For the avid business or leisure traveler, here is good news for you. You can now select and reserve car rentals online. You can either do this with an online travel agency or on the car rental's website directly. But either way, each website will give you the flexible options you need to ensure that the car you are renting will suit your time and travel needs.

Some of you may still be hesitant; all of the convenience offered sounds too good to be true but this is as real as it gets. Read on and educate yourself of the additional benefits of renting the car online and you might just find yourself using it the next time the need for a car arises.

1. Can you spell C-O-N-V-E-N-I-E-N-C-E?

Renting a car several miles away from where you are, all in the comfort of your home is the absolute convenience. Just type in the destination and the dates when you need it, click, and the list of available cars will be displayed on your screen in no time. Type in the necessary information and all these will be sent directly to the car company's reservation records. Once you get there, present a confirmation number, pay the rates and you're good to go. Convenience indeed!

2. Websites can provide you with all the information you need to find the perfect car.

Another added benefit, websites usually contain all the information you need to know about a car rental. From the car description, the number of people that can fit comfortably, the size of luggage that you can carry and the actual model and type of the car; you name it, it is all there. Some sites even have customer ratings that you can view to see if the previous customers were satisfied or not. In short, you have all the information you need to make that sound decision on what car will suit your travel needs best. Aside from that, you can also view the complete policies of the car rental company – its restrictions and possible additional surcharges on the same website.

3. 24-hour customer service support

In case you rent a car using an online travel agency, most of the time, they have customer representatives available round the clock that are more than wiling to help you when it comes to any of your reservation concerns. Aside from that, they can also call up the car company on your behalf for any questions that needs answering.

4. Flexible cancellation policies

Most car companies that are postpaid have very flexible cancellation policies. The rule: since you did not pay for it yet, there will be no penalty for cancellations given that cancellation is done several hours ahead of the pick up time.

So take advantage of these benefits whenever you can. But remember, always read on the car rental company's rules and policies as they may vary form one company to another. Having access to all this information online, there would be no excuse for you to be misinformed about an additional surcharge or availability issue.