The Ultimate Holiday Deal: How to Gift a Car for Only $50

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- This holiday season, Zipcar, Inc., the world's largest car sharing company, offers "The Gift of Zip" to help consumers to gift their loved ones the convenience of a car without the high cost.  Zipcar is proclaiming: 'tis the season for sharing -- car sharing, that is -- and is offering Zipcertificates in amounts starting from $50 as a great gift for both current members and those looking to join.

Zipsters and non-Zipsters alike can purchase Zipcertificates and even request them from loved ones online at www.zipcar.com/gift.  Once a Zipcertificate is purchased, Zipcar will e-mail the certificate in a format that can be forwarded or printed out for the recipient.  Happy recipients can then use it to pay for a shiny new Zipcar membership, cover a few hours behind the wheel of a Zipcar, or both.  

According to the National Retail Federation, over 60 percent of shoppers say the economy will impact their holiday spending this year.  If consumers can't afford that car on their loved one's wish list, "The Gift of Zip" offers the next best thing by gifting them a car one hour at a time. And since each shared Zipcar replaces 15 personally owned cars on the road, recipients also get the added feel-good bonus of knowing they are helping reduce traffic, congestion and their overall carbon footprint.

"The days of giving a loved one that shiny new car all wrapped up in a bow is a thing of the past. 'The Gift of Zip' offers a fun, creative way to fit 30 cars into one stocking this year, since every one of our Zipsters has access to our fleet of more than 30 makes and models," said Scott Griffith, chairman and CEO of Zipcar. "It's a present that offers choice, convenience and instant access, without weighing the recipient down with the added costs of gas, insurance and maintenance that go along with car ownership."

Zipcar gives a new meaning to this season's Yankee swap, allowing consumers to choose a variety of cars -- from convertibles to SUVs and pick-up trucks -- based on their specific needs for each trip. Not one to toot its own holiday horn, but the Zipcar family insists there is a gift idea with a Zipcertificate at every value for every Zipster in the family:

• $50 to simplify and pay for a couple days' worth of mom's errands, including running around town returning all those ugly sweaters gifted by Aunt Sally this year
• $60 to supplement a night on the town with a sweetheart, complete with a lift in one of Zipcar's fancy BMWs
• $75 to fund dad's next few trips golfing with the guys
• $150 to cover a weekend trip skiing with the girls this winter in a Zipcar SUV
• $200 to pay for junior's upcoming spring break trip home from college (because of course he's opting to head home instead of to the beach with his college buds)

As consumers increasingly turn to the Web to avoid the holiday shopping pandemonium, Zipcertificates offer gift-givers an easy, convenient way to do all their shopping online at http://www.zipcar.com/gift/. Even better, those lucky gift-takers on the list this year will be able to celebrate the ease and convenience that their new Zipcar credit brings them.

About Zipcar

Zipcar is the world's leading car-sharing service with more than 500,000 members and 8,000 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for an alternative to the high costs and hassles of owning a car. More information is available at www.zipcar.com.

Zipcar and the Zipcar logo are trademarks of Zipcar, Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Zipcar, Inc.