Budget Car Hire in San Jose

Hola Car Rentals is the only premium partner of the top car hire brands operating in San Jose, giving you exclusive access to our All Inclusive+ rate. This rate includes benefits that no other company can match:

• Free liability coverage starting at US$ 300,000 in case of an accident (applies only to certain rates and itineraries)
• Toll cashback: recover up to 5% of the reservation's total value for toll charges incurred during your hire period
• Premium travel medical assistance providing up to US$ 150,000 in coverage for a maximum of 5 passengers in case of a medical emergency, excluding pre-existing conditions
• No Extra Charges© guarantee: if the counter charges you for something not listed on your confirmation and not an optional add-on you accepted, Hola Car Rentals will work to remove or reimburse the charge after verification

All of this comes at no extra cost, ensuring a fully protected car hire experience and peace of mind throughout your trip in San Jose.

No. With Hola Car Rentals, all costs and charges for your booking in San Jose are clearly shown at the time of reservation and in your confirmation email, so you know exactly what you are paying before you arrive at the counter.

On top of that, every Hola Car Rentals booking includes the No Extra Charges© guarantee. This is a pricing guarantee (not insurance) that protects you if the counter in San Jose charges you for something that was not listed on your confirmation and was not an optional add-on you accepted. If that happens, Hola Car Rentals will work with the hire partner to remove or reimburse the charge after verification.

The only costs outside this guarantee are:

• Optional add-ons you choose at the counter (GPS, child seats, prepaid fuel)
• Usage-based charges (tolls, fuel shortfall, traffic fines)

Picking up your Budget hire car at San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) depends on which terminal you arrive at.

• From Terminal A: After baggage claim, go to Stop 6 (past the south end of the parking garage) and board the airport shuttle to the Rental Car Centre (RCC) at 1659 Airport Blvd. Shuttles run every 7 to 10 minutes and operate 24 hours a day.
• From Terminal B: Exit baggage claim and walk directly across Airport Boulevard at the marked pedestrian crossings. The RCC is located directly opposite Terminal B.

Once at the RCC, proceed to the Budget counter on the ground floor to complete your paperwork and hire agreement. After check-in, go to the designated parking level to collect your vehicle. If you are adding an additional driver, they must be present at the Budget counter to sign the agreement.

Allow a total time of 30 to 60 minutes from baggage claim to driving away, depending on queue length and shuttle timing.

To pick up your Budget hire car in San Jose, you must bring the following physical documents. Digital copies are not accepted at the counter.

• A valid, original driving licence that remains valid for the entire hire period.
• A major credit card with the main driver’s name printed on the card, used for the authorisation hold.
• A passport or valid government-issued photo ID.
• Your booking confirmation or printed voucher.
• Round-trip flight tickets or travel itinerary showing your return date (required for visitors arriving from abroad).

If your driving licence uses a non-Latin alphabet such as Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, or Cyrillic, you must also carry an International Driving Permit (IDP) alongside your original licence. The IDP is a translation only and is not valid without the original licence.

At the San Jose Airport Budget counter, a second form of ID such as a U.S. passport or travel itinerary may also be requested. Debit and prepaid cards are not accepted for the authorisation hold, so bring a major credit card in the main driver’s name.

Yes, toll roads and toll bridges are common in the San Jose area and can affect your Budget hire, especially if you drive towards San Francisco or Oakland.

California uses the FasTrak electronic toll system statewide. All toll facilities are fully cashless, meaning there are no cash payment options at most toll points. Common tolls you may encounter from San Jose include:

• Bay Bridge (San Francisco to Oakland): approximately US$8.50 per crossing westbound using FasTrak.
• Golden Gate Bridge: approximately US$9.75 per crossing southbound using FasTrak.
• Express lanes on highways such as I-680 and I-580, which use dynamic pricing and require a FasTrak transponder.

Your Budget hire vehicle includes an electronic toll device or plate-based billing system. At the San Jose counter, you can choose an unlimited toll package (typically US$11 to US$25 per hire day) or pay per use. If you decline the package, tolls plus administrative processing fees will be charged to your card after the hire, often weeks later.

You may also opt out and pay tolls directly through the toll agency's website, or use a personal FasTrak account by adding the hire plate with your hire dates.

Yes, all bookings made through Hola Car Rentals include Tolls Cashback, which applies to your Budget hire in San Jose and any toll roads you use during your trip, including Bay Area bridges and FasTrak express lanes.

The benefit reimburses the lesser of the total tolls you paid or up to 5% of your total booking value. For example, if your booking total is US$600, the maximum cashback is US$30.

To claim your Tolls Cashback after returning your Budget hire in San Jose:

• Email [email protected] within 30 days of returning the vehicle.
• Use the subject line: Tolls Cashback - HOLA followed by your confirmation number.
• Attach your Hola Car Rentals reservation confirmation, the hire agreement signed at the Budget counter, and a toll receipt or invoice showing charges paid during the hire period.

Refunds are issued to the original payment method used for your booking and typically process within 7 to 10 working days after approval. Late submissions received after 30 days are not accepted.

At the San Jose Airport Budget counter, you will be offered a daily toll convenience programme at pickup. This is not a traditional toll pass but rather a pay-per-use billing service.

• If you enrol, Budget charges a daily service fee of approximately US$4.95 per day, capped at around US$34.65 per hire period, plus the actual toll amounts at the highest undiscounted rate.
• You are only charged on days when you actually use a toll facility.
• Toll charges and fees are billed to your hire credit card 4 to 6 weeks after you return the vehicle.

If you do not enrol in the Budget toll programme in San Jose, the toll authority will invoice Budget via licence plate recognition when you pass through a cashless toll point. Budget will then bill you the toll amount plus administrative processing fees, which can be 30 to 50% higher than FasTrak rates.

Alternatively, you can add the hire vehicle's licence plate to a personal FasTrak account with your hire dates, or pre-register at TheTollRoads.com for Orange County toll roads. If using your own transponder, inform the Budget counter agent so they can deactivate the vehicle's default toll device and avoid duplicate charges.

An International Driving Permit (IDP) is not always mandatory for a Budget hire in San Jose, but it is required in specific situations.

You must carry an IDP alongside your original driving licence if your licence uses a non-Latin alphabet, such as Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, or Cyrillic. The IDP is a translation document only and is not valid without your original licence.

If your licence is in the Latin alphabet and issued by a country that participated in the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic or has a reciprocal agreement with the United States, it is generally accepted at the Budget counter in San Jose without an IDP.

• Always bring your original physical licence. Digital copies are not accepted.
• Obtain your IDP in your home country before travelling. U.S. issuers such as AAA do not issue IDPs to non-U.S. licence holders.
• At the San Jose Budget counter, you may also be asked for a second form of ID such as a passport or travel itinerary.

When in doubt, obtaining an IDP before your trip is the safest approach to avoid any issues at the Budget counter in San Jose.

When picking up your Budget hire in San Jose, a temporary authorisation hold will be placed on your major credit card at the counter. This is not a charge but reduces your available credit until your bank releases it after the hire ends.

For standard vehicles in the United States, typical security deposit holds range from approximately US$300 to US$400. The exact amount for your San Jose Budget hire may vary depending on the vehicle class, hire duration, and location.

• Only a major credit card with the main driver’s name printed on the card is accepted for the deposit hold. Debit cards, prepaid cards, and virtual cards are not accepted.
• Premium or speciality vehicle classes may require a higher hold amount.
• After you return the vehicle, the hold is released. Your bank or card issuer controls when the funds appear back in your available credit, which can take up to 15 working days.

To avoid issues at the San Jose Budget counter, notify your bank of your travel plans in advance, confirm your card is enabled for in-person U.S. transactions, and bring a backup credit card in your name in case your primary card is declined.

Yes, you can add an additional driver to your Budget hire in San Jose, but the additional driver must be physically present at the Budget counter at the time of pickup to show their valid driving licence and sign the hire agreement.

Whether the additional driver fee is included or charged at the counter depends on your rate. When not included, Budget charges approximately US$13 per hire day plus taxes, with a maximum charge of US$65 plus taxes for the additional driver.

• For Avis and Budget hires in San Jose, additional drivers must generally be at least 25 years old at the time of pickup.
• The additional driver must meet the same document requirements as the main driver, including an IDP if their licence uses a non-Latin alphabet.
• Only drivers listed on the hire agreement are covered by the vehicle’s protections such as CDW and liability cover.

Check your booking confirmation before arriving at the San Jose Budget counter to confirm whether an additional driver is included in your rate or will be charged locally. If you need to add a driver after pickup, you would need to bring the vehicle to a Budget branch location to update the agreement.

Most bookings made through Hola Car Rentals include travel assistance cover provided by Terrawind Global Protection, which applies to your Budget hire in San Jose and throughout your trip in California.

This cover is particularly useful if you experience a medical emergency, a road incident on Bay Area highways, or a flight disruption before or after your San Jose hire period. Core benefits typically include:

• Travel insurance with medical cover for up to 5 passengers.
• Legal assistance in the event of a road accident.
• Compensation for luggage lost by the airline.
• Flight cancellation insurance.

To reach the 24-hour assistance line, call +1 888 980 9992 (toll-free) or contact via WhatsApp at +1 208 910 1001. Have your Hola Car Rentals confirmation number ready when you call.

Important: this travel assistance benefit does not apply to U.S. or Canadian residents. It is designed for travellers visiting from outside North America. It also does not cover damage to the Budget hire vehicle itself (that is handled by CDW/LDW) or third-party liability (covered by LIS/SLI).

Review your booking confirmation for the exact coverage terms and limits that apply to your San Jose reservation.

Yes, hiring a Budget car at San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) includes several airport-related charges on top of the base hire rate. These are standard charges at U.S. airport hire locations and are not unique to Budget.

• Airport Concession Recovery Fee (ACRF): typically 10 to 12% of the base rate, charged by the hire company to recover the cost of operating at SJC.
• Customer Facility Charge (CFC): approximately US$4.50 to US$6.00 per hire day, funding the Rental Car Centre at San Jose Airport.
• Vehicle Licence Recovery Fee (VLRF): a small daily charge to recover vehicle registration costs.
• State and local taxes: California and San Jose add combined hire taxes that can total 10 to 14% of the hire rate.

These fees are separate from optional extras such as the Budget toll programme, additional driver fees, or insurance products you may choose at the counter.

If your booking confirmation shows taxes and fees as included, you should not be billed separately for those items at the San Jose Budget counter. If unexpected charges appear, the No Extra Charges© guarantee from Hola Car Rentals may apply after verification.

Budget hire cars in San Jose follow a Full-to-Full fuel policy by default. You receive the vehicle with a full tank and must return it full to avoid fuel charges.

• At pickup, check the fuel gauge with the Budget agent and confirm the starting level is recorded on the hire agreement.
• Take a photo of the dashboard showing the odometer and fuel gauge before leaving the San Jose lot.
• Refuel within approximately 10 miles of the return location so the gauge does not drop before you arrive.
• Keep your final fuel receipt showing the date, time, and station address.

If you return the Budget vehicle in San Jose with less than a full tank, you may be charged for the fuel shortfall at the partner’s refuelling rate, which is typically higher than the pump price, plus a refuelling service fee.

The Budget counter in San Jose may also offer a Prepaid Fuel option at pickup. If you accept it, you pay for a full tank upfront and do not need to refuel before return, but any unused fuel is generally non-refundable. The standard Full-to-Full policy is usually the better value if you plan to refuel near the airport before returning the vehicle.

Yes, drivers under 25 years old are subject to a young driver surcharge when hiring a Budget car in San Jose. The standard minimum age to hire without a surcharge in the United States is 25.

• Drivers aged 21 to 24 can hire from Budget in San Jose but will be charged approximately US$13 per hire day plus taxes as a young driver surcharge, with a maximum charge of US$65 plus taxes.
• Certain vehicle classes such as full-size SUVs, minivans, luxury, and premium vehicles are typically restricted to drivers aged 25 and older.
• Economy, compact, medium sedan, standard sedan, compact SUV, and medium SUV categories are generally available to drivers aged 21 to 24.

There is one notable exception for Budget hires in San Jose: travellers from Latin America and the Caribbean aged 21 to 24 may have the young driver surcharge waived on eligible Hola Car Rentals rates fulfilled by Budget, provided the waiver is explicitly shown on the booking confirmation and the driver presents proof of Latin American or Caribbean nationality at the counter.

Drivers aged 20 or younger are generally not permitted to hire from Budget in San Jose outside of New York and Michigan, where state law sets the minimum at 18.

Yes, one-way hires are generally available with Budget in San Jose, allowing you to pick up at San Jose Airport or a city location and return the vehicle in a different city. However, a drop-off fee may apply depending on your route.

• Routes between San Jose and nearby Bay Area cities or airports may or may not carry a drop-off fee depending on distance and vehicle class.
• Long-distance one-way routes, such as San Jose to Los Angeles or San Jose to Las Vegas, typically include a drop-off fee that varies by route, season, and vehicle category.
• Cross-border one-way hires, such as returning the Budget vehicle in Canada or Mexico, are generally restricted or require prior authorisation.

The drop-off fee for your San Jose Budget hire will be shown during the booking process under the section labelled as charges due at the destination. It is not included in the prepaid rate and cannot be covered by the No Extra Charges© guarantee unless it was not disclosed at the time of booking.

If you need to change your return location after booking, contact support before pickup, as mid-hire route changes must be approved by the Budget location and may result in a higher fee or limited availability.