Zipcar’s discounted membership is a campus program, and the people it names are students, faculty and staff, and alumni at universities. Nothing on Zipcar’s pages describes a discount for K-12 teachers or school districts, so whether you get a special rate depends on where you work.
Zipcar is a car sharing service where you book a car by the hour or day. Its home page says gas, maintenance, designated parking and insurance options are included in the membership. Avis Budget Group’s site names Zipcar as one of its three brands, alongside Avis and Budget.
How To Get The Zipcar Teacher Discount
There’s no teacher code to enter. The discounted rate comes through Zipcar’s university program, and Zipcar’s FAQ lays out the steps. Go to zipcar.com/universities and search for your school. Choose a plan: student, faculty/staff or alumni. Then apply with your .edu email, a driver’s license and a selfie. Zipcar says most applications are approved in minutes, though verifying some details can take a few more business days. You have to be 18 or older and meet Zipcar’s standard eligibility requirements.
What you’d actually pay depends on your school. The FAQ says “We offer many universities discounted memberships for students, faculty & staff, and alumni,” and tells you to search for your university to confirm its membership fees. The pages that describe the program name universities, not K-12 schools or teachers, so if you work outside a university, the search is how you find out whether your school is in it.
What The Application Costs
This is the one price difference Zipcar states outright. Its FAQ says “There’s no application fee when a driver applies for membership through our university program.” Everyone else pays a one-time $25 application fee, which covers pulling driving records and reviewing applications. The page says it’s non-refundable and applicants pay it whether or not they’re approved.
The first-month offer on Zipcar’s home page doesn’t carry over either. Its footnote says the discount excludes Annual, Business and University rate plans and applies to the Monthly plan only.
What’s Included And What Isn’t
Zipcar’s university FAQ lists gas and EV charging (there are gas cards in every Zipcar), secondary insurance options, a free designated parking spot, maintenance and 24/7 roadside assistance. Discounted university memberships include 180 miles per 24-hour period, and extra miles are billed at $0.67 each. Zipcar’s how-it-works page lists rules that cost money when broken: a $30 fee if you skip refueling when the tank is below a quarter, a cleaning fee of $50 or more, and late fees.
If You Work At A University
Zipcar’s FAQ describes a University Department Account, which puts all the drivers on a staff on one account. There’s no setup fee, just an annual membership fee for each driver, and the FAQ links to a request form. That’s a question for your department rather than something to sign up for on your own.
Zipcar Rewards is open to members on standard and university plans, including faculty and staff, though university administrators and business accounts aren’t eligible. Zipcar’s rewards page says university members earn $5 for every $200 spent and standard members earn $5 for every $250. Only driving rates and mileage count, and rewards can’t be combined with other promotions or discounts.
If You’re An AFT Member
AFT’s car rental savings page names eight rental companies, and Zipcar isn’t one of them. Our AFT membership guide covers who’s eligible and how to join.
Q&A
Does Zipcar have a teacher discount?
Not one that Zipcar describes for K-12 teachers. Its university program covers faculty and staff at participating universities, and the rate depends on the school.
Can a K-12 teacher join through the university program?
Zipcar’s pages don’t say. The application asks for a .edu email and starts with a search for your school, so search for yours before you count on it.
Which rental companies do have a teacher discount?
Hertz, Dollar and Budget each show up to 25% off for teachers on ID.me. Our Hertz and Budget guides cover how to claim it.
More Information:
Everything about Zipcar’s program comes from Zipcar’s own university FAQ, universities page, home page, how-it-works page and rewards page. The brand list comes from Avis Budget Group’s site, the AFT list comes from AFT’s Car Rental savings page, and the teacher figures for Hertz, Dollar and Budget come from ID.me Shop. Zipcar changes its plans and fees on its own schedule, so confirm them before you apply.