I've been getting a lot of requests for those that rent cars from Budget and so what I've done is put together a simple compilation to make sure you get the best deals.
In the top section, I've highlighted the latest Budget BCD codes and have broken them down between the official codes and the corporate codes. All of them you can use at your discretion. You'd be silly to book a car with Budget without using any codes.
Best of luck and good hunting folks!
Read more about travel hacking
- Full compilation of car rental coupon codes in the market
- Top National rental car discount codes
- How does Travelzoo work and are the vouchers worth it?
- Best Canadian credit cards for travel hacking
- Essential Hertz discount codes
Where do I get deals on hotels?
Table of Contents
Here's what we're covering:
What is a BCD code?
Best official Budget code
We've been able to obtain an exclusive code for Budget that grants readers up to 35% off pre-pay rates and up to 25% off pay-later rates using BCD code D822119.
Best of all, since it's official, you also don't need to worry about getting your ID checked!
BCD stands for Budget Customer Discount Code. This is the primary way to save money on car rentals with Budget.
That said, this isn't the only way you can save money. Budget (formerly Budget Rent A Car) also has Coupon Codes. I know it makes it complicated but this is actually a good thing because you can enter two different codes to have potential stacking bonuses.
If you'd rather not use coupon codes, make sure to try Discover Cars or RentalCars.com. These are search engines similar to Kayak and Skyscanner but for car rentals. They look at all car rental companies and provide the best rates so you don't have to look at each one, one at a time.
The best part about these codes is that you can use them anywhere around the world. For instance, these codes would be great to use for a road trip in Iceland, or perhaps even Ireland?
So which Budget BCD code will save you the most money?
For those wanting the best deal, the truth is that “it depends”. Some of these codes provide maximum discounts for weekly or longer rentals, some are geared more towards weekends, and for some of the older codes, it's hard to tell how the discounts are calculated.
What I do when I look for the best deals on Budget car rentals is to test all the codes and see what comes out at the end based on the specific trip I'm looking for. From there, I pick the cheapest one.
I know it's a bit more work but if you've gotten this far and landed on this page, you're clearly committed to saving money on car rentals so you're part of the way there to finding cheap car rentals!
Best BCD codes for Budget
The below are a list of the Budget codes and discounts that you can find on the market. Each one offers a different level of discount.
Making life easier
To use the codes, simply click on the button on the right side of the table. This will take you to the page with the BCD and/or Coupon Code already entered. This will also copy the code as well so if you need to paste it in the appropriate field, you're ready to go and you don't need to flip back and forth between tabs.
Official Budget BCD Codes
These are a table of legitimate codes that everyone can use. They offer good discounts but might not be as deep as some of the special corporate codes.
How to apply Budget BCD codes and coupon codes
This is a common question that we get and so to make it super clear, I've included a few screenshots of where you can apply these codes to get quotes on how much your Budget car rental will cost.
When you're on Budget's website, you'll see the reservation window right at the top. This is where you'll enter your pick up and drop off locations, as well as dates. If you look below those fields, you'll see Offer Codes. Click on this to reveal the fields to enter your BCD Code and/or Coupon Code. Rate Code sometimes shows up here. You can ignore this.
The nice thing is that even if you enter a coupon code in as a BCD code, it's smart enough to switch it over for you.
Note that you can only enter one BCD code and one Coupon code.
Other tips on saving money with Budget
Here are a couple of basic tips on car rental savings with Budget.
- Register for Fastbreak – This is Budget's loyalty program. It's a program where the more you rent with them, you'll accrue for coupon codes that'll give you discounts. If you register a new account, they'll send you $25 Budget Bucks which you'll be able to use right away.
- Stacking – Remember to try combinations BCD codes and Coupon codes so you can get the benefit of two codes instead of just one.
- ‘Pay Now' if you're confident – If you know for sure you're not going to make a change to your booking, save even more money by paying right away.
- Don't rent from the airport – This applies for all car rental companies. Those airport fees add up. They sneakily call it something ambiguous which is why you'll see Concession Recovery Fee (11.11%) , Customer Facility Charge ($5/day), and Rental Facility Fee ($3.10 a day). In parenthesis are examples of the fees at SLC airport. In this example you're looking at $123.47 vs $40.52 in extra fees for a one week rental. That's massive!
- Week rentals sometimes cheaper than 5 or 6 days – Discounts often kick in when you hit a full week so if you're close to that, try getting a quote for 7 days.
- Their fuel program is never a good idea – Unless you think you're going to be in a crazy time crunch, always fill up the tank before you return the car. Even if they offer you a temping fuel plan, it'll always be more expensive than you filling it up by yourself.
Get access to all car rental coupon codes
Simply subscribe to be an Insider and click the Download button. You'll receive a link to the Google Sheet which will allow you to make a copy and sort through the data yourself. Make sure you request access via Google. You'll also be enrolled in the weekly flight deal newsletter!
Are there any codes for underage drivers (under 25)
Unfortunately, there aren't any codes with Budget to remove underage driver fees.
If you're keen on finding a car rental company where you can get this waived, make sure to check it out the full compilation of corporate car rental codes.
Frequently asked questions
Currently the best Budget BCD (non-corporate) code is D822119 to get up to 35% off pre-pay rates.
Yes, there's a specific Budget BCD code Y508501 which entitles members to 30% off.
No, there is no affiliation with AAA or CAA.
Yes, there's a specific Budget BCD code X612500 which entitles U.S. military veterans, active-duty military, National Guard and Reservists, and their families to 20% off.
Currently, there are no codes that waive the underage driver fee. You're better off looking for codes with companies such as Avis.
Featured image via Flickr by Atomic Taco
What you should read next
