How to earn Avios points from Budget car rentals

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• AJA says:

  22 Mar22 March 03:48

  I used Budget in Tenerife when I did a BA Holidays booking for the double TP. Only snag is that you have to get the shuttle bus as it’s an off-airport location together with BA.

  They were significantly cheaper than Avis for the same car. I accepted the price reduction as a fair swap for not having the free second driver. When I collected the car the agent said “oh I notice you booked via BA and have Avis Preferred status so do you want to add the second passenger as a driver?” I asked how much it would cost and he said “nothing, just consider it a perk of having booked with BA!”

  Clearly not guaranteed but it was helpful and a nice gesture.

  • AJA says:

    22 Mar22 March 03:49

    Off airport location together with Avis, not BA!

• Phantomchickenz says:

  22 Mar22 March 07:50

  Avis have devalued their President’s Circle tier – removed the free weekend voucher. But of course they have “listened to feedback and are making it easier than ever to benefit”

  • David S says:

    22 Mar22 March 09:37

    The free weekend was a con anyway. 95 % of us drive in our home country and if you try adding it into the mix with a car hire overseas the total car hire cost is way higher . That’s because many of us don’t fly out at the weekend and if you needed a second car hire for the remainder of your holiday you would also have to trek all the way back to the airport again. Not much use for city breaks either in most places as you like to be out on foot to explore.

• Ant says:

  22 Mar22 March 07:53

  Budget offer free additional driver to a spouse or domestic partner as per their standard T&Cs, I had to point this out to the agent on a recent trip to the US, they reluctantly added once I showed them this on their own website

• Speedbird676 says:

  22 Mar22 March 08:48

  I have booked Budget as part of a BA Holidays package three times and on all three occasions the avios for the car hire failed to post. I followed the process on the BA Carhire website to contact them to have them credited and they refused with varying reasons on each attempt. I eventually complained directly to Exec Club who credited them after a several months. No issues with the car hire itself but don’t expect the avios in a hurry if at all.

• Rupert Smith says:

  22 Mar22 March 12:17

  I recently took a flight to Marrakech and needed a car. When I looked at the cost of the car hire as part of the BA booking I was shocked. I booked the flight only. I then booked my rental separately which, ironically ended up being with Budget. It worked out at about half the price for the same vehicle. Never assume your getting a good deal.

  Having said this I had previously booked a 5 day hire with a flight via BA in Spain and that was competitve on price.

• Andy in Cheshire says:

  22 Mar22 March 16:32

  Budget by name…

  I rented a car in Boston in 2019. It had four bald tyres and other faults that showed up in the first couple of days. I had to change it at Manchester NH. It took a day out of my holiday.

  I’d have lost my licence here if I’d driven a car in that condition and it would probably have put me in a dust h, given the rain we suffered.

  Budget couldn’t give a monkey’s.

  Never again. My life is worth more than a few Avios.

  • Andy in Cheshire says:

    22 Mar22 March 16:34

    Ditch, not dust h 🙄

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