Using a budget coupon
 

Costco has a nice Budget coupon, which offers a $30 off a weekly rental. When I do a practice run on their website I get the same rate whether I enter a coupon code or not. Do they apply the coupon at the counter and then lower the rate? I am used to National where the coupon is automatically deducted from the quoted price....

Thanks.

Duds

Found the answer digging around at budget.com
When I enter a coupon code, why doesn't budget.com reflect my discount in the final price?
Like using a coupon at grocery store, if you have a coupon for dollars off or for free rental days, we’ll apply the discount when you return and pay for your rental. If your coupon is for an upgrade to a bigger car, your rental location will have to confirm availability of that vehicle once you arrive at the rental counter. Either way, be sure that you use a coupon or discount code that meets all terms and conditions of the offer before the deal expires. Coupon codes are always four letters followed by three numbers – for example, LLLL###. A Budget Customer Discount (BCD) Coupon is always one letter followed by six numbers – for example, L######.

In reality, it's worse than that ....

This is one of many ways Budget sucks .... they will deduct the coupon at the desk .... sometimes .... as although you must enter the coupon for the reservation, the reservation system won't tell you if it will apply (or not) and/or what the discount will be.

More than once, I have had what I thought was a valid coupon refused at the desk. The last time was over a year ago and I haven't used Budget since. I probably never will (if I am counting on a coupon) until they change to match what everyone else does .... that is to validate (or reject) the coupon at reservation time, show the discount, and guarantee it's validity.

Great Budget Car Rental Discount Code
 

I Use BDC 133214 And It Works Great

I find this annoying as well. Is there a way to tell what the restrictions are on a coupon or if the 800 number will tell you if it works or not?

Count me in as another annoyed customer about coupons. When the agent who gives you the car forgets to apply the coupon then the agent who checks you back in ignores the coupon and the check-out agent's initials with a note to apply the coupon it's just a big hassle.

20 minutes of insisting, showing my print out of the coupon and the reservation with coupon code applied and the agents comments on the contract and I finally got my discount. But its really frustrating playing the 'gamble with your rate' game.

We're in 2011 can the Budget techies not figure out how to make coupons work on-line like National?

I suspect you mean BCD, not BDC. If so, you're referencing a Budget Corporate Discount number, not a coupon code, which is something entirely different. Also, be careful using BCD codes you are unaware of the origin of; your reservation could be denied or you could be forced to pay the rack walkup rate if you do not qualify for the code (i.e. it's one intended for the employees of a specific corporation).

Don't expect much from the IT departments of the rental car companies. The antiquity and arcaneness of rental car reservation systems puts ancient airline booking engines to shame. ;)