Budget Car Rental FAQs Budget Car Rental FAQs

Stands for Airport.

Based on location availability, you can select options including infant and child booster and safety seats, as well as ski racks, for a nominal fee. No-smoking vehicles are available at many locations at no additional charge. While Budget makes every effort to honor your requests for additional accessories with your car rental, except for infant and child safety seats reserved 24 hours prior to pick-up, we cannot guarantee them at the time of reservation. Hand controls for the physically challenged are also available, but require special set-up. They must be requested at least 24 hours prior to pick-up.

Affiliates help promote budget.com to consumers by providing a link to our site. If you have a Web site, you can partner with us and earn commission every time a visitor to your site makes a Budget car rental reservation. 

Some airports charge car rental companies a fee for every customer transaction at that airport location. When airport authorities impose this fee, rental car companies operating out of that airport generally pass on this surcharge to their customers either directly or indirectly.

The unique three-letter codes that identify each airport around the globe. For example, Newark is EWR and Los Angeles is LAX. Airport codes are used on airline tickets and baggage claim checks, and also may be used for making car rental reservations with Budget. To find airport and other Budget location codes, search for a Budget car rental location.

Stands for Airlines Reporting Corporation. When making car rental reservations, travel agents use their ARC number to identify themselves and their agencies, enabling agency owners to earn commission for their rentals.

In Florida only, a car rental tax is imposed to cover the state's cost to dispose of worn car batteries and tires. Rental car companies operating in Florida generally pass on this surcharge to their customers either directly or indirectly.

Stands for Budget Customer Discount.

Stands for Budget Customer Number.

Stands for Budget Rent A Car.

If you have a BCD number from an ad or coupon, it often can help you qualify for special car rental offers.

The same as a Budget RapidRez® Number, a BCN speeds the rental process by automatically applying your personal data and vehicle preferences, rather than requiring you to provide this data with every Budget car rental.

Affiliates help promote budget.com to consumers by providing a link to our car rental site. Through this program, earn commission every time a visitor to your Web site makes an online Budget car rental reservation. If you have a Web site, you might qualify to partner with us to help promote budget.com to online consumers by providing a link to our site.

Across the entire car rental industry, rental car classes include small (compact and economy), medium (intermediate and full-size), large (premium and luxury), SUV (intermediate, standard and full-size), specialty (convertibles, mini vans and 12-passenger vans) and Driver's Choice (other assorted car types). As you upgrade your car rental in class and price, you'll tend to find more extras like expanded passenger and leg room and better features.

The rental car industry’s car-class terms and those of car manufacturers have never been fully synchronized. No matter which car rental company you do business with, you will notice that there are many more car groups offered than those described by manufacturers in their new car classifications. For example, Budget lists the Chevy Malibu within our full-size offerings, while Chevrolet classifies it as a mid-size. Budget considers the Malibu as a full-size product because it has the capacity in all metric categories (seating, trunk space, etc.) to qualify as a full-size vehicle.

Canadian dollars.

This international version of the U.S. Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) helps protect drivers from repair costs that might arise from accidental damage to the vehicle during your car rental.

Some Budget Rent A Car locations are owned and operated by the corporation, and others are owned and operated independently.  While each of these car rental locations strives to offer the same high level of quality and service, occasionally some licensee-owned operations do not offer the same Budget promotions, special pricing activities, or rental terms as corporate-operated locations.  It’s easy to find out whether your car rental location is licensee-owned or corporate-operated.

This is the rental rate for businesses that have corporate accounts with Budget. If you have a corporate BCD or a corporate BCN or RapidRez Number, be sure to use it each time you rent a car. Special rates have been negotiated between the corporation and Budget, and these rates are “locked in” as long as the contract is in place.

The coupon code that identifies a unique car rental discount or offer.

A daily rental is for a 24-hour period. The daily rate applies when a rental does not qualify for a weekly or weekend provision. You can pick up your Budget rental car on any day of the week and return it on any day as well. Minimum daily rental is one day, and maximum is four days.

To help ensure everyone's safety, Budget strives to rent only to responsible drivers. That's why, in the U.S., you might be asked to sign a driving record addendum or be subject to a computerized Department of Motor Vehicles check when you rent a car. Based upon such a search, Budget reserves the right to deny a rental.

To help recover the escalating energy costs related to our business operations, we must impose a separately stated Energy Recovery Fee (ERF) to all customers at all locations. Please check for all fees that apply to your rental in the Rates section during your car rental reservation process.

Emergency Sickness Plan (ESP) provides international car renters visiting the U.S. with medical expense coverage that protects against unexpected illness.

The standard currency now used in many European countries.

In Australia and New Zealand only, ERF is a coverage plan that helps reduce the cost of excess damage to the car during your car rental. Terms depend on the vehicle category and the age of the driver. Similar to Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) in the U.S.

If a car is rented at 11:00 a.m. on a Tuesday, for example, a daily rental is due back to the return location by 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday – 24 hours later. Renters are requested to abide by the terms on the rental agreement. If a daily rental is not returned within 24 hours, an hourly fee will be charged in addition to the original daily charge. For rental cars returned more than two hours late, renters will be charged for an extra day. For specifics, speak with your Budget counter representative.

See additional equipment.

Stands for Fuel Service Option.

Some airports charge car rental companies a fee for every customer transaction at that airport location. Rental car companies operating out of that airport generally pass on this surcharge to their customers either directly or indirectly.

Fastbreak is our fastest and easiest way to rent a car and is recommended for frequent renters. It takes just minutes to sign up for Fastbreak, and there's no charge to enroll.

Fastbreak Choice is a car rental couter bypass service available at many major U.S. airports. Fastbreak members just confirm their reservation at a kiosk located in the lot, select the reserved car of their choice from the designated area, show their driver's license at the exit booth, and hit the road.

At Fastbreak Counter locations, Fastbreak members show their driver's license to the Budget car rental agent at the Fastbreak counter, get their keys, and they're off!

Budget's rates don't include the cost of fuel, so car renters have three Fuel Service Options – 1. Accept the Fuel Service Option, pay in advance for a full tank of fuel, and bring the rental car back empty; 2. Don't accept the Fuel Service Option, bring the rental car back full, provide a receipt for your gas purchase, and avoid any refueling service charge; or 3. Don't choose the Fuel Service Option, bring the car back less than full, and pay a fuel service charge.

Stands for Government Administration Rate Supplement.  It's a fee imposed for Government car rentals.

The Global Distribution System (GDS) is the worldwide online reservation system that travel agents use to reserve cars for their customers.

Stands for Gas Service Option which is the same as Fuel Service Option.

The international equivalent of the U.S. Personal Accident and Personal Effects (PAE) coverage protects you and your passengers against expenses resulting from accident, injury, and loss to personal property during your car rental.

For U.S. Government car rentals, the government imposes a $5/day Admin Rate Supplement (GARS/GA) charge for each rental. Rental car companies pass on this surcharge to government renters either directly or indirectly.

Hand controls for you rental car are available upon request at no charge.  Because hand controls require special set-up, they must be requested at least 24 hours prior to pick-up. They may not be available on all rental vehicles. Reserve hand controls by phoning 800-526-6408.

Budget's limited-time car rental deals e-mail is sent to subscribers weekly. Some car rental deals are available only to Hot Deals subscribers. Subscribe to Budget's Hot Deals Newsletter today!

Vehicles are rented on a daily, 24-hour basis. Hourly charges will apply when a consumer returns the vehicle after their expected time of return. If the hourly charge exceeds two hours, a full-day charge will apply. Each rental contract lists the charge fees, so renters should read the contract and keep it handy. Renters will be charged only the quoted rates, but if a customer fails to meet the contract terms, charges will be imposed. When in doubt, always ask at the car rental counter.

Members of the International Association of Travel Agents (IATA) use their IATA number to identify their travel agency when making car rental reservations, and to earn sales commission for their respective agencies.

Some Budget Rent A Car locations are owned and operated by the corporation, and others are owned and operated independently.  While each of these locations strives to offer the same high level of quality and service, occasionally some licensee-owned operations do not offer the same Budget car rental promotions, special pricing activities, or rental terms as corporate-operated locations.  It’s easy to find out whether your car rental location is licensee-owned or corporate-operated.

The unique three-letter codes that identify each Budget car rental location around the globe. Also, if the Budget location is at an airport, the airport code is used for the Budget location code. For example, Newark is EWR and Los Angeles is LAX. Airport codes are used on airline tickets and baggage claim checks, and also may be used for making car rental reservations with Budget. To can find airport and other Budget location codes, search for a Budget location.

The optional Loss Damage Waiver is not insurance. It's a coverage option that relieves renters of financial responsibility if the car is damaged or stolen while under car rental contract.

Stands for Master Rental Agreement.

A Master Rental Agreement is the legally binding contract that details the terms of the rental you'll be required to agree to and sign when Budget releases a rental car to you if sign up for RapidRez with Fastbreak service. The Master Rental Agreement covers all terms of rental that you will encounter at our nearly 1,900 global locations. You can view a copy of our Fastbreak Master Rental Agreement at anytime.

What's more, if you enroll with Fastbreak, you'll provide your electronic signature just once on this Master Rental Agreement – and can print and save it for your records. You'll save time at the car rental counter because you won't have to read the entire Rental Agreement or sign it at each location every time you rent a car!

Depending on your reservation/rental agreement, you have a mileage allowance that entitles you to drive your rental car a specified distance at no charge before a mileage surcharge takes effect. Some rate plans include unlimited mileage.

Unless your car rental reservation/rental contract mentions unlimited mileage, your total fee will include any additional miles you use beyond the terms of your agreement. This fee is noted in the rate section of your reservation and rental agreement.

To get this rate, you must rent a car for a minimum of 32 consecutive days or a maximum of 330 days. Mini-Lease, long term car rentals usually offer substantial discounts over our monthly rates.

To get this car rental rate, you must rent a car for a minimum of 28 consecutive days or a maximum of 31. Monthly car rentals usually offer substantial discounts over our weekly car rental rates. You can pick up your Budget rental car on any day of the week and return it on any day as well. See also Mini-Lease.

Since some Budget Rent A Car locations are privately owned and operated, these select locations have the option of not participating in all special promotional deals. If your car rental location isn't participating in or is sold out of a promotional offer, you'll see a “not available” note in the rate section of the Web site as you’re shopping for car rental rates.

Offer codes (also known as BCDs) may be found in a variety of places - in newspaper, magazine or television ads, by clicking banner ads on Web sites other than budget.com, on the budget.com home page, in our budget.com car rental deals pages or e-mailed to you as part of our Hot Deals Newsletter mailing. Also, if you're a member of an organization or company that partners with Budget Rent A Car, please contact that organization directly and ask whether they have a Budget BCD code you may use for your car rental.

Renters pick up a car at one Budget location and return it to a different Budget location.

Personal Accident and Personal Effects Insurance (PAE) protects you and your passengers against expenses resulting from accident, injury, and loss to certain personal property in your Budget car during your car rental.

Personal Accident Insurance provides accidental death and medical protection for you and your passengers during your car rental.

Participating Budget locations take part in our special promotional car rental offers or deals. Since some locations are privately owned and operated, participation in offers is optional.

Our car rental business partners include Travel Agents, Online Affiliate Sponsors, and some hotel, airline and credit card companies that provide special offers for consumers who rent with Budget.

An abbreviation for passenger. For example, 5PSGR means the vehicle will accommodate up to five adult passengers.

A qualifying rental meets all qualifications or rules. For example, on a coupon that notes “weekend rental only,” a qualifying car rental will need to take place during a weekend and not during the middle of the week.

With Rapid Return, available at most major U.S. airports, just drop off your car and we'll print a car rental receipt for you right there in the return lot. No need to sign up – you can enjoy Rapid Return car rental service at select airport locations any time!

Stands for Rental Agreement.

A RapidRez Number, the new name for a Budget Customer Number or BCN, speeds the car rental process by automatically applying a customer's personal data and vehicle preferences, rather than requiring a customer to enter this data with every Budget rental.

A Rental Agreement (RA) is the legally binding contract that details the terms of rental you'll be required to agree to and sign when Budget releases a rental car to you.

Budget’s nationwide Roadside SafetyNet product brings fast, reliable assistance in the unlikely event of operational difficulty or unexpected emergency while on the road. An additional daily charge covers renters for unexpected situations including key replacement, lockout service, jump starts, flat tire assistance, tire replacement, and emergency fuel delivery (up to 3 gallons with a charge for fuel only).

Stands for Standard Interline Passenger Procedures, the travel industry standard for how we identify and describe various types of rental vehicles, their features and functions.

Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) is extra automobile liability coverage that protects you and all authorized drivers of the rental car against third-party bodily injury and property-damage claims with USD $1,000,000 or $2,000,000 of coverage depending on the rental location*.

*If you are renting in California or Nevada, please check with the Budget location for specific carrier, program terms/conditions, exclusions and/or limitations of coverage as these may differ from the SLI described above. We also advise you to consult with your individual insurer before rental.

Participating corporate and agency operator locations also offer enhanced Supplemental Liability Insurance that covers the difference between the basic liability protection provided and $2,000,000 per occurrence. Please ask for this enhanced coverage at the rental counter.

Budget's popular specialty rental cars include convertibles, mini vans and 12-passenger vans.

Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) car rental reservation and customer care service is available upon request. For reservations and information in the U.S., TDD service is available by calling 800-826-5510.

The term for what's included in the basic quoted car rental price. Time and mileage includes the charge for the length of time rented, the allowable mileage and any incremental charge for mileage over the allowance associated with that charge. Airport fees, taxes and/or surcharges are calculated separately.

The Unlimited Budget loyalty rewards car rental program is our way of saying thanks! We'll pay individual travel agents for every qualifying car rental booking.

When your car rental contract includes unlimited mileage, you can drive anywhere, as far as you like, without incurring mileage surcharges.

Sometimes you might want to trade up from one car rental class to a higher car class. For example, you might have a car rental coupon that entitles you to upgrade from an economy car to a compact.

United States Dollar.

When U.S. car renters and other non-Europeans are inbound to Europe and purchase goods in Europe, they could be eligible for reimbursement of value-added taxes (VAT) from European government.

Across the entire car rental industry, car classes include small (compact and economy), medium (intermediate and full-size), large (premium and luxury), SUV (intermediate, standard and full-size) and specialty (convertibles, mini vans and 12-passenger vans). As you upgrade in class and price, you'll tend to find more extras like expanded passenger and leg room and better features.

Industry wide, at select locations, this car rental fee is sometimes charged to renters for vehicle registration and licensing fees.

A weekday or daily car rental is for a 24-hour period. The weekday rate applies when a rental does not qualify for a weekly or weekend day provision. You can pick up your Budget rental car on any day of the week and return it on any day as well. Minimum weekday rental is one day, and maximum is four consecutive days.

To qualify for a weekend day rate, you must pick up your Budget rental car any time after 12:00 noon on Thursday and return it by 11:59 p.m. (one minute before midnight) the following Monday. Some rates require a Friday or Saturday night stayover, and might require a two-day minimum rental.

To get this rate, you must rent a car for a minimum of five to seven consecutive days. Weekly car rentals usually offer substantial discounts over our daily rates. You can pick up your Budget car on any day of the week and return it on any day as well.