factual

What is the purpose of the Budget Centralized Commission Services Program (BCCS)?

Budget Franchise · 2025 FDD

Answer from 2025 FDD Document

Schedule 4, as amended from time to time.

TO RESERVATION FEES

OPERATING EXPENSES

Reservation processing costs:

Computer processing charges and reports In Watts, automated reservation processing charges Out Watts, telex and telephone charges Terminal depreciation, network, maintenance and other costs, telephony hardware Transborder reservation adjustments

Advertising, Marketing and Promotion:

Frequent Renter Program Yellow pages advertising Worldwide directory productions Third party reservation promotions

Occupancy:

Rent –all Contact Centers Utilities and repairs Equipment rental and depreciation

Personnel:

Recruiting and training Salaries and wages Taxes and fringe benefits

General and Administrative:

Net carrying cost of receivables and bad debts Business taxes, insurance and professional fees Postage, supplies and other office expenses Software development. Telecom and IT expenses Travel and other administrative expenses Research and Development expenses

TO RESERVATION FEES

THIRD PARTY AUTOMATED RESERVATION FEES

AIRLINE AIRLINES FEES
CODE
1A Amadeus $4.92
AA SABRE $4.76
UA Galileo $4.99
WN Southwest Internet $3.50
TW WorldSpan $4.99
Priceline $2.75

TO RESERVATION FEES

BUDGET CENTRALIZED COMMISSION SERVICES PROGRAM (BCCS)

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES (U.S.)

A. SCOPE

    1. The Budget Centralized Commission Services Program ("BCCS"), operated by Budget on behalf of Avis Budget Car Rental, LLC. ("ABCR") is designed to pay travel sources on a worldwide basis, on behalf of all Budget car rental properties, worldwide commissions for both local and one-way car rentals via one central payment method. The current BCCS Instruction Package ("Instruction Package") provides general details of the program together with specific operating instructions.
    1. All reservations generated by travel sources must be reconciled through BCCS, whether made directly with the travel source or received from Budget's Worldwide Reservation Center. The reservations must be reported to BCCS in accordance with the Instruction Package provisions as commissionable or specific non-commissionable categories. This reporting must be done in the same month, or BCCS processing cycle, in which the rental transactions close or the vehicles were due to be rented in the case of non-commissionable categories.
    1. The BCCS database currently includes some 170,000 airline appointed travel sources, usually designated as either ARC appointed (U.S.) or IATA (International). These are acronyms for Airline Reporting Corporation and International Air Transport Association as defined in the Instruction Package. You may also see reference to TIDS or PSEUDO numbers. These are 8 character ID numbers usually issued on a temporary basis until the travel sources receive their certifications and permanent numbers from either ARC or IATA.

B. COMMISSION PAYMENT BASIS

    1. Currency. Payments made by Licensees not on Wizard must be paid to Budget only in U.S. or Canadian dollars converted with respect to local currency, using ABCR'S then applicable exchange rates used for other currency conversion purposes. Wizard automatically converts the local currency to U.S. dollars for those licensees on Wizard, so that Budget or ABCR may issue payment to travel sources.
    1. Frequency of Payment. BCCS disburses payment twice per month either directly to the travel sources or via a third party vendor.
  1. Commission Calculations. Regardless of how Budget licensees submit data, the current Budget commission calculation policy is to pay travel sources a percentage of net time and mileage (kilometer) charges, as follows:

Leisure business 10% Contracted business, including corporate accounts with less than $100,000.00 in revenue 5%

Travel Source bookings for corporate accounts with greater than $100,000 in Budget annual revenue do not earn commissions and as such the Licensee will not be charged commissions for these rentals.

Notwithstanding the standard commission calculations referenced above, any individual travel source(s) or group of travel sources (regardless of location) may be selected by Budget to receive a unique, non-standard commission arrangement (which commissions may be higher than the standard commissions) as part of a particular promotion or program, regardless of duration. Any such promotion or program will be processed through BCCS. Compensation payments may be calculated as a percentage of revenue, a flat dollar amount or any other calculation method selected by Budget. A rental transaction may be eligible for compensation with any vehicle type, rate type/code (including, without limitation, discounted rates), rental period and/or any other category of rental deemed appropriate for such promotion or programs.

    1. Commission Policy. The current commission percentages described in paragraph 3 above are mandatory for Budget licensees. They may be reviewed and revised by Budget in the future to meet business objectives. Budget licensees shall not deviate from, manipulate or change these mandatory commission percentages in any manner, as part of any BCCS submission, nor use other commission percentages on a local basis to pay any travel source commissions.
    1. Override/Bonus Program. Budget also provides, as a part of BCCS, an Override/Bonus Program by which eligible individual travel sources or preferred groups may earn a bonus by achieving certain preset goals for business generated throughout the Budget system. By participating in joint marketing promotions or programs with Budget, these preferred accounts are also eligible for special bonus marketing funds.

The primary difference between the base commission Schedule and the Override/Bonus Program is that any override/bonus is based on achieving the preset targets for business directed to Budget U.S. properties as a whole and is not based on any property by property calculation.

When an override/bonus is due, all properties receiving the business are charged an override/bonus at the same preset payout rate.

Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 80–426)

What This Means (2025 FDD)

According to Budget's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the Budget Centralized Commission Services Program (BCCS) is operated by Budget on behalf of Avis Budget Car Rental, LLC (ABCR). Its primary function is to manage and streamline commission payments to travel sources worldwide for both local and one-way car rentals. This centralized system ensures that travel sources are paid commissions through a single, consistent method, regardless of the Budget rental location. The BCCS program reconciles all reservations generated by travel sources, whether they are made directly with the travel source or through Budget's Worldwide Reservation Center. These reservations are then reported to BCCS, categorized as either commissionable or non-commissionable, and processed accordingly. The BCCS database includes approximately 170,000 airline-appointed travel sources, typically designated as ARC (Airline Reporting Corporation) in the U.S. or IATA (International Air Transport Association) internationally.

For Budget franchisees, participation in the BCCS program means adhering to specific policies and procedures outlined in the BCCS Instruction Package. Licensees not on the Wizard system must make commission payments to Budget in U.S. or Canadian dollars, converted from the local currency using ABCR's exchange rates. Franchisees on the Wizard system benefit from automatic currency conversion to U.S. dollars, simplifying the payment process. Budget disburses payments twice a month, either directly to the travel sources or through a third-party vendor. Franchisees are responsible for reimbursing Budget for these commission payments, which are detailed in a monthly Composite Statement. This statement includes the actual commission amounts, any special override/bonus payments, and any automatic commission payments resulting from the franchisee's failure to respond to travel source inquiries.

Budget licensees are required to adhere to mandatory commission percentages, which are subject to review and revision by Budget. Licensees cannot deviate from or manipulate these percentages. The standard commission calculation policy involves paying travel sources a percentage of net time and mileage charges: 10% for leisure business and 5% for contracted business, including corporate accounts with less than $100,000 in revenue. Corporate accounts generating over $100,000 in annual revenue do not earn commissions. Budget also offers an Override/Bonus Program within BCCS, allowing eligible travel sources to earn bonuses by achieving preset business targets for the Budget system as a whole, rather than on a property-by-property basis. Any questions regarding BCCS policy should be directed in writing to the Manager of the Budget Centralized Commission Services Program at the provided Virginia address.

Disclaimer: This information is extracted from the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document and is provided for research purposes only. It does not constitute legal or financial advice. Consult with a franchise attorney before making any investment decisions.