Budget Car Rental: Vehicle Availability, Rates, Reservation Information, and Discounts

Budget Car Rental has been in business since 1958. Budget was founded 50 years ago to serve the value minded traveler and still does today. As an industry leader today, they operate over 1,900 locations worldwide, within the United States, Africa, Asia, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mexico, the Middle East, the Pacific, and South America.

Vehicle Availability and Rates
The standard fleet of vehicles at Budget Car Rental features Ford and Lincoln vehicles, however there are other makes to choose from depending on your pickup location. The categories Budget has broken their vehicle classification into are user friendly and make the decision process easier. The renter first specifies if they are looking for a small, medium, large, SUV, or specialty vehicle. Each of those categories is then broken into sub categories. Now, if there is a particular make and model vehicle you are dreaming of renting, you would start in the "Driver's Choice" category, where you name the model you would like to rent rather than the size. Vehicles in this category include Mitsubishi Eclipse, Ford Mustang, Pontiac Solstice, Chrysler 300M, and the Cadillac CTS, just to name a few.

Rental rates vary greatly and are based on location, vehicle chosen, and length of rental. Typically, traveling at off peak times and reserving far in advance results in better deals. Optional equipment is available that if chosen, would also influence the rate charges. These options include child safety seats, E-ZPass^sm which allows you to zip through toll booths, GPS Navigation, and ski racks.Budget offers only non-smoking vehicles in the United States and some are equipped with satellite radio and are i-Pod compatible. The satellite radio and i-Pod features are not reservable, only because there are a limited number of vehicles equipped this way however, be sure to make the request at the time of pickup.

Reservation Information
Reservations can be made online or by phone by calling 800-527-0700 for reservations within the United States and 800-472-3325 for reservations outside of the United States. You will need to know location for pickup, date and time as well as your drop-off location, date, and time. You will then select from the cars available. If you need to cancel the reservation, Budget requests at least 48 hours notice. In the unlikely event a credit card was required for reservation a $75 fee will be charged for cancellations of less than 48 hours. If no credit card was required, there is no cancellation fee.

Website
From the Budget Car Rental website you can "Reserve a car in just 60 seconds." Log onto www.budget.com. The website features easy to use tabs and is very informative. You will find the lowest rates available through Budget Rental on their website. They also offer a "Lowest Rate Guarantee Promise." The website also displays pictures of vehicles that fall into each category as well as icons which represent how many people and luggage the vehicle can accommodate as well as gas mileage.

Perks and Discounts
Budget Rental offers a "Rent More, Save More" program. When you make a reservation on www.budget.com and complete the rental your rental activity is tracked and you will receive offers for 10-20% off your future rentals on the website. If time is at a premium in your life, Budget offers an additional perk for you. Sign up on the Budget website for "Rapid Rez" and "Fastbreak." Upon registering for a "Rapid Rez" number your vehicle class preference will be stored and your online reservation can be completed with one click. The "Fastbreak"service saves you time when picking up your rental. Your preferences and signature are kept on file, so you will not spend as much time at the counter.

The Budget website features a "Specials" tab where you can find daily, weekly, weekend and last minute specials listed. Special rates are also offered for small businesses, corporations, affinity groups and associations.

Customer Service and Feedback
Budget Rental certainly makes the customer's budget their number one priority with their "Lowest Rate Guarantee Promise". Their vision and mission statement speaks to that. Customer questions can be addressed through email with a response guaranteed within 72 hours or by calling the 1 800 number used for reservations.

Sources:
www.budget.com