Top 3 Perks That Come With Car Rental Elite Status

Signing up for credit cards through partner links earns us a commission. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Here’s our full advertising policy: How we make money.

INSIDER SECRET: Hertz and National members can choose from a variety of cars to rent upon arrival, even at the lowest membership level, which is free to join.

If your normal travel schedule doesn’t involve renting cars, you might not be aware of some of the great perks and benefits that come with having status with a rental car company. And while you certainly can achieve elite status by frequently renting cars, there are many status perks that are available even if you have never rented a car.

I’ll review some of the top perks that come with car rental elite status.

The table below lists the major car rental companies and their status tiers:

[table id=584 /]

*Note that Alamo, Budget, Dollar and Thrifty all have a single membership level that is free to join.

**Avis Preferred Plus has two tiers (12 rentals or $5,000 in spending and 25 rentals or $7,000 in spending).

1. Car Upgrades

Several car rental companies offer guaranteed upgrades to a higher-level car when you have certain status levels.

For example, folks with National Executive status get a guaranteed upgrade in the US and Canada when reserving a car at the midsize rate. If you have Hertz President’s Circle status, you get a guaranteed upgrade, regardless of the class of vehicle you reserve. If Enterprise is your rental car company of choice, you can get one, two or four upgrades per program year if you have Silver, Gold or Platinum status, respectively.

Avis Preferred Plus and Hertz Five Star members receive complimentary upgrades when available, but these are not guaranteed.

2. Choice of Cars

One of the nicest car rental perks is getting to choose from a variety of cars when you arrive to pick up your rental. Both Hertz and National offer members the option of choosing any vehicle in a designated area as long as your reservation is for a certain class of car or higher (compact for Hertz, midsize for National). For both companies, this perk is available to all members, even if you are at the lowest membership level, which is free to join. But if you have a higher status level, you’ll have a wider selection of cars to choose from.

3. Enhanced Point Earning

Avis, Enterprise, Hertz and National all give their members opportunities to earn rewards faster. Avis, Enterprise and Hertz offer the following earning rates to their members:

Avis

Avis Preferred: 1 point per dollar

Avis Preferred Plus (12 Rentals or $5,000 in spending): 1.25 points per dollar

Avis Preferred Plus (25 Rentals or $7,000 in spending): 1.5 points per dollar

Avis also offers higher earnings rates for money spent on accessories such as satellite radio, GPS or child safety seats.

Enterprise

Enterprise Plus: 1 point per dollar

Enterprise Plus Silver: 1.1 points per dollar

Enterprise Plus Gold: 1.15 points per dollar

Enterprise Plus Platinum: 1.2 points per dollar

Hertz

Hertz Gold: 1 point per dollar

Hertz Five Star: 1.25 points per dollar

Hertz President’s Circle: 1.5 points per dollar

National

Instead of awarding points for rentals, National operates on a credit system. Elite members require fewer credits to claim a free rental day.

National Emerald Club: Free Rental Day = 7 Credits

National Emerald Club Executive: Free Rental Day = 6 Credits

National Emerald Club Executive Elite: Free Rental Day = 5 Credits

Dollar and Thrifty

Dollar and Thrifty members both earn 1 point per dollar, but neither program has higher status tiers or the opportunity to earn points faster.

Budget

Budget members do not earn points. Instead, they can receive $25 in Budget Bucks for every two rentals.

Alamo

Alamo does not have a true rewards program, but if you sign up for their free Alamo Insiders program, you get 5% off rental rates in the US, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean and Latin America.

Bottom Line

Achieving status with car rental companies brings with it some great perks, including upgrades, the opportunity to choose from a variety of cars and higher point-earning rates. Even if you don’t frequently rent cars, many of these perks are available at the lowest membership levels, which are free to join. Be sure to check out our post on how to save money on your next car rental. And take a look at this information regarding credit card rental car coverage.

For the latest tips and tricks on traveling big without spending a fortune, please subscribe to the Million Mile Secrets daily email newsletter.

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

APPLY NOW

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®

• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.

• Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases

• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel

• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs

• Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®

• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more

Intro APR on purchases

N/A

Regular APR

21.24% – 28.24% Variable

Annual Fee

$550

Balance Transfer Fee

Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each balance transfer, whichever is greater

Rates & Fees

Annual Fee $550

Other

Credit Needed Excellent

Issuer Chase

Card Type Visa

MORE INFO