You’re pumped for your trip to Vancouver, However, you want to spend your money on things that you enjoy, and not on your rental car. This is a completely legitimate desire, and fortunately for you, it’s very easy to accomplish with just a little bit of extra know-how.

One of the keys to getting a good rental car rate is to start early. If you wait until right before your trip to find a rental car, you have basically cut off your legs, because the opportunities you will have to find a good deal will be far and few between.

Now that you know you shouldn’t procrastinate, you should also know that it’s important to comparison shop. Because the Internet makes it so easy to comparison shop for rental cars, there’s no excuse not to do it.

If you follow those two tips, you should have no trouble finding a low rental car rate for your trip to Vancouver. However, there are a few more things you should know to ensure that you keep your rate low.

First of all, decline all of the “upgrades” that are offered to you. While adding a GPS to your rental may sound great, it doesn’t sound so great when you realize that it cost you an extra $20 a day. Additionally, there’s no reason you can’t bring your own GPS to Vancouver to help you navigate during your trip.

Also, don’t return your car with an empty tank. Before you drop it off, make sure the gas gauge needle is right next to “Full.” Rental car company gas is not cheap, so don’t blow the savings you secured by returning your car with an empty tank.