Cheap Rental Car With Credit Card Points: How to Get One

Points can turn a cheap rental car into a nearly free one. They can also quietly cost you more than cash would have. The difference comes down to one thing: what the car costs in plain money before you touch a single point.

We start there. Cash price first, points second. That order keeps you honest, and it keeps your points for the trips where they earn the most.

How credit card points work for cheap car hire

Most credit card travel rewards reach a rental car in one of three ways. Knowing which one your card offers shapes everything that follows.

• Book through the card’s travel portal. You search inside the issuer’s site and pay with points. Issuer portals such as Chase Travel and American Express Travel have let cardholders book car hire this way, but each sets its own value per point and its own rules on taxes, fees and partial payment.
• Cover part of the bill. Some portals let you put points toward a slice of the total and pay the rest by card. Others only allow a full redemption.
• Pay on the card, redeem later. You book and pay as normal, then use points against that charge afterwards. The rental company sees an ordinary card payment.

Other guides start with the card and its perks. We start with the cash price, then ask whether points beat it.

A points booking only makes sense when its all-in value beats the cash price for the same car, dates and pickup point. If it doesn’t, keep the points. This isn’t a method for spending points at any cost, and it won’t suit you if you’d rather take the first rate you see.

Compare car rental prices first

You can’t judge a points price without a cash price beside it. So build that benchmark before you open your card’s portal.

Run one like-for-like search across partners

TravelCutPrice is a free travel meta search site. We compare car rental prices across many booking partners and show you live prices. We add no booking fee and no cookie-based price inflation, and we hand you off to the partner with one click.

For the benchmark to mean anything, keep every search identical:

• the same pickup and drop-off dates and times
• the same pickup location (an airport desk and a city branch are different prices)
• the same car class
• the same driver age

Change one of those and you’re no longer comparing like with like. A cheaper rate for a smaller car, or a city pickup instead of the terminal, tells you nothing about your points.

Once you have the lowest cash total, write it down. That’s your number to beat. If you want to know which tools deserve your trust here, we’ve pulled together the best car rental comparison sites for honest pricing. And if you’re weighing comparison sites or renting direct, that guide sets out the trade-offs.

Check for the best car rental discounts too

Headline rates aren’t always the lowest price on offer. Some partners show member rates or discount rates on top of the standard price, so check for those before you settle on a benchmark.

A lower cash baseline raises the bar for points. That’s the point. You want the hardest number to beat, because it protects you from a weak redemption.

Flying too? Look at flight and car rental package deals as well, because a bundle can shift the cash benchmark for the car.

Check the total for hidden fees

A low headline rate is only the start of the bill. Counter charges such as airport fees, young driver surcharges and optional insurance are a common reason a cheap quote ends up costing more than it suggested.

Fees that sit outside the headline rate

Look through the quote for these before you compare it with anything:

• taxes and airport charges
• young driver and additional driver fees
• one-way fees
• fuel policy terms (full-to-full or prepaid fuel)
• mileage limits
• deposit holds on your card

Points may cover the base rate and still leave some of these to pay at pickup. A points price that looks like zero cash can turn into a real bill at the desk, so add whatever you’d still owe to your sums. Then the comparison is fair: all-in cash against all-in points plus pickup charges.

Check your card’s rental insurance first

Many cards include rental car cover, and it can be worth real money. Whether it still applies can depend on how the rental is paid for.

Read the benefit terms before you choose points. Look for whether cover needs the card to pay for the rental, and whether paying with points, or partly with points, changes that. Also check what the cover leaves out. Terms differ by card and issuer, so we can’t tell you yours.

If your card’s cover turns out to depend on a cash payment, that alone can tip the choice toward cash.

Car rental points redemption: what they’re really worth

Points feel like free money, which is exactly why you should price them. A little arithmetic tells you whether a redemption is good or only looks good.

Divide the cash total by the points needed

The value per point is the cash total divided by the points needed. Here are round numbers to show the sum, not a real quote.

Say a compact car for a week costs $300 in cash across our partners, including $45 of taxes and fees. Booked with points, the same car, dates and pickup point costs 24,000 points, and you’d still pay the $45 at the counter.

1. Take the cash price the points replace: $300 minus the $45 you’d pay anyway leaves $255.
2. Divide by the points: $255 ÷ 24,000 is about $0.0106.
3. That’s roughly 1.06 cents per point.

Skip step one and you’d overstate the value. Taking fees into account is what keeps the figure honest.

Compare with what the points earn elsewhere

A number on its own isn’t good or bad. It only means something beside your alternatives. If the same 24,000 points would earn 1.5 cents each on a flight, they’re worth $360 there, and the car booking leaves $105 on the table.

We apply the same logic in our guide to points versus cash for flights. Run both calculations, then spend the points where they go furthest.

Redemption rates differ by card and change over time, so recheck the figure each time rather than trusting last year’s. A rate that was good once may not be good now.

When to redeem points, and when to pay cash

Points win when they give a clear value gain over cash. They also win when the cash quote is high, such as peak dates or a last-minute booking. If you’re booking late, compare last-minute vacation deals before booking so you see how high the cash price really is.

Cash wins in two cases. The first is a low cash deal already on the table, where points add little. The second is points that are worth more on another booking, such as that flight.

If you can’t tell which side you’re on, pay cash. You lose nothing by keeping the points.

Use points as a top-up

A top-up suits a small amount left to cover. Say you’ve found a good cash deal and want to knock the last chunk off. You pay most of it by card and put points toward the rest.

How that works depends on the portal. Some let you split the payment. Some only allow full redemptions, so a top-up isn’t on offer there. Check before you plan around it.

Confirm the terms before you book

After the one-click hand-off, you land on the partner’s own page. Confirm the final total there. It should match the cash price you saw, apart from anything the partner adds at checkout, and you’ll need that figure to judge your points.

Read the rental terms on that page too. Fuel policy, mileage and driver rules all sit there, and so do the pickup charges we covered earlier.

Check cancellation and points refunds

Plans change, so know the exit before you commit. Read the cancellation rules first: how late you can cancel, and whether a fee applies.

Then find out how points come back if the booking changes or is cancelled. That depends on the issuer and the partner’s terms. Some bookings return points in full. Others may not, or may return them differently. Check this before you confirm, because you can’t fix it afterwards.

Quick checklist before you pay

Every line here is a step from above.

• Cash baseline: one like-for-like search with the same dates, pickup point, car class and driver age.
• Discounts: member and discount rates checked.
• Fees: taxes, airport charges, driver fees, fuel terms and deposit holds added up.
• Insurance: your card’s benefit terms read.
• Value: cash total divided by points, compared with what the points earn elsewhere.
• Payment: points, cash or a top-up chosen on those numbers.
• Terms: final total, cancellation rules and points refunds confirmed on the partner’s page.

We show the cash price first, so you know what your points need to beat. Run your search on our free car hire tool, then click through to the partner in one click.

Want help with the whole trip, not just the car? Try our free trip planning advisor for itinerary details, hidden gems and logistics.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use credit card points for a cheap rental car?

Often, yes. Some issuer travel portals let you book car hire with points, and some cards let you redeem points against a car rental charge afterwards. Rules and value per point differ by issuer, so check yours and compare the result with the cash price first.

Do I still pay fees if points cover the rental?

You may. Taxes, airport charges, driver fees, fuel terms and deposit holds can still be payable at pickup, even when points cover the base rate. Add these to your sums before you decide.

Does my card’s rental insurance still work if I pay with points?

That depends on the card. Cover can hinge on how the rental is paid, so read the benefit terms before you book. If cover needs a cash payment on the card, that can make cash the better choice.

Can I pay part cash and part points?

Some portals allow it, and it suits a small amount left to cover. Others only allow full redemptions. Check the portal’s rules before you plan a top-up.

What happens to my points if I cancel or change the booking?

It depends on the issuer and the partner’s terms. Points may come back in full, in part or not at all, so read the cancellation and refund rules before you confirm.