We are an independent publisher. Our reporters create honest, accurate, and objective content to help you make decisions. To support our work, we are paid for providing advertising services. Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Next” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. The compensation we receive and other factors, such as your location, may impact what ads and links appear on our site, and how, where, and in what order ads and links appear. While we strive to provide a wide range of offers, our site does not include information about every product or service that may be available to you. We strive to keep our information accurate and up-to-date, but some information may not be current. So, your actual offer terms from an advertiser may be different than the offer terms on this site. And the advertised offers may be subject to additional terms and conditions of the advertiser. All information is presented without any warranty or guarantee to you.

This page may include: credit card ads that we may be paid for (“advertiser listing”); and general information about credit card products (“editorial content”). Many, but not all, of the offers and clickable hyperlinks (such as a “Apply Now” button or “Learn More” button) that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. When you click on that hyperlink or button, you may be directed to the credit card issuer’s website where you can review the terms and conditions for your selected offer. Each advertiser is responsible for the accuracy and availability of its ad offer details, but we attempt to verify those offer details. We have partnerships with advertisers such as Brex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo and Discover. We also include editorial content to educate consumers about financial products and services. Some of that content may also contain ads, including links to advertisers’ sites, and we may be paid on those ads or links.

For more information, please see How we make money.

Top 3 Perks That Come With Car Rental Elite Status

  • Chris Campbell

    • 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.

    Elite status with car rental agencies can come with some serious perks. (Photo by Mikael Damkier/Shutterstock)

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

    Rental Car Company
    Status Tiers (Lowest to Highest)
    Alamo*
    Insiders
    Avis PreferredPreferred PlusPreferred Plus**
    Budget*
    Fastbreak
    Dollar*
    Express Rewards
    EnterprisePlusSilverGoldPlatinum
    Hertz GoldFive StarPresident's Circle
    NationalEmeraldExecutiveExecutive Elite
    Thrifty*
    Blue Chip Rewards
    *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.

    An upgrade to your rental car can instantly make your travels a little brighter. (Photo By Soloviova Liudmyla/Shutterstock.com)

    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.

    Hertz and National members have the ability to choose from a variety of cars upon arrival. (Photo by TonyLockhart/Shutterstock)

    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.
    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)