usrentacar.co.uk ® Car Hire USA Blog

Hi all,

We’ve been informed today of some major amendments to the Budget Rent A Car packages being sold here on usrentacar.co.uk. These new amendments will take place from 1st August 2012 and will effect all new or amended rentals.

Major Changes

Unfortunately some of the unique selling points Budget offered are either being removed or amended, I will try to break down the major alterations here.

Free upgrade deal

For a few years now Budget Rent A Car have been offering a free upgrade on certain categories of vehicles based on availability. A huge number of our customers have taken advantage of this offer however as of today this offer is not available on new bookings.

Additional Driver

This one keeps altering, but for now the additional driver included within the Budget Rent A Car silver rate is now only applicable to spouses and domestic partners.

Pre-Paid Sat Nav’s Collected Locally

Another amendment to the contract now prevents us from pre-booking GPS units to be collected upon arrival. You can still purchase our Sat Nav sent to you here in the UK though.

Young Drivers Package

This one for me is the real blow, unfortunatley as of today Budget Rent A Car have removed their Young Drivers Package. This is a real shame as Budget were one of the pioneering suppliers for under 25 driving.

Remember we still have Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental to provide our young drivers service.

We will continue to speak to Budget and where we can look to add more value to their product.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us,

regards,

James

Hi all,

Bad news-ish I guess, as of today Budget Rent A Car have amended their policy on their free additional driver special offer for all USA car hire locations.

Before today, Budget included one additional driver free of charge within their inclusive rate on usrentacar.co.uk.

From today the additional driver is only applicable to spouse or domestic partners and this change has been reflected in our terms and conditions.

Definition

Definition of spouse is a person’s partner in marriage

Definition of domestic partner is a couple who live together but are not married, Budget may request proof of this, for example matching addresses on driving licences.

All rentals made before the 14th July 2011 will include the additional driver without restrictions.

If you have any queries about this please do not hesitate to contact our reservations department at info@usrentacar.co.uk.

regards,

James

Hi all,

Just thought I’d give you a quick heads up that we are preparing ourselves for an increase in price from Budget Rent A Car.

The terrible Tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011 is being blamed for the inevitable price increase as car hire usa supply has been effected. The knock on effect being a lack of vehicles leading to a rise in price. Estimated increase could be as much as 30%.

The increase looks to be targeting the summer months to make sure supply meets demand. usrentacar.co.uk will obviously look to make this increase as minimal as possible and we will still be offering the free additional driver within the inclusive rate.

At present only Budget seem to be effected but we will of course keep you up to date with other suppliers and confirm once Budget have advised us of any increase.

regards,

James

Hi all,

On the 4th May I wrote about how Dollar Rent A Car had closed some of its Las Vegas Locations well after a few weeks of rumours, I can now confirm that those locations have been picked up by Avis Budget in a multi year deal with MGM Resorts who own the hotels in question.

Bill Hornbuckle, MGM Resorts’ chief marketing officer, said,

“MGM Resorts is proud to partner with Avis Budget Group as we search for category-exclusive strategic alliances that equal the momentum of our own expansion. These travel industry partnerships are especially important to us in our efforts to create enhanced benefits and personalized rewards for our customers through M life.”

Tom Gartland, executive vice president of sales, marketing and customer care for Avis Budget Group, said,

“We are excited to expand our local market presence and showcase Avis’ renowned ‘We try harder’ service and traveler amenities such as our smoke-free fleet, where2 GPS navigation devices and eToll electronic toll collection solutions to MGM Resorts’ guests”

Our new relationship with MGM Resorts International also will enhance Avis and Budget’s online presence as the exclusive rental car providers on MGM Resorts’ corporate website and on each property’s website.”

Locations

MGM Resorts properties in Las Vegas including

• ARIA
• Bellagio
• Vdara
• MGM Grand
• The Signature at MGM Grand
• Mandalay Bay
• The hotel at Mandalay Bay
• The Mirage
• Monte Carlo
• New York-New York
• Luxor
• Excalibur
• Circus Circus

At present usrentacar.co.uk has not been informed if these locations will be available to UK tour operators like ourselves, but I would assume they will be at some point to allow maximum exposure.

I’ll keep you informed if anything changes.

regards,

James

Hi all,

We are on the countdown to some price increases, starting with Budget Rent A Car, as of the 07/02/11 all booking picking up from the 01/04/11 will see an increase.

So this weekend is the best time to book your Budget Car Hire for the USA.

Any quotes taken will not be available as of Monday 07/02/11

Don’t delay book today

regards

James

usrentacar.co.uk

Hi all,

Better late then never I guess but Alamo Car Hire have today given us a limited time special offer on all hires collecting in 2011 in Florida.

The special offer, for new bookings only, runs from today until the 31/12/10. Remember you can still secure your rental with a £50 deposit with the balance due 8 weeks prior to departure.

Don’t Forget – Our supplier Budget Rent A Car is still the only supplier to offer a FREE ADDITIONAL DRIVER within their inclusive rate and still offer the FREE UPGRADE voucher.

Dollar Rent A Car were the first to offer their early bird specials and still have some great Florida Car Hire Deals specially the Intermediate 4×4.

Kind regards,

James

Hi all,

Following on from yesterdays Dollar Rent A Car post, here at usrentacar.co.uk we offer our customers a choice of suppliers all across the USA. Today we will be taking a look at Budget Rent A Car and considering them for your next USA Car Hire.

About Budget Rent A Car

Budget Rent A Car was founded in 1958 as a car rental company for the “budget-minded” renter. Today, as an industry leader, Budget continues to appeal to value-driven renters by offering quality vehicles and a rewarding rental experience at nearly 1,800 rental locations worldwide.

Reason’s to pick Budget Rent A Car with usrentacar.co.uk

• One Additional Driver included as standard with our Budget Rent A Car rates.
• Young Drivers Package – Budget Rent A Car offer some great deals for drivers under 25 in Florida, California and most of the USA through usrentacar.co.uk. Check our our Young Drivers page.
• Ford Mustang Convertible – Although we can never guarantee make or model of our vehicles, Budget offer the best chance of getting one as our recent Florida Car Hire Mustang Rental blog shows.
• Free Upgrades – Budget offer usrentacar.co.uk a coupon number associated to certain vehicle types that allow our customers to upgrade their vehicle to the next category up if that size is available locally, free of charge.  More details on the budget upgrade deal.
• Fuel Policy - Budget are the only rental company to allow the driver to select the fuel policy they require, i.e. Pick up full return full or purchase a full tank of petrol and return empty.
• Long Rentals – The maximum rental period for most car rental companies is 56 days (Florida), due to our exclusive partnership, usrentacar.co.uk customers are able to sign multiple rental agreements upon arrival that will allow a much longer uninterrupted hire.
• Pre Registration - Budget Rent A Car offer usrentacar.co.uk customers a way to speed up their Florida Car Hire locally by allowing a speedy check in service at participating locations, check out our pre-registration page.

What is your opinion of Budget Rent A Car ?

Who is your favourite USA car rental company?

regards,

James

Hi all,

Just a quick reminder that today is the last day of our Budget Rent-A-Car sale. Tomorrow will see the introduction of new pricing for picks up past 01/04/10 and any previous quotes will not be honored.

Remember you can secure your price by leaving a £50 deposit if you hire is more than 8 weeks away.

Regards,

Gavin

usrentacar