Budget Car Rental FAQs Budget Car Rental FAQs

In most instances, no.  However, some Budget locations may require a credit card (usually for high-demand cars or in instances where only one vehicle is available within a popular make/model), or may require prepayment of the entire rental to secure a rate. For non-prepaid reservations, your credit card will not be charged if you cancel up to 48 hours in advance of your designated pick-up time. However, if you cancel less than 48 hours before your pick-up time, a $75 U.S. fee will be assessed. For prepaid reservations, your card will be charged at reservation time and separate Pay Online terms apply.

Make your car rental reservation today.

No, unless you choose to prepay for your rental at time of reservation.

Regardless of whether you prepay, Budget will place a hold on your card at the time of pickup. Please check the terms and conditions on your online reservation confirmation or the location information page for the dollar amount required at your desired location. And while it's perfectly fine if you choose not to return the car on or before your scheduled return date (see "May I extend my rental beyond the original return date?"), we’ll place up to three additional holds on your credit card (depending on how long you keep the car) to cover expected rental charges. Upon your return of the car, all holds will be released, and the actual cost of the rental will be charged. Please note that your bank may take up to two weeks to post the released credit hold to your card. Unfortunately, we cannot be held responsible for any returned checks due to credit hold processing. Important related information may also be found under the question "What kinds of credentials will I need to present when I pick up my rental"?

 To view your reservation, you must have a confirmation number. This number is provided to you at the completion of your online reservation. The confirmation number is an 8-digit code followed by two letters and one more number, totaling 11 alpha/numeric characters. If you don't have that information readily accessible, simply contact us.

Select "View/Modify/Cancel under "Reservations" in our main menu

Enter your confirmation number and name to view your reservation

You can view and modify your reservation on budget.com as long as you have the renter’s last name and confirmation number for the reservation. This number is provided to you at the completion of your online reservation. The confirmation number is an 8-digit code followed by two letters and one more number, totaling 11 alpha/numeric characters. Please be sure to enter that information in the View, Change or Cancel an Existing Reservation page. If you don't have that information readily accessible, simply contact us.

Click on the "change this reservation" link in the toolbox on your rental confirmation page

  Car rental rates change much as airline prices do.   We promise that the rate you reserve is the rate you’ll pay – but we can't promise that the rate you reserve today will apply if you lengthen or shorten your rental period.  Also, if you revise your rental period, you might not realize that you’re actually changing your daily vs. weekend vs. weekly rate schedule.  Generally speaking, the longer the rental period, the lower your per-day rate.

With Budget, you can change most things on your pre-paid reservation on budget.com or at the counter at any time, even multiple times, with no fee. If changes affect the total rate of the rental, the prepayment amount will not change. Underpayments will be handled at the counter at time of rental return, and any overpayments will be refunded after the rental agreement is closed. If the change is to the rental location and the new location doesn’t accept pre-paid reservations, the pre-paid reservation will be canceled and rebooked at prevailing rates. In such an instance, you will be charged a $50 cancellation fee. Read more about changing your prepaid reservation then make a prepaid reservation today.

To view your toll receipt, go here.

 Unfortunately, usually the travel agency or online booking agent "owns" the file you originally opened, so it would be impossible for budget.com to access and amend that reservation.  Your best option would be to ask the original entity that booked your car rental to revise or cancel your reservation.  Then, if you wish to book a brand new reservation on budget.com, we would be happy to assist you.

 To help protect customers' identity, budget.com has revised its name format on the confirmation page and e-mail to a first-name, last-name-initial format. So, if you choose to print your confirmation page or e-mail, your identity is masked. Be assured, if you enter your last name in its entirety, it will be in our system.

You can cancel your reservation on budget.com as long as you have the renter’s last name and confirmation number for the reservation. The confirmation number is provided to you at the completion of your online reservation. The number is an 8-digit code followed by two letters and one more number, totaling 11 alpha/numeric characters. Please be sure to enter that information in the View, Change or Cancel an Existing Reservation page. If you don't have that information readily accessible, simply contact us.

Click on the "cancel reservation" link in the toolbox on your rental confirmation page.

Our cancellation policies vary, depending on the type of reservation you've made:

Was your credit card charged for the rental at reservation time on budget.com?
If you wish to cancel before your rental pick-up time, you must cancel and request a refund online. Once cancelled, we will credit you within approximately seven business days. Credits will be applied to the same card with which you prepaid. You will incur a $50 processing fee if you choose to cancel a prepaid reservation 24 hours prior to the rental pickup time. If you need to cancel, we will refund the full prepaid amount less a $150 USD processing fee, during the 24 hour period prior to the scheduled pick-up time. If you do not cancel the reservation prior to the time of pick-up and the rental vehicle is not picked up on the rental date, no portion of the prepaid amount will be refunded. If you return the vehicle before the original return date, you will not be refunded any portion of the payment. Learn more about canceling your prepaid reservation.

Was your credit card information required, but not charged, at reservation time?
For high-demand cars or in instances in which only one vehicle is available within a popular make/model, some Budget locations may require that you provide your credit card information to secure your reservation. As is common practice among hotels, this type of reservation does not require charging your card unless you decide you no longer need the car rental but then fail to cancel in advance of your designated pick-up time. You may cancel up to 48 hours in advance of your designated pick-up time without penalty. If you cancel less than 48 hours before your pick-up time, a $75 U.S. fee will be assessed.

Did you make a reservation without providing credit card information?
If you make a reservation without a credit card and you no longer need to rent, please cancel your reservation as soon as possible before your scheduled pick-up time.

Did you make a reservation with a travel agent or online booking agent?
The travel agency or online booking agent "owns" any reservation you originally made with them, so their reservation cancellation processes and policies apply.