When it's time to head back to class, you have a lot to pay for, right?

You may have to find a place to live near campus, make sure that your tuition is paid, and figure out your transportation options. All this costs money. If you can save a few bucks by renting your textbooks instead of buying them, then why not?

For books that you have no desire to buy and keep forever, these sites can help. They offer great rental prices and flexible terms, making them ideal for college students on a budget.

1. AllBookstores.com

To compare rental prices from a variety of bookstores, head to the appropriately named AllBookstores.com. After searching for your textbook, click Compare Prices for your selected book. You will then receive a nice view of the stores, availability, specials, and shipping charges. And, be sure to select your state from the drop-down box for applicable sales tax.

Once you have made your choice, click the Rent Book button to visit the store online and snag your rental.

allbookestores.com rentals

2. Amazon Textbook Rentals

If you already shop on Amazon, then renting textbooks through their program is easy. Just pop a detail for the book you need into the search box and check out your rental options. Select the book and then review additional information including the rental price. Shipping costs are free for orders over $35, and Amazon Prime's free two-day shipping is available.

All rental returns are shipped for free and you will receive a notification reminding you when your book is due.

amazon textbook rentals

3. Barnes & Noble Rental Program

Another popular book seller with a rental program is Barnes & Noble. Just search for your textbook, choose the correct one from the results, and then get the details. You can pick from 60, 90, or 130 days for your rental and you can extend it if needed.

You will see the shipping cost after adding the book to your shopping bag and returning your rental is free.

barnes and noble rentals

4. Bookbyte

Bookbyte is a super simple site to use. Search for your textbook and then review rental term options. You can rent the book for 30, 60, 90, or 150 days, priced accordingly. Bookbyte offers free shipping for receiving and returning the book for orders of $49 and up.

And, there is a seven-day grace period for late returns; just be sure to check for any restrictions.

bookbyte rentals

5. BooksPrice

BooksPrice is a great site for finding a good price on a textbook rental. After you look for your book with the search tool, you will see results for both purchases and rentals. Just deselect purchasing options under Preferences above the results and keep Rentals checked to narrow the options. Then, review the availability, term, price, and shipping costs from various bookstores.

Click the link for the store next to the rental you want and you will be directed to the site to start the process. BookSprice also offers price alerts via email and price tracking using your preferred RSS.

booksprice rentals

6. CampusBooks.com

For searching several rental sites at once, you can also check out CampusBooks.com. After locating your book, you will see the best prices along with prices from all bookstores. You can review condition details, shipping costs, and any available coupons.

CampusBooks.com will display books that are for rent and for sale. But, you can mark the Rental checkbox in the Condition area on the left to narrow the choices.

campusbooks rentals

7. CheapestTextbooks.com

CheapestTextbooks.com is another site that searches various bookstores for you. Search and locate your book and then scan through all the options. The results page is conveniently sorted by rentals for a semester and specific numbers of days. Like similar sites, the details shown include condition, coupons, deals, and shipping costs.

Click the Rent Now button and you will be taken to the online shop to rent the textbook.

cheapest textbook rentals

8. Chegg Books

Chegg Books offers a quick and easy way to search for the textbook you need. Just enter a detail into the search box and you are on your way. Once you land on the book information page, you will see the rental price as well as options for the electronic textbook and physical copy. For more about buying from Chegg Books, check out this helpful article.

Chegg Books lets you extend or purchase your rental, offers free shipping on orders over $85, and lets your return books for free.

chegg books rentals

9. Direct Textbook

If you want to check multiple books at one time for the lowest combined price, visit Direct Textbook. As an example, if you enter two ISBNs into the search box, you will see the amount for both. If you are just looking for one textbook, just search and click the book from the results page to review your rental options. The site searches various bookstores and displays the condition, price, and shipping for each.

When you find the rental you want, click Visit Store and you will be directed to the online bookstore.

direct textbook rentals

10. eCampus.com

The eCampus.com site offers flexible rentals for a semester, quarter, or short-term time frame. Returning your rental is free and having it sent to you is also free for orders over $59. What makes this rental source stand out is the rewards program. You can earn points and get discounts for future rentals.

If you plan to keep on renting your textbooks through college, eCampus.com is a great option. And be sure to check for instant savings promotional codes at the top of the main page.

ecampus rentals

11. Knetbooks

Knetbooks is similar to eCampus.com with semester, quarter, and short-term rentals as well as promotional codes on the home page. After you find your textbook using the search box, you will see prices for each period.

Knetbooks offers free shipping on all orders and additional savings if you sign up for promotional emails. Also, be sure to scroll to the bottom of the main page and click the Coupons link for even more offers.

knetbooks rentals

12. SlugBooks

If you live in Canada, the United Kingdom, or Australia, then SlugBooks is the site you want. (Rentals are also available in the United States). This site searches several online bookstores available for your country and displays each price neatly beneath its seller. Then, just click to head to the bookstore to rent the book.

What's handy about SlugBooks is that your viewing history is saved on the left side of the screen. So, you can jump back and forth to other books you search for and need.

slugbooks rentals

13. TextbookRentals.com

On TextbookRentals.com, just locate your book and click the Compare Prices button. You can then review the rental and purchase options from many different bookstores. You can also check out details and coupons along with the shipping costs.

If you decide to rent the book through TextbookRentals.com, you will be directed to the online store for the rental by clicking the Rent Book button.

textbook rentals

14. TextbookRush

With TextbookRush, you will see suggestions of textbooks as you type. If you spot the one you need, you can click it immediately. Otherwise, just go to the results page and see if the book is available to rent and in stock. Free shipping is applied to orders with a $35 minimum and returning your rental is free.

textbookrush rentals

15. TextBookSolutions

For free shipping on orders of $50 or more, head to TextBookSolutions. Enter a detail for the textbook you need and then review your results. This site does offer free shipping for returns, which is awesome. But you will not see pricing or availability on the results page. Just click View for the option you want and get the information you need.

textbooksolutions rentals

16. Textbook Underground

For prices on both used and new rentals, look at Textbook Underground. These two rental options give you flexibility with the condition of the book you are receiving. And the site offers purchases of used and new books too. Shipping prices vary depending on your location and the site does ship internationally.

Textbook Underground offers free rental returns, just be sure to review their frequently asked questions for more information.

textbook underground rentals

17. ValoreBooks

ValoreBooks is another terrific source for renting textbooks. Locate your book and then choose from a semester or quarter rental period. The shipping cost to you is clearly shown, but you can return books for free.

ValoreBooks also offers prices for used, new, and alternative textbook options and a handy order tracker right on the main page.

valorebooks rentals

How Much Money Have You Saved by Renting?

Many students like to hold onto certain books after they graduate and use them for reference. But for those required classes or textbooks you don't need, renting is the way to go.

Have you rented textbooks using one of these sites? If so, how much money were you able to save? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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