Why should I prepay for my rental?
Now, more than ever, travelers are looking to save on their car rental expenses. At most U.S. and Canadian locations, if you are a U.S. or Canadian resident you often can enjoy a discount if you reserve and prepay toward your rental online at budget.ca. Online is the easy way to reserve and pay. However, if you prefer, reserve on budget.ca and pay in full when you return your rental.
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How does a budget.ca prepaid rental work?
A budget.ca prepaid rental — at most U.S. and Canada locations — is an advanced payment toward a reserved rental using a credit or debit card*. A reservation payment on budget.ca is a real-time transaction — the card you use is immediately authorized and charged when you confirm your desire to prepay toward your rental.
*While debit cards are an acceptable form of rental prepayment online, they may not always be accepted as payment for the credit hold required when you pick up your car. See full rental terms and conditions for the hold requirements at your rental location during the online reservation process.
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What kinds of cards may I use to prepay my reservation online?
Prepaid rentals can be paid on budget.ca with the following credit and debit cards*:
In the U.S.: American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
In Canada: American Express, MasterCard, Visa
*While debit cards are an acceptable form of rental prepayment online, they may not always be accepted as payment for the credit hold required when you pick up your car.
- Regardless of form of payment used at time of reservation, the Budget rental location's credit and debit card hold rules will apply. The card presented for the hold at pickup will be the card of record for the rental. See full rental terms and conditions for the hold requirements at your rental location during the online reservation process.
- All credit identification presented at the rental pick-up counter must bear exactly the same name as the prepaid reservation.
- For security reasons, if you are unable to satisfy the credential or hold requirements at the location when you pick up your car, a new reservation must be made at the prevailing rate and you must request a refund for the original prepaid reservation on budget.ca. A $10 cancel fee will apply.
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Can I prepay using a debit card?
While debit cards are an acceptable form of rental prepayment online, they may not always be accepted as payment for the credit hold required when you pick up your car. All rental credentials required by the Budget location must be presented at rental pickup, and the name on those credentials must exactly match the name on the reservation, or the prepaid reservation will be cancelled and a new reservation will be made at the prevailing rate. You should carefully review the pick-up terms and conditions you'll find listed in the online reservation process for your location. If you cannot present the required credentials at rental pickup, your prepaid rental will not be honored and will be cancelled. You must request a refund for the cancelled reservation on budget.ca. A $10 cancellation fee will apply if you cancel the prepaid reservation after your pick-up time.
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What are the terms and conditions of prepayment online?
If you choose to apply a prepayment toward a rental at time of reservation, you must agree to these Pay Now terms prior to budget.ca reservation confirmation.
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How close to my pick-up date may I prepay?
Prepaid rentals may be made on budget.ca for any rental that meets all other prepaid requirements, as long as the reservation is made at least 12 hours before rental pickup based on U.S. Mountain Time. For example, if your pick-up time is 3:00 p.m. MT Monday afternoon, you have the option of prepaying no later than 3:00 a.m. MT Monday morning. After that point, the prepay option will no longer be available on budget.ca, and we'll ask you to pay in person at the pick-up counter.
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What do I need to present at the counter when I pick up my prepaid rental?
All rental credentials required by the Budget location must be presented (at a minumum, a valid driver's license and major credit or debit card in the driver's name is required), and the name on those credentials must exactly match the name on the reservation. Credential rules vary by location, so be sure to read the terms and conditions in the online reservation process before you make a prepayment toward your rental. Regardless of form of payment used at time of reservation, the Budget rental location's credit and debit card rules will apply. While debit cards are an acceptable form of rental prepayment online, they may not always be accepted as payment for the credit hold required when you pick up your car. If you can't present the required credentials at time of rental pickup, for security reasons, the prepaid reservation will be cancelled, and a new reservation will be made at the prevailing rate. You'll then need to access budget.ca to request a refund for the cancelled reservation. A $10 cancellation fee will apply if you cancel the prepaid reservation after your pick-up time.
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Can I prepay for a rental that someone else will pick up?
No. For security reasons, the name on all rental credentials required by the Budget location must be presented at pickup, and those credentials must exactly match the name on the reservation. Also, for security reasons, once you prepay for a rental, you can't change the primary name on the reservation.
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Can someone else drive a car for which I prepay?
Yes, as long as you are the primary driver and are at the counter to pick up the car with the additional driver. Because we don't ask for additional driver information at time of reservation, you may add an additional driver when you pick up the vehicle, and there's a fee for that (see the terms and conditions in the online reservation process for fee, if any). That charge will be added at the counter and will need to be paid at car return. The prepayment amount will be used as a credit toward the final costs of the rental. For security reasons, once you prepay for a rental, you can't change the primary name on the reservation.
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I know there are underage rules for renting. I'm under 25 years of age, so can I prepay?
Yes, but extra fees will apply at time of pickup. Because we don't ask your age at time of reservation, underage charges will be added at the counter and will need to be paid at car return. Your prepayment amount will be used as a credit toward the final costs of the rental. View the underage rule and charges that apply at your location.
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May I change my prepaid reservation?
Yes, and you won't believe how easy we make it! A reservation may be changed via budget.ca at any time prior to pickup. 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 prepaid reservations, the prepaid reservation will be canceled and rebooked at prevailing rates. In this instance, you will be charged a $5 cancellation fee.
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How can I change a prepaid rental reservation?
Unlike other car rental companies or third-party Web sites, Budget doesn't lock you in once you've prepaid for the rental. Others might require you to make any changes within a few hours of making the reservation, and then will not permit further changes or will require you to phone in your changes. With Budget, you can change most things on your reservation on budget.ca or at the counter at any time, even multiple times, with no fee! These include car type, options (GPS, protections), and even changes to most locations (see below).
- Note that if any of your changes affect the total rate for the rental, your prepayment amount will not change. The original amount that you prepaid will simply be used as a credit toward your final rental cost. If your modification results in a rental amount higher than you prepaid, the underpayment will be charged at the counter at time of rental return. If the change results in a lower rental amount, the overpayment will be refunded within seven days after you return your rental.
- If you change your rental pick-up location but the new location doesn't accept prepaid reservations, the prepaid reservation will need to be canceled and rebooked at prevailing rates. In this instance, you will be charged a $5 cancellation fee.
- For security reasons, once you prepay a rental, you can't change the name.
- Be careful when changing your car type. We don't lock-in rates, so if you try to go back to your original car choice, the rate may be different.
- Location Changes: Some Budget locations are not corporate-owned, and don't have the ability to process prepaid reservations. For this reason, if you choose to modify your pick-up and/or return location, doing so could require cancellation of the original reservation along with a cancellation fee and re-booking of a new reservation at a new rate. If there is a chance that you'll need to change your pick-up or drop-off locations to a non-corporate-operated location, we suggest that you don't prepay for your rental.
- Make sure you retain your reservation number because you'll need it to make changes.
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How do I cancel my prepaid rental PRIOR TO PICKUP?
Requests for refunds may only be made online by completing the Request a Refund form in the "view — change — cancel" reservation process. Begin by entering the reservation number and last name into the appropriate fields on the "view — change — cancel" page on budget.ca. Once the reservation is displayed, click the "request a refund" button and continue through the process to submit the refund and get your cancellation confirmation number. Please retain your cancellation confirmation number as proof of your refund request.
Within approximately three business days a credit will be applied to the same card with which you prepaid. You will incur a $5 fee if you choose to cancel a prepaid reservation before the rental.
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How do request a refund AFTER MY PICK-UP TIME HAS PASSED?
Requests for refunds may only be made online by completing the Request a Refund form in the "view — change — cancel" reservation process. Begin by entering the reservation number and last name into the appropriate fields on the "view — change — cancel" page on budget.ca. Once the reservation is displayed, click the "request a refund" button and continue through the process to submit the refund and get your cancellation confirmation number. Please retain your cancellation confirmation number as proof of your refund request.
We will credit you for your unused rental within seven business days. Credits will be applied to the same card with which you prepaid. Requests for no-show refunds may be submitted up to six months after the rental pick-up date. If you request a refund after your scheduled pick-up date, you will be refunded the entire amount of the prepayment less a $10 processing fee. Refund requests can be made up to six months from the original pick-up date.
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