9 best rental car rewards programs you need to know about

1 month ago 18

Like many people, you've probably booked the cheapest rental car option in the past without giving much thought to rental car loyalty programs. However, if you're planning to rent a car in the near future, you definitely should sign up for a rental car rewards program. Not only is it free, but by being a rewards member, you can earn some sweet perks like car upgrades and points toward free rentals.

Here's a breakdown of the best car rental rewards programs and what you need to know about them.

Alamo Insiders

Unlike many of the programs below, Alamo Insiders doesn't have elite status tiers, and you can't earn rental car points. However, Alamo Insiders will receive a 5% discount on base rates in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America.

Additionally, members can choose to earn points or miles on qualifying car rentals from Alamo's airline or hotel partners, such as American AAdvantage, Hilton Honors and Southwest Rapid Rewards. To see the full list, check out Alamo's partner page.

Avis Preferred

With more than 5,000 locations worldwide, spanning over 170 countries, Avis has a large global footprint. Therefore, joining this car rental service's loyalty program should be on your to-do list.

Avis Preferred has three elite status tiers: Preferred, Preferred Plus and President's Club.

Avis Preferred

As a Preferred member, you'll earn 1 point per dollar spent on car rentals and 2 points per dollar spent on accessories. You can redeem points for car rentals starting at 700 points per day with no blackout dates.

The primary benefit of Avis Preferred is the ability to skip the line at the rental counter at most locations worldwide.

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Avis Preferred Plus

You can reach Avis Preferred Plus when you rent at least 10 times or spend $4,000 within a calendar year. Once you reach that level, you'll earn 1.25 points per dollar spent on the rental cost and 2.5 points per dollar spent on optional products.

As a Plus member, you'll receive all the Preferred perks plus a complimentary one-class upgrade when reserving a midsize or above (based on availability).

How to get this status: If you have United MileagePlus Premier Silver or United Premier Gold elite status, you can sign in to elevate your Avis status. Additionally, if you have The Platinum Card® from American Express in your wallet, you'll receive complimentary Avis Preferred status (enrollment required).

Avis President's Club

You'll receive Avis President's Club after 20 rentals or $6,000 in spending in a calendar year. You'll earn 1.5 points per dollar on car rentals and 3 points per dollar on accessories.

Here are the benefits of Avis President's Club status:

Two-class upgrade when reserving a midsize car or above; excludes large SUVs and Signature Fleet (subject to availability)
Guaranteed car up to a full-size with a confirmed 24-hour advance reservation
Access to a dedicated Avis Preferred Plus customer service and reservation line

How to get this status: The following United cobranded credit cards offer Avis President's Club status as a perk: United Club^SM Infinite Card and the United Club^SM Business Card. Additionally, MileagePlus members who have Premier Platinum elite status or higher also have this rental car status perk.

The information for the United Club Business has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Budget Fastbreak

Budget's Fastbreak loyalty program is free to join and allows members to easily pick up and drop off their rental cars.

Like Alamo Insiders, Budget Fastbreak has no elite status tiers. Instead, a few times a year, Budget will offer enticing promotions to its members, like $25 in Budget Bucks to use toward a future rental when you rent twice through Dec. 31.

Dollar Express Rewards

The Dollar Express Rewards program allows you to earn reward points toward free rentals. Plus, you'll also get access to perks like priority service, expedited rental returns and a free authorized additional driver (spouse or domestic partner).

While there is no elite status with Dollar Rewards, you'll earn 1 point per dollar spent on qualifying rentals within the U.S. and Canada. Free rental car redemptions start at 500 points on weekend days and 625 points on weekdays (excludes taxes and fees).

Enterprise Plus

Enterprise Plus has four elite status tiers, Plus (basic membership), Silver, Gold and Platinum. Enterprise's elite status benefits include bonus points for qualifying car rentals and free upgrades. Here's a breakdown of each tier:

Enterprise Plus

You can get Plus status just by signing up, and you'll have it through your fifth rental. You'll earn 1 point per dollar on qualifying rentals.

Enterprise Silver

You'll get Enterprise Silver status after six rentals. Silver members receive 10% bonus points for qualifying rental dollars and one free car upgrade per year.

Enterprise Gold

To earn Enterprise Gold status, you'll need either 12 qualifying rentals or 40 rental days. You'll also receive 15% bonus points for qualifying rental dollars and two free car upgrades per year.

Enterprise Platinum

Enterprise's top-tier Platinum status requires 24 qualifying rentals or 85 rental days. You'll receive 20% bonus points for qualifying rental dollars and four free car upgrades per year.

You can redeem your Enterprise points for free rental days with no blackout dates. Though the amount of points needed for a free rental day will vary by the details of a specific trip, rentals start at 400 points.

If you're trying to fast-track your way to Enterprise elite status, the car rental loyalty program offers a status match with more than 40 travel loyalty programs. If you have elite status with an airline, hotel or car rental program, be sure to check out Enterprise's website to see if you can match your status.

Fox Rewards

The Fox Rewards loyalty program is relatively simple and straightforward; members earn 4 points per dollar spent (excluding taxes and fees). As you collect points, you have two options for redeeming your rewards: Gift cards or FoxBucks.

Fox partners with Tango Card to let you spend your points at retail merchants like Amazon, Apple, Starbucks and more. These rewards start at 2,500 points for a $25 gift certificate and go up to 12,500 points for a $125 gift certificate.

Another option is earning FoxBucks, which lets you redeem rental car rewards points to pay for your car rental. FoxBucks redemptions start at 1,600 points for $20 in FoxBucks and go up to 8,000 points for $100 in FoxBucks.

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards

Hertz's loyalty program is called Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, and it's free to join. As a member, you can skip the counter and go straight to picking up your rental car; plus, you'll earn redeemable reward points to use toward free rentals.

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards has three elite tiers: Gold (basic membership), Five Star and President's Circle. Here's a breakdown of how to qualify for each tier and the benefits:

Hertz Gold

You can become a Hertz Gold member by signing up. There aren't a ton of perks, but here's what comes with this tier:

Earn 1 point per dollar spent
Access to Hertz Ultimate Choice, where you choose your own car at select Hertz locations
Free additional driver for a spouse or domestic partner in the U.S.

Hertz Five Star

You can earn Five Star status after completing 10 Hertz rentals or spending $2,000 on rental cars in a year. The most notable benefits include:

Earn 1.25 points per dollar spent
Upgrades based on availability
When renting from a Hertz location with an Ultimate Choice lot, Hertz Five Star members have access to a wider range of cars

Additional ways to earn this status: If you have Delta Medallion Silver or Gold status, you can match it to Five Star status.

Hertz President's Circle

You'll earn President's Circle status after completing 15 Hertz rentals or spending $3,000 on rental cars in a calendar year. President's Circle members get the same benefits as other elite members, plus the following:

Earn 1.5 points per dollar spent
Guaranteed car upgrades
When renting from a Hertz location with an Ultimate Choice lot, you'll have access to the widest range of cars (more than Gold or Five Star members)
Access to a dedicated Hertz phone number for President's Circle members

Additional ways to earn this status: The following cards offer Hertz President's Circle benefits: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card*, The Platinum Card® from American Express (enrollment required) and Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (enrollment required). If you have Delta Platinum or Diamond Medallion status, you can enroll in the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program and receive complimentary President's Circle status.

*Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at that status level through the duration of the offer. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.

National Emerald Club

National's loyalty program, Emerald Club, has three levels: Emerald Club, Executive and Executive Elite. Let's break down each tier.

Emerald Club

Emerald Club members can skip the counter and choose any car from the Emerald Aisle when renting a midsize car or above. You can choose to earn either free rental days, or points or miles from one of National's partner programs. There are other perks, including:

Expedited services when renting in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean
Free rental days after seven rental credits
No second-driver fees
Free one-class upgrade at participating locations in the U.K., Ireland, France, Spain and Germany (subject to availability)

Emerald Club Executive

Emerald Club Executive status requires 12 paid rentals or 40 paid rental days per calendar year. You can also skip those requirements and get National Emerald Club Executive status if you hold a travel rewards card such as The Platinum Card® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express or the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (enrollment required).

In addition to the base member perks, Executive members will also have access to the following:

Free rental day after six rental credits
Pay the midsize rate when you pick any car in the U.S. (full-size and above) in the Executive Area
Guaranteed upgrades when you reserve a midsize or above in the U.S. and Canada
Get exclusive pricing when you upgrade to Premier Selection at the rental lot in the U.S. and Canada

Emerald Club Executive Elite

Members can earn Emerald Club Executive Elite status after 25 rentals or 85 rental days per calendar year. Top-tier Executive Elite members get the following benefits:

Free rental days after five rental credits (any car class except exotic vehicles and trucks)
Guaranteed car (up to full-size) with 24 hours notice
Private airport delivery if you arrive by private aircraft at a small airport in the U.S. or Canada (up to 50 miles from a National branch)

One last thing to note about National's Emerald Club program — it will match your status in over 40 loyalty programs. Members of TPG's staff have been successful in using Hilton Honors Gold status to match Emerald Club Executive and matching United Airlines Premier 1K to get Executive Elite. It's definitely worth checking to see if you can match your status to get Emerald Club status.

Thrifty Blue Chip Rewards

Thrifty Blue Chip has no elite status tiers and did away with its points-earning structure. Thrifty Blue Chip members receive up to a 15% discount on all rentals instead of earning points.

Blue Chip members can add a free authorized additional driver (spouse or domestic partner), benefit from quicker pickups and returns and more.

Best credit cards to use for car rentals

When renting a car from any company, the key to earning the most rewards is choosing the right credit card. The following cards offer bonus points for all car rentals purchased directly:

Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Earn 3 points per dollar on all travel, including car rentals
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 2 points per dollar on all travel, including car rentals
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 2 miles per dollar on all purchases
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 2 miles per dollar on all purchases
Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees): Earn 2 miles per dollar on rental cars

Some cards also offer primary car rental coverage, covering any loss, theft or damage to a rental without you needing to file a claim with your insurance company. All you have to do is decline primary rental insurance when you pick up your vehicle and pay with the card offering this coverage.

Bottom line

Renting a car isn't nearly as exciting as flying, staying at a hotel or even taking the train. But sometimes it is necessary, especially if you're traveling off the beaten path.

If your credit card (or airline loyalty program) includes automatic elite status with one or more car rental agencies, you should sign up. Even if you don't get elite status through a credit card, it's still worth signing up for as many programs as possible, as you can earn points to use toward free rentals, get exclusive discounts or even skip the checkout counter. There are perks and benefits to joining car rental loyalty programs.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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