Got to the lot and the kid tried to get me to take a bigger car - I insisted I wanted a smaller car, that’s what I’m used to, etc (actually I drive a hybrid at home). Finally wound up with what I think is listed as a compact (Mazda 6).

Only after I returned home did I learn that they did, in fact, charge me for the upgrade.

What a rip-off!

Snarky - Those agents that pull that need to be reported to the location management and to the corporate management. That behavior is not tolerated at the major rental car companies. Though I can understand the agent’s motivation, as they have to sell so many upgrades, fuel options, and insurance packages to keep their job. It still doesn’t absolve them of that behavior and they should be disciplined for it. If you only complain on a blog it won’t get fixed, make sure the company knows who did it, when they did it, and exactly what they did.

So he gives me the upgrade that he was trying desperately to sell to me 5 minutes ago for free.

This is clearly dishonest, and makes me very wary to rent from companies that allow their representatives to do this.

So the tip is to wait until the END of your conversation to request the upgrade. Decline, decline, decline, and then at the end of the conversation (right before the agent is booking you into your economy car) REQUEST, request, request.

Claire @ http://travel-babel.blogspot.com

First, know the fleet size at the location you are renting from. You can use Google maps to evaluate the parking lot size or you can see what (if any) high end cars are available. Smaller fleets rarely have a lot of high end cars. If the location has a large fleet, you are going to have more trouble securing an easy upgrade.

Second, know the travel patterns. Depleted fleets means a better chance of an upgrade. Business travellers usually arrive Sunday and Monday and leave Thursday and Friday. Leisure travellers usually arrive Thursday or Friday and leave Sunday or Monday. So the best time to see a depleted fleet is on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Don’t forget holidays! Arrive on a holiday (not before) and you will see empty lots, and therefore upgrade potential. Timing is important as well. Arriving in the middle of the day on a depleted fleet day means there are fewer cars being returned and therefore fewer cars on the fleet lot. However this doesn’t always hold true as often depleted locations will get trucked in cars in the middle of the day from a “fat” or car heavy location.

Third, know what people rent. Most (but by no means all) business travellers rent mid-size or full-size cars, but these are also what the majority of the fleets are comprised of. Leisure travellers are harder to pin down, but many of them are renting SUVs or minivans for a vacation or full-size cars. If you rent a mid-size car on a Wednesday you statistical chances of an upgrade to at least a full-size car is pretty good (of course unless the location has a 1000+ car fleet).

Fourth, understand the market dynamics. As fuel prices rise many people rent down. If they usually rent mid-size they will rent compacts, full-size renters choose mid-size, etc. The only place where this doesn’t happen is in minivan rentals. There are only so many vehicles that can seat 7-8 people. Right now if you rent a compact or mid-sized car you are competing with more people for those vehicles and your upgrade chances are better.

Finally, ask for an upgrade. It sounds counterintuitive since you really want something for free, but if you ask you might just get it. When I worked the line we gave upgrades to frequent renters (obviously), but we also gave a few upgrades to parents going to see their child graduate from boot camp and to a newlywed couple. If nothing else the upgrade fees at the counter are often less than if you had reserved that car to begin with. When I was in Honolulu I rented a mid-size for $85/day, the specialty convertible (Crystler Crossfire) was listed at $130/day, but the counter upgrade cost was $15/day.

A last thought. Not all cars in the same class are created equal. If you see another car on the lot that you like, ask if you can have it, it might be in your same car class and you can get that one at no extra charge (Cheverolet HHR and Nissan Altima were both full-size at my former employer and I’d much rather have the Nissan!). Also, see if they will “upgrade” you free of charge to a car with satellite radio or navigation. Usually only the nicer cars within a car class have these options.

Good luck!