What is ZipCar? It’s a ready to rent car parked in a lot nearby you that you pick up by flashing your smartcard, drop it off by flashing your smartcard – there’s even a gas card in the car visor! AND insurance is included!

Now, obviously, it’s not for everyone but if you live in a dense urban environment and public transit to work or at school, why pay for a car full time when you only need it for a few dozen hours a month? NO insurance and NO worries about gas. Book it online, flash the reader, drive off, drive back, flash the reader – done!

You can check it all out online at ZipCar.com (via our referral).

There is a signup fee of $25. They checkout your driving record (d’uh 🙂 … they basically trust you to drive their $35k car away without as much as a hello. 🙂  ).

Then you can decide if you want a monthly deal or a one-time fee deal. One is really set up for campus or those with no car and the other is for casual needs – like if you just want to drive something different, they have everything from the obvious sedans to more interesting choices such as Mini Coopers to Audi convertibles to panel vans). You rent it by the hour – ranging from $7 to $12 – they also have midnight hours that are as low as $2.50 if you want it between late night and 6 AM.

The website is great – it shows what car is parked where and you simply click on the times you want it – it lets you instantly know what’s available and when.

And remember it includes GAS and INSURANCE!

That’s right, unlike regular car rentals where you have to fill it up or pay $9 for a gallon, all they ask is you leave it 3/4 full so if you’re running low – the gas card is in the visor, good at EVERY gas station. Slide the card in, punch in your mileage and your membership number and TA DA – done! No charge on your card, it’s all included!

They mail you a ZIPCARD – just get your car parked in a specific spot. Just flash it on the windshield reader and the door opens. You can also use it to open the door during the rental or use your smartphone ZIPCARD app – nice! When you are done, drop it back off and flash the reader. DONE. Nothing to sign and no one to talk to.

There are about 20 US, Canadian and UK cities and about 100 US universities so perfect for having access to a car on campus but not have to deal with gas, insurance or having someone stealing it – just flash your card and drive away.

I tested it out last month – it’s as easy as I described it.

So checkout our referral link below (You get $25 free credit for signing up).

(on the top page, there are also tabs for BUSINESSES if you want to have company cars for your employees but don’t want the hassle and costs of ownership – there’s also a UNIVERSITY tab for students on campus).