Alamo vs Budget: Which is Right For You? [2024]

Alamo vs Budget: Having a car nowadays is not a luxury but a basic necessity.

But the most difficult job is to maintain the car in day-to-day life and firstly buying a car is a dream for the hardworking generation.

But the car is a must and trips without a car are a massive failure.

Hence the car renting services comes in as a great savior from all the hassle of buying a car under a strict budget and then maintaining it till the car gives up.

In this article, we are going to talk about the two companies in the car renting industry which help the customers to take the car out on rent and enjoy their family time together or the road trips they have waiting to en route.

The two companies in the car renting industry are Alamo ad Budget.

By the end of the article, you will get all the briefs about what Alamo and Budget offer, how they work, what services and features they offer, how much they hold onto your car, and much more.

Alamo vs Budget: What are They?

Hence discuss above, Alamo and Budget both are car renting services that have their online website to help their customers select the car for renting and know more about the same.

They offer you different ranges of vehicles to choose from for renting with different rates and locations.

Alamo

Alamo is a Clayton company that is in the car renting industry for 48 years. The services of the Alamo are available in the countries and locations namely Oceana, America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Alamo is a child of Enterprise Holdings to look out for the revenues, working, franchises, and much more functional workings. Alamo is a short form for Alamo Rent A Car.

Alamo also has a feature of Alamo Insiders which receives a discount of 5% off for all the rentals they book via Alamo and also wins rewards from Delta Sky Miles and Virgin Australia Flying Club in limited locations.

Budget

Budget Rent a Car is also from a long way in the industry of car renting services since the year 1958. When Budget Rent a Car started its initial foundation in car renting services they have only 10 cars to offer for car rentals.

But eventually and gradually it not just built a huge collection of vehicles to offer for car renting services but also made them available at many different locations across the different countries and the globe.

Budget Rent a Car currently has offices and services in more than 2000 locations on an international basis and 1925 offices in only America.

Alamo vs Budget: How Does it Work?

The requirements needed to rent a car from Alamo and Budget and the user interface are similar too.

Let us now take the look at the requirements needed to rent a car through Alamo ad Budget with some basic booking procedures carried out to do the same.

Alamo

Requirements to Rent a Car Through Alamo

To rent a car by Alamo, you should at least be 25 years old or 25 years.
If you are below 25 years still you can rent a car if your current age is in between 21 to 24 years by paying a surcharge.
A driving license is a must.
When you present your driving license it should be valid throughout your car rental duration.
If you don’t have a home country driving license then you must have an international driving license or permit to do so.
The debit or credit card you offer for the car renting services should contain the same name as per the driving licenses and car renting application.
Regarding credit cards, your card must have credit available which is more than the car renting payment.

Budget

Requirements to Rent a Car Through Budget

The age limit to rent a car from Budget is the same as 25 years and older. If you are in between 21-24 years you can still rent a car by paying a surcharge.
According to the Budget, it doesn’t have a maximum age limit to rent a car within the U.S boundaries.
Budget Rent a Car also has a feature of adding additional drivers up to 2 per car rental.
They also need a valid driving license, and if not available needs an international driving permit.
Credit card payments must be of more credit available and debit card payments should have a sufficient balance in the bank account.

Alamo vs Budget: Pricing

Pricing defers all the car rental services since they offer many premium features like discounts, membership perks, financial benefits, and much more.

All these financial perks and offers make their pricing quite more competitive because it becomes the deciding factor for the customers to whom to choose for the car renting services where they can get a car at a lesser cost with more perks.

Alamo

Alamo does accept credit cards and debit cards for the payment policy. The cards accepted by Alamo as a payment namely are American Express, Mastercard, VISA, and Discover Network. The other additional cards are Diners Club and much more.

The pricing depends upon the vehicle you choose and how long your road route is. But Alamo offers pricings deals that can amaze you and give you more benefits.

The additional charges they hold can be divided into the range of $200 to $400 for any damages observed.

Budget

The card accepted by Budget Rent a Car namely are American Express, Budget Charge Card, Budget International, Discover, JCB/Japan Card, PHH, VISA, Mastercard, and Optima.

The payments made through the above-listed cards are made valid through Budget for renting vehicles via debit/credit cards. The minimum price range starts from $100 for enting with the additional fees charged.

The payment proceeding will be charged at $10 as a service fee for renting the car from Budget.

Alamo vs Budget: How Much Do They Hold on to Your Card?

Holding on to a card is a necessity. Car renting companies are letting out their vehicles without the security of the same is not a chance worthy to undertake.

Hence, holding onto your card is a form of security against the vehicle they allow you to rent.

Alamo holds up to $200 to $400 as security against the vehicle you rent and Budget holds up to $100 as security against the vehicle you rent. They hold onto your cards as a freezing amount and return them at the time of returning the rental vehicle.

If you are paying with cash to rent a car from Alamo and Budget then you need to pay more via credit card, debit card, or cash as a security deposit which will be given back to you in form of cash or check, or bank transfer while returning the vehicle at the end of the rental journey.

Alamo vs Budget: Fleet

Fleet collection of Alamo and Budget is well known as both of them as a unique collection of vehicles with a wide range.

Alamo offers vehicles as a renting car namely Ford Fusion Hybrid, Chevrolet Malibu, Nissan Versa, Infiniti Q60, BMW 4 Series, Nissan Leaf, and much more.

Budget offers vehicles such as renting cars namely Ford Fiesta, Kia Soul, Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Jetta, Toyota Camry, Mazda CX-5, Chrysler 300, Volkswagen Passat, and much more.

The cars offered for renting are given after verifying their accuracy by Alamo and Budget Executive Care centers which gives you the guarantee of a hassle-free or non0problematic happy journey.

Alamo vs Budget: When Do They Return Your Deposit

The deposit is taken or frozen by Alamo and the Budget will be returned when you return the car at the end of your road trips or journeys.

The deposit will be fully returned or partially will be decided upon how the car is submitted by you, if the car is not in a good condition compared to how they gave you then they will charge you some sort of maintenance penalities.

If your car is in a good condition they will return your full deposit via cash or will be sent your check via mail. And if your car is not in a good condition they will cut the maintenance cost them will give you the leftover amount via bank transfer, cash, or mail you the check.

Alamo vs Budget: Difference

Features	Alamo	Budget
Cards	Alamo accepts only MasterCard, VISA, and American Express and two or more.	The budget has a huge list of accepting cards which is more than the Alamo.
Excess Rates	Alamo charges up to $600 to $900 as excess rates.	Budget charges up to $300 to $500 as excess rates.
Locations	Alamo is available in more than 80 countries.	The budget is available in more than 120 countries.

Alamo vs Budget: Key Difference

	Alamo	Budget
Car hiring locations	It has over 1,500 locations in Asia, Canada, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia, Caribbean, Latin America, United States	Available in over 120 countries including Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, United States, Canada, Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, and Middle East
Types of cars available	SUV/minivanSedanCompact carsHigh performance vehicles Vas 4X4 vehicles Premium/luxury vehicles Hybrid vehicles Utility vehicles	Vans/trucksSports carsCompact carsSUV/minivansEco-friendly vehicles Sedan Commercial vehicles 4WDSpecialty vehicles
Type of insurance included	Standard cover and loss or damage liability. Additional insurance options are available	Loss damage waiver, property and personal insurance, and third-party insurance. Extra insurance packages can be purchased
Fueling agreement	You can start with a full tank of fuel in your vehicle at the time of rental or pay upon return	Pay in advance for a full tank of fuel and return the car back empty
Can I smoke or carry a pet in the car?	You cannot smoke but you can carry pets and you’ll need to clean the car before returning it	You cannot smoke but you can carry pets
Can I drive out of state?	Although most of the vehicles are allowed to travel between the US and Canada, vehicles classes like Large Passenger, Exotics, or Cargo vans and other specialty vehicles cannot be allowed to travel outside of the US	Yes
Do I require a deposit?		No
What are the car rental requirements?	Drivers must be ages 21 or olderHave a valid driver’s license written in English or accompanied by an International Driving Permit	Driver must be 21 or older Have a valid driver’s license and a debit or credit card in your name Drivers with overseas licenses should show proof with a passport License written in non-Latin characters require official translation or an International Driving Permit
Can I pay in cash?	Yes	Yes
Will they pick me up?	No	Free pick-up service to those in need of local transportation to the Budget rental facility
Does it allow reservation cancellation?	You can make cancellation online before the start of the rental but there will be a cancellation fee	Cancellations can be done online at any time and no cancellation fees in Australia. Rental changes may affect the cost
Can I add extra driver?	Yes, additional drivers need to meet Alamo’s age and license requirements and present themselves at the rental counter along with the primary driver. And pay a daily fee which differs by location	Yes, Additional drivers include family members and work colleagues without a fee. Otherwise, you’ll need to pay a $5 fee daily which is capped at $25

The Ultimate Decision: Alamo vs Budget

The ultimate decision of which is the best car renting service is in the hands of the reader. Whoever is reading this article has the right to decide which wins because every individual has a different set of requirements that want to be fulfilled.

Hence, we deciding and giving you our opinion is not considered valid opinion since we don’t know your requirements.

And to do so, we just provided you with accurate information which will give you a rough idea about how they worked which can fulfill your requirements more accurately.

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