Rental Car Policy – UT Austin

The University of Texas at Austin has contracts with five preferred rental car vendors. To ensure safety, compliance, and cost savings, travelers must follow the policies below when booking and using rental vehicles.

1. Booking and Vendor Use

• Always book through one of UT Austin’s five contract rental car vendors using the booking resources that TMS provides to ensure compliance.
• If a contract vendor is not available, contact Travel Management Services (TMS) for guidance before renting from a non-contract vendor.
• If you must rent from a non-contract vendor:
  • Purchase the offered collision and liability insurance.
  • Obtain an exception from TMS before submitting for reimbursement.

2. Insurance Coverage

• Enterprise & National: Insurance included at all U.S. locations (verify international coverage).
• Avis, Budget, and Hertz:
  • Most U.S. rentals include insurance, but some domestic locations do not. Check your rental agreement carefully and purchase coverage if not included.
  • If you rent at a non-contract or promotional rate, insurance is not included.
• Mixing business and personal travel:
  • You must close out the business rental and open a separate personal rental.
  • Personal rentals do not include insurance; arrange your own coverage.

3. Fuel, Add-Ons, and Vehicle Restrictions

• Fuel: Do not select the pre-paid fuel option. Return vehicles with a full tank.
• Add-ons: GPS, satellite radio, and similar extras will not be reimbursed.
• Restricted vehicles:
  • 12- and 15-passenger vans require prior approval under UT System Policy UTS157.
  • Approved drivers must complete required van safety training.
  • Do not rent a car using car-sharing apps/services (e.g., Turo, Getaround). These do not meet UT risk and safety standards.

4. Use of Personal Vehicles

• Rental cars should be used for business travel whenever possible.
• If you use a personal car, your personal auto insurance will be the primary coverage in case of an accident.
• Use the Enterprise Trip Optimizer calculator to compare the costs of rental versus mileage reimbursement.
  • FAQ for Trip Optimizer calculator

5. Membership and Rewards

• Travelers are encouraged to enroll in vendor loyalty programs.
• Membership benefits: faster rental process, touchless options, electronic receipts.
• Travelers may keep any rewards earned.

You may pay for rental cars on your own using an individual credit card. You also have the option to direct bill the rental car so there is no out of pocket expense for the rental other than refilling the tank before returning the vehicle. 

Individual Credit Card

• Seek reimbursement after rental is completed
• Must provide completed and signed Motor Vehicle Tax Exemption Certificate for in-state rentals at pick up or upon returning vehicle
  • Any tax charges applied that qualify as state exempt will not be reimbursed

TMS Direct Billing Options  (Enterprise, National & Avis only)

 Option 1: Authorized Direct Bill Rental Car Program

• One-time form submission to authorize the travel profile for direct billing
• Concur bookings automatically apply the direct bill for Avis, Enterprise & National
• Full-Service Anthony Travel upon request to apply the direct bill to the TMS program
• Compliance to rates, discounts, terms and conditions 

Benefits:

• Ease of booking with travel profile integration for loyalty account number and billing account information pulled into the booking process
• Current and past trips reside in the “Trip Library”
• Quick resource to modify or cancel and one-stop shop if booking airline reservations
• In-state rentals do not need the tax exemption form
• Reporting detail available for CSU business office
• TMS review of final invoice, payment to vendor and IDT to department

Option 2: Enterprise/National Booking Links

• Booking provides instant confirmation
• No tax exemption form to provide rental location
• No set-up form to submit
• Final invoice review by TMS
  • Vendor payment
  • IDT to Department

Option 3: Per Trip Submission Form

• For reservations already made that need the direct bill number appended
• Submit each time and be notified once the set up is complete
• If department isn’t listed, you can enter it manually
• Not as efficient as option 1 or 2 for the frequent traveler

Current UT Austin faculty, staff, students, guests and consultants traveling on official university business when travel is paid or reimbursed by UT Austin.  Personal rentals must use the personal rate discounts. UT students are not eligible for the personal discounts unless they use the Hertz student discount. 

*Must be 21 years of age to rent a passenger van

Rentals booked properly with contracted vendors include collision damage waiver and liability damage waiver (CDW/LDW) insurance.

Enterprise and National provide rates & coverages for all domestic locations and many international locations. 

Avis, Budget and Hertz have some non-participating locations in the U.S. where insurance is not included. When renting from non-participating locations, purchase the offered CDW/LDW coverage and that expense will be reimbursable. National and Enterprise insurance coverage is applicable at all domestic locations in the U.S.  

For information about insurance coverages and international location participation, please visit the specific vendor’s car rental page.

• FAQ Rental Car Overview
• FAQ Rental Car Direct Bill
• FAQ Enterprise & National Booking Link
• FAQ Enterprise & National Trip Optimizer Tool

Bleisure Rental Car Procedures

When combining University business travel with personal travel, travelers must inform the rental car company at the time of vehicle pickup that a portion of the rental will be used for personal travel.

Before leaving the rental counter, the traveler should:

1. Identify the dates and times that will be for official University business and those that will be for personal use.
2. Advise the rental agent that the reservation includes both business and personal travel.
3. Ask how the rental company will handle the transition from business to personal use.
4. Confirm whether the UT Austin contracted rate may continue during the personal portion of the rental. Some rental companies may require the personal portion to be billed under a retail rate or a separate reservation. Be prepared to provide the personal discount code offered to UT Austin if this comes up. 
5. Determine what insurance coverage will apply during the personal portion of the rental. Travelers are responsible for understanding whether they need to purchase additional coverage for their personal travel.
6. Understand how your rental will be paid.  Review billing guidance below.

Billing Guidance:

The payment process depends on how your rental car is reserved.

Traveler-Paid Reservations (Personal Credit Card or Individual Travel Card)

If you pay for the rental yourself and later request reimbursement, you are responsible for:

• Obtaining documentation that identifies the business and personal portions of the rental.
• Submitting only the business-related rental costs for reimbursement.
• Paying all costs associated with the personal portion of the rental.

Direct Bill Reservations

Rental cars billed directly to the University may only include the official business portion of the trip.

If you plan to extend your rental for personal travel, you must:

• End the University-paid rental when official business concludes; and
• Arrange a separate personal rental with the rental car company for the leisure portion of your trip using your own method of payment.

Personal travel may not be added to a rental that is billed directly to the University.

Additional Important Considerations:

Rental car companies may administer bleisure rentals differently.

Depending on the rental company and location, the traveler may be required to:

• Continue the rental under the UT Austin contract for the entire reservation;
• Convert the rental to a personal rental when University business ends;
• Complete a new rental agreement for the personal portion of the trip; or
• Return the vehicle and begin a separate personal rental.

Travelers should not assume the UT Austin contracted rate or insurance coverage automatically extends to personal travel.

🚗 Personal Car Rental Discounts

UT Austin employees can take advantage of exclusive personal-use rental car discounts with the following providers. Use the discount codes provided or book directly through the linked sites for savings worldwide.

🟢 Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Get discounted rates globally for personal rentals.
🔗 Book through the Enterprise site  or use Discount Code: UTSPER.

🌍 National Car Rental

Enjoy global discounts on personal car rentals.
🔗 Book through the National site or use Discount Code: UTSPER.

🚙 Avis Rent a Car

Save up to 25% off standard rates at participating locations.
🔗 Book through the Avis Leisure Pass site and use Discount Code: S828090.

🧳 Budget Rent a Car

Get up to 25% off standard rates at participating locations.
🔗 Book through the Budget at Play site and use Discount Code: R524190.

🛣️ Hertz

Receive 5–10% off the rack rate at participating locations.
🔗 Book through the Hertz site or use Discount Code: 1989415 on Hertz.com.