Money is tight. Budgets have been cut. Here are two tips to save you money the next time you’re renting a car when at a conference. I’ve cars a few times in the last 6 months and these money saving tricks worked for me.

If you can arrange to rent a car in the middle of the week, you stand a really good chance in getting free upgrade. Business travelers usually pick up their cards on Sunday or Monday and they often get all the economy cars first. If the size of the car doesn’t matter for you, book the economy. You’ll usually have the option to upgrade when picking it up if you want. However, if it is the middle of the week, there is often a chance that there are no more economy cars and they’ll have to give you a bigger car.

Search for the deals. The last two cars I have rented have been through Priceline. The first time I tired the bidding thing. The cheapest economy car I could get was $22 a day. With Priceline I was able to pay $18 a day by bidding for it. The next time I rented a car, I found an ad on Priceline. Just before checking out, I saw a place for a coupon or promotional offer. I Googled “Hertz Coupon” and quickly found a promotional coupon. I typed it in and immediately saved $40 for a 10 day rental.

It may cost more than you’d love to pay, but do a little research and see if you can’t get the best deal around!