide to go for a company's prepaid gas option, call AAA and find out what gas prices are like in the area you will be driving.

• Primary vs. secondary.
  Don't assume that because you're paying with a credit card that you're automatically covered for accidents. Many cards offer secondary coverage, and this may only kick in after your auto policy has come into play.

• Check coverage loopholes.
  Make sure you also check for loopholes in your coverage. Typically, luxury cars are not covered for collision damage. And according to Gibbons, no major credit card company covers pick-up trucks. As far as a rent-a-car company's coverage goes, if your seatbelt isn't fastened at the time of an accident or your doors aren't locked when the car is stolen, you may actually be responsible for the damages.

• Read the fine print.
  When you read and understand the fine print in your rental car contract, you'll be more likely to save money and be better able to handle emergencies.

Smart Money
www.smartmoney.com

AAA
www.aaa.com/scripts/WebObjects.dll/ZipCode

US Federal Trade Commission: Renting a Car
www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/autos/carrent.htm

Rental Tips
www.bnm.com/tips.htm

Free Travel Tips: Rental Car Tips
www.freetraveltips.com/Cars/

American Society of Travel Agents: Car Rental Tips
www.astanet.com/travel/cartips.asp