Quick Overview
- About Budget Rent a Car: An American car rental company headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, with over 2,700 locations worldwide.
- Parent Company: Part of the Avis Budget Group, which also owns Avis Car Rental, Budget Truck Rental, Payless Car Rental, Apex Car Rentals, Maggiore Group, and Zipcar.
- Budget Partner Rewards Program: While Budget doesn’t offer its own rewards points, you can earn airline miles, hotel rewards points, and more through their Partner Rewards Program when booking rentals.
- Budget Fastbreak Program: A separate program focused on speedy pick-ups and drop-offs, with members earning Budget Bucks redeemable for future rentals.
- Maximize Rewards with Cash Back Portals: Use portals like Rakuten Rewards to earn additional cash back alongside rewards from Budget Fastbreak and Partner Rewards programs.
- Save with Credit Card Benefits: Pay with a card offering complimentary rental insurance, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, to save hundreds annually on insurance fees.
Budget Fastbreak
Joining Budget Fastbreak is free and comes with exclusive perks, including faster service and the opportunity to earn Budget Bucks and rewards through other loyalty programs.
Here are some of the key benefits of Budget Fastbreak:
Skip The Line:
- Fastbreak members bypass the line at pick-up. Simply show your valid driver’s license, grab your keys, and go.
- For drop-offs, set up Fastbreak Return and e-Receipts to return your vehicle to a dedicated area and have your receipt emailed instantly—saving you valuable time.
Budget Bucks:
- Earn $25 in Budget Bucks after completing two qualifying rentals between January 1st and December 31st.
- Earn up to 52 coupons per year—potentially over $1,000 in discounts annually!
- Redemption Rules:
- One Budget Bucks coupon can be applied per rental.
- Coupons expire, so use them promptly.
- Rentals paid with Budget Bucks do not count as qualifying rentals for earning additional Budget Bucks.
Budget Partner Reward Program
Budget makes it easy to earn airline miles, hotel points, and other rewards when booking rental cars. Here's the details:
How to Set Up Partner Rewards:
- Visit budget.com and log into your Fastbreak account.
- Go to My Profile and click on the Profile dropdown.
- Select Rewards, then click Set Up under the Partner Rewards Program.
Find the Right Partner Program:
- View the full list of partners on the Budget Rewards: Miles, Points, & Partners page.
- Rewards earnings and methods vary by partner, so check specific program details to maximize benefits.
** Some listed partner programs may no longer be active, so confirm availability before setting up your preferences. **
Budget & Amazon Partnership
Budget and Amazon are partnered together to bring you great savings when renting cars. When you link your Amazon and Budget profile, you'll be able to save up to 30% on base rates when renting cars with Budget and you'll get 10% of your money back in the form of an Amazon.com gift card.
Do note that you will not be able to earn rewards with both Amazon.com and Budget Partner Rewards partners since the Budget Customer Discount (BCD) code for Amazon will be active.
This means you'll want to decide on whether you earn airline miles and hotel rewards points or Amazon.com gift cards. If at anytime you want to go back to earning airline and hotel rewards, you'll need to unlink your Amazon.com account.
You can unlink your Amazon account from your Budget Fastbreak account by going to Preferences under My Account and clicking Edit under the Travel Preferences section.
Maximize Your Savings with Budget and Cash Back Portals
Cash back portals are an easy way to stack rewards, letting you earn cash back in addition to the benefits you already receive when renting with Budget. By using cash back portals, you can triple dip your savings:
- Budget Partner Rewards: Earn through programs like Budget Bucks, Fastbreak, or Amazon.com benefits.
- Cash Back or Points: Get extra rewards through your chosen cash back portal.
- Credit Card Rewards: Add points or cash back from your payment method.
How to Use Cash Back Portals with Budget
- Start at a Cash Back Portal: Go to your favorite portal’s website and search for “Budget.”
- Click “Shop Now”: This redirects you to Budget’s official site.
- Log Into Your Budget Account: Book your rental as usual, ensuring you earn Budget Bucks as well as partner rewards.
- Complete Your Booking: The cash back portal tracks your purchase.
- Earn Cash Back: After your rental is confirmed, cash back will be credited to your portal account.
Tips for Maximizing Cash Back with Budget
- Compare Portals: Cash back rates vary by portal and change frequently. Sign up for multiple portals to snag the best deal for your Budget rental.
- Stack Benefits: Use a rewards credit card and take advantage of Budget’s loyalty programs for maximum savings.
- Plan Ahead: Regular use of cash back portals can earn you hundreds of dollars annually—all for free!
By incorporating cash back portals into your Budget rental process, you unlock an effortless way to save more every time you travel.
If you don't have an account with any of the leading cash back portals, you can sign up for any of them through The Point Calculator and earn extra cash back when you rent cars and make other purchases online.
FAQs
What is Budget Fastbreak?
Budget Fastbreak is the main part of the Budget Rewards Program. It allows you to earn rewards booking with Budget and skip the line when picking up your rentals.
What are Budget Bucks?
Budget Bucks are redeemable coupons that can be used towards rentals with Budget. These are earned through promotions with Budget.
Can I earn airline miles or hotel points renting with Budget?
Yes. You can earn airline miles with more than 40 programs and a handful of hotel rewards programs. This is done by selecting which program you want to earn rewards with under your account preferences.
What is the Budget Amazon partnership?
Instead of earning airline miles or hotel points, you can earn Amazon gift cards on your Budget rentals. You'll get 10% of your rental cost back in the form of an Amazon.com gift card.
Can you earn airline/hotel rewards and Amazon.com gift cards at the same time?
No. You'll have to choose whether or not you want to earn airline miles, hotel points, or Amazon.com gift cards.
How much is Budget's car rental insurance?
It depends on the type of vehicle you're renting. You can avoid Budget's insurance by using credit cards that offer Primary Rental Insurance.
We've run the calculations and checked them twice — here are the credit cards that consistently provide outstanding value to our users:
- Best flexible travel card: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Best overall value year after year: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Best for high cash back: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
- Best for foodies: American Express® Gold Card
- Best for business travel rewards: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
- Best for heavy business spenders: Capital One Spark Cash Plus
