Rent your next car from a person like you - or rent out your own
If you travel for business or pleasure, renting a car is always an excellent option for exploring a new city or simply getting to where you need to go. But, like buying a car, renting a car can be a time-consuming and expensive process.
With insurance coverage, mileage limits and the extensive paperwork needed to be signed, sometimes it feels easier just to take a taxi or use a ride share versus renting a car.
We’ve seen a trend in alternatives to traditional car rentals in the form of one-to-one vehicle rentals. Let’s look at three alternatives to the big-name, big-budget conventional car rental companies.
Get a car or rent out your own
Getaround is an option for those looking to rent a car for an upcoming trip and those looking to make extra income by renting their vehicle.
The rental process is very simple. You can browse hundreds of rental cars in your area. Choose the one you like and within 60 seconds, your driver’s license and credit card will be verified. There are convenient hourly and daily rentals and no membership or annual fees.
If you wish to share your car, choose when your vehicle is available and Getaround will handle the rest. Getaround screens prospective drivers, ensuring that your car’s driver has a safe driving record.
They also include $1,000,000 in primary insurance with each rental. Getaround provides the car owner and driver with 24/7 roadside assistance and customer support during a rental.
You can list your car or find a rental car using the Getaround apps available on Android and Apple devices. To learn more, check out the Getaround website here.
6 ways to use your car to make some cash this summer
Your car is just sitting in the driveway or garage, costing you money. Maybe it’s paid off (hooray!), but gas and maintenance add up. You might as well use those four wheels to make some cash. Here’s how.
Uber and Lyft are at the top of the rideshare game, and it’s worth considering if you enjoy driving and are a people person. Don’t get too chatty, or your reviews might not be great. You’ll have to pass a screening, and then you can work on your own time to generate cash from your ride.
💰 Your go-to rideshare app may not offer the best deals, depending on your location. Type your pickup and drop-off points into RideGuru to get a comparison of rideshare options in your area, including Uber, Lyft, Curb, Ola Cabs and DiDi Rider.
Smaller or regional options (like those names above you probably don’t recognize) can be a lot cheaper than Uber. Try Wingz, too, if you’re scheduling a ride to the airport in advance.
Speaking of, many airports add an expensive rideshare fee that gets passed along to you. I know someone who takes the airport shuttle to the nearest hotel or parking area instead of directly to the airport, and they catch an Uber from there to their destination instead.
Just say no: An Uber or Lyft driver might ask you to pay in cash so they can take home more money. They make as little as $9 an hour (paywall link) through the app, but a cash payment means no safety features like the emergency button, and you’ll get hit with cancellation fees.
Google Maps and Apple Maps: 8 hidden settings you'll use all the time
Thanks to the constellation of satellites, we can use GPS to chart our paths. We don’t have to worry about getting lost in new areas because navigation apps help us find our way through unknown territory. They also offer plenty of secret GPS settings you should know about.
How to use Uber's new package delivery and same-day courier service
If you’re like the rest of us, you’ve probably been relying on delivery quite a bit more lately. By staying at home and ordering in, you’re helping to flatten the curve, as well as reducing your risk of exposure.
And for America’s delivery services, business is booming. In fact, delivery drivers are one of the few jobs that are still hiring right this moment in spite of the coronavirus crisis. Tap or click here to see what other jobs are hiring now.
“Text pesting”: That’s the name for a disturbing type of harassment an estimated one-third of young women deal with regularly. Creeps use the contact info from a professional interaction, like an Instacart delivery or rideshare, to send unwanted sexual messages. Take Millie, who got, “I can’t wait to pick you up and see your beautiful face again, I long for you” from a driver.
🚘 Wrap it up: You’ve seen them on the street — cars wrapped in giant advertisements. Believe it or not, doing this to your ride pays pretty well. You can make $100 to $450 per month! Want to try it out? Go with Carvertise if you also do a rideshare; otherwise, check out Wrapify.
Safety update: You can now call or text 911 right from this app
Uber may be a convenient way to get around, but a chief concern for many potential riders is safety. Once you step into your driver’s car, you’re at their mercy until the vehicle comes to a stop. This means you have little-to-no recourse during a crisis or emergency, and no way to get out of the car.
25 most useful Alexa skills you'll use time and again
Like other virtual assistants, Amazon’s Alexa can provide you with basic information and features such as listening to music, checking the weather and setting timers for completing a task. But to expand Alexa’s knowledge, you have to enable apps, or “skills.” The goal is to make Alexa more personalized for its users.
Turning your home into a smart home is easier than ever. Now you can control virtually anything in your home using your voice. At the center of this revolution is the Amazon Alexa. But with over 50,000 different skills, there is a good chance there are quite a few things you had no idea she could do. Here are the top 7 commands I’m sure you didn’t know about.
