Okay, last week we shared on our insta-stories that we got our rental car for our trip up to Scotland for free. And as you could have guessed, we were just as surprised as you were.. not because it was free, but because the process of getting the free rental car was so. dang. easy. Why we’ve never done this before is completely beyond us!
**Ryan Air currently does not have the free rental car promotion. However, they still have a best price guarantee, and they refund the difference in prices. So, if you are booking a rental car with Ryan Air and find a better price somewhere else, you can still follow these same steps for getting a refund on the extra expenses of the rental car.
When we backpacked through South America, we never rented a car. There’s something so special about simply taking buses and hitchhiking wherever you go, but moving over to Scotland and exploring more of Europe, we’ve begun to really enjoy the freedom rental cars bring. And man, how much sweeter does that freedom sound when the rental car for an entire week is free of charge!
It all started with one simple email. RyanAir shot us an email highlighting things we usually just ignore. Encouraging us to purchase seats so we can sit together and buy extra luggage allowances to “help our trip run smoothly”, 10% off hotel stays, best prices for car hire, and prearranged airport transfers.
Normally we would ignore these emails, simply delete them right away and even be annoyed with the number of extra emails we get when booking with budget airlines, but this time, something caught our eye… “Free car hire if you find it for less!” Wait, what?! A free rental car? Don’t believe me, see for yourself…
I clicked through the email, read all the terms and conditions, and said, “GAME ON”!
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through one of our links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read our full disclosure policy.
Getting A Free Rental Car
Step One | Search For The Car On Ryan Air’s Car Website
As far as we understand, you do not actually need to book your flight with RyanAir to hire a car through them, simply go to Ryan Air’s car hire site below and search for a rental car in your desired destination.
CAR RENTAL WEBSITE | RyanAir Car Hire
Step Two | Open The Car Hire Company’s Website In a New Window
In the middle of each rental car result, there is a box with the rental car company and the rating for that company. You need to open a new tab with that rental car company, so in the image below, you would open a new tab with Easirent.
A closer look at what you’re looking for…see the blurry EasiRent logo on the left?
Step Three | Search For The EXACT SAME Car On The Company’s Website
Again, this search needs to be exactly the same as the search performed on RyanAir’s car finder. The date, time of pick-up and drop-off, the location, and the car details all need to be the exact same. Be sure to check the fuel policy and mileage!
Step Four | Screen Shot Supporting Evidence
Once you find a car cheaper than the car listed on RyanAir’s website, you need to take photos, screenshot, or save the browser as a PDF to send to the Price Promise team. These photos need to include the final pricing with taxes and fees. The more photos you take to prove the cheaper price, the better. Do this before actually booking your rental car!
Step Five | Book Your Car Through Ryan Air’s Car Hire Website
Again, make sure the car is the exact same car with the exact same conditions as the one you just screenshot from the competitor’s website. Book your car as you normally would back on the RyanAir car hire tab. One more time… book the car through RyanAir, even though the competitor’s price is cheaper.
EXTRA TIP | Use This Card to Get Free Car Rental Insurance
Step Six | Email The Price Promise Team
Fill out your claim form and email the price promise team through the link below. Don’t forget to submit all the supporting photos you took BEFORE you booked your rental car. You have to have this email sent out (with the form filled out and your supporting photos) within an hour of booking your rental car or your claim is void!
Make sure you can do this within an hour of booking or do not book your rental car!
CLAIM FORM | Click here for the direct link to the claim form and email address
Step Seven | Wait For A Response
If you’re like us, you’re going to go back and check and recheck again and again that you did all the things correctly and that there’s no question about getting the car for free. But in all honesty, try and forget about it for the next 48 hours, and then be super happy when the email comes in that you got approved for a free car!
Step Eight | Print Off The Voucher
One bit of the terms and conditions of getting your free rental car with RyanAir is printing off a voucher they send you. Now, this is kind of a hidden rule, as there always seems to be with rental cars, but after digging deep, I’ve read now multiple times the voucher needs to be printed off or you “may” be charged a different price at the collection of the car. Play it safe, just print the dang voucher!
Step Nine | Cover Your Back
There are loads and loads of horror stories with rental car agencies taking more money than they should on credit card reservations for reasons a-z. And honestly, reviews of renting through RyanAir are mostly poor… but, if you really cover your tracks and get all the necessary paperwork in order, there should be no problem… fingers crossed!
Read through the terms and conditions, gather all necessary paperwork that needs to be shown at the collection of the car, and pray you’re in the clear! Think things like proof of rental car insurance with your travel credit card, printed documents of the rental agreement, recognizable ID (in English), and even space on your card for the hold amount when renting a car!
Step Ten | Take Photos At Collection And Drop Off
Rental car agencies are notorious for charging people for damage done, even if the damage was on the car already. Play it safe and take photos, even video, of every aspect of the car — inside and out.
Look for things like stains or cigarette burns in the interior, and scratches on the rims, chips in the windscreen, and any dents on the exterior. Even if the attendant seems annoyed or says, “Oh don’t worry about that little ding, that wouldn’t be a problem”, take a photo anyway! Better safe than sorry!
Extra Hack | Ger Free Rental Car Insurance Too
Car hire companies are always trying to upsell the extra insurance. Like when we went to Iceland and the recommended insurance included even wind and gravel! With this card, you don’t have to worry about paying all the extra rental car insurance fees. It’s all covered when booking with your Chase Sapphire Visa! This card has saved us loads of money, and we can’t recommend it enough.
FIND OUT MORE | Our Travel Card Perks We Love
Like we said in the beginning, we don’t always think that renting a car is the best way to go about seeing a country, but man, if it’s a free rental car, why the heck not! You can check out this post for more of our rental car tips. It’s geared towards car hires in Croatia, however, it applies to most other places too!
If you land a free rental car, don’t forget to come back and tell us about your experience! Good luck finding that sweet spot deal!
