RentalCars.com Affiliate Program: Pros, Cons & More

Want to join the Rentalcars.com affiliate program?

Tap into travel opportunities and lucrative income potential. 

It is designed to empower affiliates to earn commissions while you promote a network of car rental partners.

The rental car industry is growing at lightning speed.

The industry’s user base was 7.1% in 2023 and 7.8% by 2027.

Why?

They satisfy the different transportation needs of customers.

Read this article to learn everything you need to know to succeed.

Program Overview

Does Rentalcars.com Have an Affiliate Program?

Yes, it has an affiliate program in the car rental industry.

This program is managed through the Commission Junction affiliate network.

Rentalcars.com is a car rental aggregator.

What is a car rental aggregator?

A car rental aggregator is a company that compares prices from different car rental companies to help users find the best deal.

I like the user interface of the website. It is easy to use.

Users just provide their travel dates and destinations.

Rentalcars.com compares prices from all of the major car rental companies in that area.

So it is just as simple as drinking a glass of water.

It is one of the largest online car rental services.

Rentalcars.com offers leisure and business travelers different competitive rates with the top rental car companies.

The company records over 10 million bookings a year.

Rentalcars.com is part of Booking Holdings Inc., which is the world leader in online travel & related services.

What Is the RentalCars.com affiliate program?

The Rentalcars.com affiliate program is a partnership program that pays affiliates who promote Rentalcars.com through affiliate links in return for commission.

It helps travelers compare the prices of more than 900 car rental agencies. 

This service is available in 40 languages ​​and more than 180 countries.

How does the Rentalcars.com affiliate program work?

When you promote RentalCars.com, the company rewards you for spreading the word about it and its products.

Affiliates earn a commission of 6% on every car rental booking as long as the booking is completed within 30 days of the user clicking on your affiliate link. 

Usually, the average commission per booking is €230.

This is how you earn a commission.

It is that simple.

Read also: The top car rental affiliate programs

Is the affiliate program free to join?

Yes, it is free to join.

It is 100% free.

Affiliates are not usually charged a dime to join this program.

What is needed is high-quality content related to the travel or car rental industry.

What Products Can You Promote?

Affiliates usually promote:

• Economy cars
• Compact cars
• Midsize cars
• Fullsize cars
• SUVs
• Minivans
• Luxury cars
• Vans
• Trucks
• Motorbikes
• RVs
• Airport transfers
• Chauffeur services

How Much Do Rentalcars.com Affiliates Make?

Well, it is difficult to provide a specific answer to this one-million-dollar question.

I’m sure you also know why this is the case.

Depending on their efforts, skills, and other factors, affiliates make different amounts of money in commissions.

So this is a question that does not have a single answer.

However, I’ll attempt to give you a glimpse of what affiliates make just to give you an idea and, of course, satisfy your curiosity.

Generally speaking, affiliates make between $0 and $1,000 per month.

I presume I have satisfied your curiosity now.

What are the commission rates?

The commission rate is 6% of the car price.

However, this excludes extras or additional services.

How long does the cookie last?

The cookie duration is 30 days. 

Thus, if a user clicks on your affiliate link and books a car rental within 30 days, you will earn a commission on the booking, even if they don’t book the car immediately.

How Do Affiliates Get Paid From RentalCars.com?

This program is hosted on Commission Junction.

The Commission Junction affiliate network pays affiliates through check, ACH (direct deposit), and Payoneer.

The minimum payout threshold is $100.

Marketing Materials and Promotional Tools 

As an affiliate, you will gain access to different resources and products.

Banners

The brand has different banners, small and large.

So you have the option to choose the banner that suits your blog design.

Use the banners on your blog—place them on your sidebar—to promote rentalcars.com products and services.

Text links

Another resource you can use is a text link.

One thing I like about text links is that they can be used anywhere.

Login to your dashboard. 

Copy your affiliate links and paste them into your content.

Readers who click on the affiliate links will be directed to the merchant’s website.

API Access

APIs are good. 

They allow users to book car rentals directly from your website or application.

So use the Rentalcars.com API to integrate their products and services into your website.

Who Should Join the RentalCars.com Affiliate Program?

Travel bloggers

Travel bloggers are the best candidates for this affiliate program. 

Promote your affiliate links to your readers.

You will earn a decent amount of money for every car rental that readers book through your affiliate links.

Rentalcars.com is a famous company that offers high-quality services.

So you are providing your readers with the best possible travel experience.

Travel website owners

Are you a travel website owner? 

If yes, give RentalCars.com a try.

Write RentalCars.com content on your website

You will attract more visitors who are interested in renting cars.

Every time a visitor clicks through your affiliate link and books a car rental, you will earn a commission.

Rentalcars.com is a high-authority website, so linking to it will improve your website’s ranking in search engine results pages.

Travel comparison websites

Just as I said earlier, this company compares the prices of car rental companies.

So partner with RentalCars.com to offer your users more choices of car rental options to choose from.

You will earn a commission on every car rental that is booked through your website, even if the user clicks through to RentalCars.com directly.

When you compare prices from different car rental providers, you will help your users find the best deals and increase the likelihood of them making a booking.

So considering joining will be a great idea.

Social media influencers

Social media is another platform affiliates can use to promote the brand.

So social media influencers are free to join the program.

Promote RentalCars.com on your social media channels.

Social media is a great medium

Why is it a good medium?

You have a higher chance of reaching a global audience of potential customers.

You will earn a commission on every car rental that is booked through your affiliate links.

Share your own travel experiences and recommend RentalCars.com by creating more engaging content for your followers.

Email marketers

I have always said that an email list of subscribers is a gold mine.

Promote the brand’s products by sending emails to your subscribers in your email list.

You will earn a commission on every car rental that is booked through the affiliate links in your emails.

Segment your email list and send targeted messages to subscribers who are most likely to be interested in renting a car.

Use email automation software to send automated emails to your subscribers with your affiliate links.

It is that simple!

Is the RentalCars.com Affiliate Program Worth It?

Just as I indicated earlier, Rentalcars.com is a subsidiary of Booking Holdings.

It is a car rental aggregator company that compares prices from different car rental companies to help users find the best deal. 

The commission rate is 6% on completed car rental bookings.

Nevertheless,  this excludes extras and additional services.

The program gives affiliates a cookie duration of 30 days, while the average order value is €230.

Affiliates that have a well-planned strategy make a substantial amount of money in commissions.

I’m talking about more than $1,000 per month.

Pros 

A variety of marketing tools

Do you still remember the resources and tools offered by the brand to promote its products?

Well, three tools were discussed: text links, banners, and APIs.

Affiliates have a variety to choose from.

Depending on their strategy and preference, they use either text links, banners, or APIs.

Global reach

This company is a big boy in the rental car industry. Its services are available in more than 60,000 locations in over 160 countries.

Dedicated support team

There is a dedicated support team that helps affiliates achieve their goals.

The team answers questions from affiliates and troubleshoots their problems.

Long cookie duration

The cookie life lasts for 30 days.

This cookie’s life is longer than the other cookie’s lives I have seen so far.

Let’s look at the cons now.

Cons

High competition

Honestly speaking, the travel and car rental industries are highly competitive.

Why are they competitive?

The reason is very simple: they are lucrative.

You will face high competition from other websites and blogs that are also promoting the affiliate program.

You will need to have a strategy to stand out from the crowd.

Conclusion: Is the Rentalcars.com affiliate program worth it?

Yes, it is worth joining.

You will be inspired if you look at the commissions made by affiliates per month.

On average, an affiliate makes more than $1,000 per month.

This clearly shows how lucrative the affiliate program is.

It has a high conversion rate.

So affiliates who have a workable strategy make substantial amounts of money in commissions.

Don’t get me wrong.

The $1,000 is just an average.

So some affiliates make more money, while others make less than $1,000.

I recommend this affiliate program to my readers.

It is worth joining.

How To Join the Program

Just like I said earlier, this program is run through the Commission Junction affiliate network.

First, become a publisher at Commission Junction.

Visit cj.com and sign up as a publisher. 

Fill in your name, email address, and preferred language. 

Click Next.

Check for the confirmation email in your inbox and click the button ‘Create my CJ Publisher Account’:

You will be taken to the Publisher Sign Up Form. 

Fill in your details and click ‘Accept Terms’ to complete the registration process.

Once you sign up, you’ll be taken to your CJ Account Manager.

The Account Manager displays the network statistics, performance summary, and messages.

You’ll access two main sections in the Network Profile:

• Website description: the website’s strengths and relevant statistics.
• Promotion methods are channels you use to promote advertisers.

Complete the two sections to show advertisers the value you bring to the table.

Next, click Account > Administrative Settings to update your payment and tax information.

Enter your payment information and choose a mode of payment.

Then, write down your tax information.

Remember, CJ Affiliate requires all publishers to submit their tax forms for payout.

US:

• W-9 Request for Taxpayer Identification and Certification

Non-US:

• W-8BEN Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding
• Certificate of No United States Activities

Contact your tax advisor or visit your country’s IRS website if you have questions.

Requirements To Join the affiliate program

• Must have a website or blog that has content related to travel and car rentals.
• Generate decent traffic to your website or blog.
• Must agree to follow the affiliate program’s terms and conditions.

Does Rentalcars.com Support Affiliates?

Yes, affiliates are usually supported.

There is a dedicated support team that helps affiliates by answering questions and troubleshooting problems.

Affiliates have access to different tools and resources—banners, text links, and APIs.

In addition, RentalCars.com offers education resources and trains affiliates to learn more about the program and how to promote it effectively.

Tips For Success As An Affiliate

Prioritize quality over quantity

Some content creators think that churning out massive amounts of content is what guarantees their success.

However, this is far from the truth.

Your success hinges on creating high-quality content.

The content must offer a solution to their problems.

Exercise patience

Affiliate marketing is a long-term project.

It usually takes years before you start seeing results.

So don’t expect to start seeing results very soon.

It will take years.

Thus, don’t despair if you don’t make as much money as expected.

 Build an email list

Just like I said earlier, an email list of subscribers is a gold mine.

A loyal list of subscribers is likened to a market.

Affiliates advertise or sell products to their email subscribers.

They already trust you, so it is easy to sell to them.

Recommend high-quality products

I think it is important to prioritize the needs of your audience.

Money should come second.

I mean, when you promote products, only promote good products.

Don’t promote fake products just for the sake of making money.

Alternatives to the RentalCars.com Affiliate Program

Discover Cars affiliate program

The Discover Cars affiliate program offers a commission of 40% of qualifying revenue generated from each transaction.

The cookie duration is 365 days.

National Car Rental affiliate program 

The National Car Rental affiliate program offers a commission rate of 3% per complete booking.

Its cookie duration is 80 days.

Alamo affiliate program 

The Alamo affiliate program pays a commission rate of 5% per sale, and the cookie duration is 180 days.

Hertz affiliate program 

The Hertz affiliate program offers a commission rate of 3% on completed car rentals in select markets.

Its cookie duration is 24 hours.

Welcome Pickups affiliate program

The Welcome Pickups affiliate program pays €5.00 per booked airport transfer and 10% of the total price on sightseeing rides.

Its cookie duration is 45 days.

EconomyBookings affiliate program 

The EconomyBookings affiliate program offers 60% commission per sale, and the cookie duration is 30 days.

QEEQ affiliate program 

The QEEQ affiliate program pays 5%–10% commission rates, and the cookie lasts for 30 days.

Localrent affiliate program 

The Localrent affiliate program offers 6.5–9% commission rates and a cookie duration of 30 days.

Final Thoughts

I like looking at industry statistics.

Rentalcars.com’s future looks bright.

I found interesting figures about the industry.

The rental car industry is projected to grow by 8.8% from 2023 to 2027.

This growth is because of ever-growing transportation solutions.

Rentalcars.com satisfies the transportation needs of customers.

Join this referral affiliate program.

This program gives a 30-day cookie window and a 6% commission on completed car rental bookings.