Budget Introduce
For Southern California residents, military personnel, and visitors traveling to San Diego, securing reliable transportation that is both versatile and affordable is essential. The **Budget Car and Van Rental** agency, conveniently situated in the central Mission Valley area, provides a comprehensive solution for various mobility needs, from a compact car for navigating city traffic to a spacious van for group travel. This branch, known for its commitment to accommodating a diverse clientele, stands out by offering specific benefits like **active military discounts** and embracing modern, flexible payment methods, including **NFC mobile payments**.
Operating as a recognized car and van rental agency, this Budget location at 500 Hotel Circle North aims to facilitate a smooth rental experience. Whether you are a local needing a temporary replacement vehicle, a family heading to one of San Diego’s renowned attractions like the Zoo or SeaWorld, or a group organizing an outing, the availability of a wide fleet—including options for both car and van rentals—makes this a flexible choice. The agency’s adherence to high standards of customer service and convenience, though sometimes facing operational challenges as noted in customer feedback, is a key component of its value proposition.
This location also places a high priority on inclusivity, ensuring that its services are available to all customers. The provision of a **Wheelchair accessible entrance** and **Wheelchair accessible parking lot** underscores a thoughtful approach to accessibility, making the process easier for customers with mobility requirements. By blending convenience, versatile services, and special offers for the dedicated military community in California, Budget in Mission Valley positions itself as a practical and accommodating rental option in San Diego.
The Budget rental office is strategically located at **500 Hotel Cir N, San Diego, CA 92108, USA**, right in the bustling Mission Valley district. This location is part of the Town & Country Resort area, a dynamic hub known for its easy access to major interstate highways, including I-8 and I-805. This central positioning is ideal for travelers arriving from various parts of San Diego or those staying in the dense concentration of hotels and resorts in the valley. The proximity to Downtown San Diego, the airport, and key attractions minimizes travel time for vehicle pickup and return.
It is important for customers to note that as the office is situated within a large hotel or resort property, finding the rental counter may require careful attention to on-site signage, as one customer mentioned the office being small and somewhat hidden. However, the operational benefits of the location—centrality and good road connections—remain significant.
A significant highlight of this location is its full commitment to physical accessibility:
- **Wheelchair accessible entrance:** The facility ensures that all customers can enter and conduct their transactions comfortably and without impediment.
- **Wheelchair accessible parking lot:** Conveniently located parking is available, providing ease of transfer from personal or ride-share vehicles to the rental office.
These features ensure that the initial steps of the rental process are smooth and respectful of every customer's needs.
As a major car rental agency, this Budget location provides a broad range of services and vehicle options to meet the needs of the San Diego market.
- **Extensive Fleet Selection:** The agency offers a wide range of rental options, categorized as both a **Car rental agency** and a **Van rental agency**. This includes economy and compact cars, standard and full-size sedans, SUVs, luxury vehicles, and, crucially, a variety of minivans and full-size passenger vans (such as 12- or 15-passenger vans).
- **Van Rental Specialization:** The dedicated van rental service caters to large groups, sports teams, family reunions, and businesses requiring transportation for multiple people, a vital service in a metropolitan area like San Diego.
- **Flexible Payment Options:** Customers have numerous ways to pay for their rental, including all major **Credit cards**, **Debit cards**, and modern **NFC mobile payments** (like Apple Pay or Google Pay). While debit card usage may involve specific deposit and verification requirements, the availability of the option is a key convenience.
- **Dedicated Military Discounts:** The location offers special rates and programs for the area’s active military community, a valuable feature given San Diego’s large military presence.
- **Long-Term and One-Way Rentals:** Budget typically accommodates flexible rental durations, including affordable long-term monthly rentals, and offers one-way rental options for customers traveling across California or to other states.
- **Optional Rental Accessories:** Standard offerings include necessary extras such as GPS navigation systems, satellite radio, and child safety seats.
The Budget Mission Valley location brings several important advantages to local users seeking vehicle hire in San Diego, though customers should always confirm current operational details directly with the branch.
- **Active Military Discounts:** A highly valued benefit in the San Diego area, these special rates provide substantial savings for active-duty military personnel, recognizing their service and commitment.
- **Advanced Payment Technology:** The acceptance of **NFC mobile payments** alongside **Credit cards** and **Debit cards** puts this location at the forefront of modern, quick payment processing, enhancing the customer experience.
- **Mission Valley Centrality:** Being located near the intersection of several major highways makes this branch a highly accessible and convenient pick-up or drop-off point, avoiding the more congested airport rental facility for local residents.
- **Accessibility Focus:** Full **Wheelchair accessible entrance** and **parking lot** ensures a comfortable and non-discriminatory experience for all customers with mobility needs.
- **Van Rental Expertise:** The dual categorization as a car and **van rental agency** confirms a focus on larger passenger vehicles, providing reliable solutions for group transportation needs that go beyond standard car rentals.
While the convenience features are strong, the public reviews highlight the need for the agency to ensure consistency in vehicle preparation (cleanliness, maintenance checks) and staffing levels, particularly regarding opening hours and follow-up communication. Prospective renters are advised to always call ahead and confirm their vehicle type and pick-up details.
For making a new reservation, confirming existing bookings, or inquiring about military discounts and van availability, customers can use the following details:
Address: 500 Hotel Cir N, San Diego, CA 92108, USA
Phone: (619) 220-0294
Mobile Phone: +1 619-220-0294
Choosing Budget at 500 Hotel Circle North is worthwhile for a few primary reasons tailored to the Californian customer. The most compelling advantage is the combination of versatile vehicle offerings—from small cars to large passenger vans—with exceptionally flexible payment methods, including **Credit cards**, **Debit cards**, and **NFC mobile payments**. This flexibility is crucial for both local users and travelers. Additionally, the location's official provision of **Active military discounts** serves as a major incentive for the large population of service members in and around San Diego. The commitment to full **Wheelchair accessible** facilities is a strong testament to inclusive service. While some customer feedback suggests a need for operational diligence on vehicle cleanliness and punctuality, the core offerings of variety, strategic location, payment flexibility, and special military pricing make this Budget branch a powerful and highly convenient option for all vehicle rental needs in the Mission Valley area of San Diego. Renters who confirm all details in advance and during the pickup process can best leverage the agency's considerable benefits.
Budget Details
Highlights
- Active military discounts
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible entrance
- Wheelchair accessible parking lot
Payments
- Credit cards
- Debit cards
- NFC mobile payments
- Credit cards
Budget Photos









Budget Location
Budget
500 Hotel Cir N, San Diego, CA 92108, USA
Budget Reviews
costpick upcredit carddrivehotelmoneyinsurancewiper fluidriskpassengers
★ 5★ 4★ 3★ 2★ 1Everything went well. Customer service representative friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Only couple minor detractors for 1 star were: 1) office is small and hidden on side of a banquet room, needed to ask site grounds employee where office was 2) no shuttle 3) car windshield dirty inside car
August 26 · Choicen HistoryShould have read reviews first. Booked a pick up truck. First stop after using I noticed plastic piece hanging down front end. Returned the truck, no other pick ups available, ended up with a Corolla which smelled like cigarette smoke, dirty windshield, no windshield washer fluid. Upon returning the car, no one was in the office 1.5 hours after it was supposed to be open. Waited 20 minutes, no one showed. Had to leave the keys with a note asking the agent to call me to discuss a refund for not driving the pick up, with the hotel front desk.Never had a call back from the MV agent. Needed to wait 45 minutes to speak with a Budget rental customer service agent, who stated I would be charged $127 instead of $219. In actuality the Corolla should have been $97 for the 3 day rental. I will NEVER use this Mission Valley Budget, and pretty much will not use Budget in the future!
March 03 · Dale TRead the reviews prior to renting, thought I would risk it. Arrived at hotel at 8 am and the rental kiosk wasn’t open yet. 5 families waiting in line before us. The gentleman came to open at about 8:15 am and he was counting people waiting and mentioning he may not have enough cars. Thankfully there was a car to take. Definitely not ideal for our family but we made it work. The car itself wasn’t clean and had several safety issues. The guy was nice while helping us though. Came back a few hours later to ask to change cars because of the issues and a different guy was quite rude and just said “nope” while shoving his face with food. I mentioned I didn’t want to get flack for those car issues and he just said we don’t worry about that. Thankfully the car got us where we needed to go but I highly suggest you have the brakes, passenger window and wiper fluid checked on your black Dodge Challenger. Could be a safety issue for the next person.
December 31 · ReneeHORRIBLE customer service. I called first thing in the morning to confirm my reservation and was told everything was fine. Arrived at my reservation time and there were other people there to pick up their rentals as well. We were all told there were no cars and that we just had to sit and wait an unspecified amount of time, because they had no idea when cars would arrive. When I asked to speak to a manager, the person said there was no manager there. When I asked to have the manager called, the person ("Francisco") said he would NOT call RAUL AMES (the manager) and that I should call the customer service line if I have a problem with what he's doing. He gave me a business card for Raul the manager, but said "Don't call the number on his business card, because it's just the number here". Luckily, I booked through Costco, so they will find a resolution eventually (been on a call for over an hour so far). But coming all this way...just to be stranded and HORRIBLY spoken to...when all these people had to do was call this morning and say "I know you have a reservation today, but we don't have any vehicles at this location"...and let me figure out how to proceed with either booking somewhere else or canceling all together...is UNACCEPTABLE. They need to shut this location down (Hotel Circle Town & Country) and provide CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING to any employees who remain employed after I'm done here.
August 18 · Mia G.The reviews are true. After booking I read the fact that they often do not have cars. So I called the location 5 times, never answered it rolled over to the national line. They said it’s confirmed. I asked them to reserve a specific car so I would not have any problems and they would not, so I knew I had no choice but to risk it. The person there said, I only have trucks and I can not help you. Now I am on my way to the airport. Time lost- 1.5 hours, cost with Lyft $45. Delay in vacation the worst part.
April 26 · Happy Happy (Joy joy)
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