Hertz Gold Benefits

Hertz is one of the largest car rental companies in the world and a well established brand in the rental car industry. It’s rewards program is also a leader. In this article we examine the Hertz Gold benefits to frequent renters and provide an overview of the Hertz Rewards program, more formally known as Hertz Gold Plus Rewards.

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April has been all about rental cars and transportation for us here at the CBoardingGroup. For example, we have covered several different topics throughout the month including an analysis of the National Car Rental loyalty program. You can read ALL of our rental car related content here.

Note: Hertz also own Dollar and Thrifty rental car brands.

Hertz Rewards Program – overview

The Hertz Rewards Program has multiples levels – three to be exact:

Gold
Five Star
President’s Circle

Each level affords frequent renters increasing benefits. At the highest levels, the more you spend or rent the faster you move through the levels and consequently get to take advantage of greater benefits.

The first level of the Hertz Rewards Program is known as Hertz Gold. Renters can sign up for this level for free with no minimum rentals.

Qualification Requirement: None. Free

The Hertz Gold Benefits include:

Points (renters earn 1 point for each dollar spent)
Ability to skip the counter when renting from Hertz (a big benefit for frequent renters looking to avoid standing in line or wasting time
No additional driver charge
Discounts on child car seat rentals (if needed)
Access to the Ultimate Choice line (more on this in a moment)
1 month free trial to the CLEAR program*
Ability to E-Return
No Blackout dates for using Rewards
Ability to earn rewards with other brands
Access to the Experiential Benefits program

As with all levels (and most rental car rewards programs) the Hertz Rewards Program allows frequent renters to redeem their points for various rewards including free or discounted rentals.

NOTE: Must do one rental to qualify for Clear, see graphic below which came up after I signed up for Hertz Gold and then tried to get my CLEAR trial going:

Renters must complete at least one rental to qualify for the Hertz / CLEAR Partnership benefit

Hertz Five Star Benefits

The next level up in the Hertz Rewards Program is the Hertz Five Star level. Here, frequent renters are treated to enhanced benefits in the Hertz system.

Qualification Requirement: Spend $2,400 or 12 rentals (not days, rentals)*

Hertz Five Star Benefits include all of the Gold level benefits plus some additional benefits or expansion of Gold level benefits:

Upgrades to a larger / nicer class of car – when available
25% point acceleration bonus (spend $1 and earn 1.25 points)
Ultimate Choice (Wider Selection) Choose any vehicle in the “Five Star” section of the Hertz Ultimate Choice lot for no extra charge
CLEAR trial is 2 months long
Ability to transfer points to other partners
Experiental Benefits Access (see section on this farther down in the article)

*resets on January 1 of the following year.

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Hertz President’s Circle Benefits

The highest level in the Hertz Rewards Program is Hertz President’s Circle. Here, renters get the maximum level of rewards available to frequent rentals.

Qualification Requirement: Spend $4,000 or 20 rentals

The Hertz President’s Circle benefits include all of the preceding benefit levels with a few new benefits and expansion of other bennys:

50% point bonus ($1 = 1.5 points)
Ultimate Choice (Widest Selection) Renters can choose any vehicle in the President’s Circle section of the Hertz Ultimate Choice lot for no additional charge
No additional driver fee for a spouse or domestic partner in the U.S.
CLEAR trial is 4 months long
Experiental Benefits Access
Hertz Valet – Take advantage of our terminal drive-back service at participating locations up to four times a year
Dedicated Call Center line

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Ultimate Choice

The Hertz Ultimate Choice program is similar to National Car Rental’s “pick any car and go” program. It allows renters to choose any car they want from their assigned zone.

When picking up your car from Hertz at time of rental simply go to the appropriately labeled zone on your reservation and select the car you want.

Ultimate Choice applies to all Hertz customers regardless of whether you are signed up for the Hertz Rewards Program or not, however, loyalty program members may qualify for upgrades based on status.

Check out:

Hertz Experiences (aka Hertz Plus)

The Hertz Experience program (also known as Hertz Plus) is a destination and adventure themed offering for Hertz customers. Through a partnership with PlacePass, Hertz customers can book experiences at theme parks, or off road adventures, cooking classes, etc.

It is very similar to Airbnb Experiences.

Examples from Hertz Plus Program

Customers do NOT need to be Hertz Gold members to purchase experiences, but for folks who are members of the Hertz Rewards program can use points to pay for some or all of a Hertz Experience.

Using Hertz Gold Points

Frequent renters can use their status and Hertz Reward Program points to earn free rental car days (or for Hertz Plus Experiences as noted earlier).

Here’s a link to the (lengthy – and slightly confusing…) redemption catalog.

Signing up for Hertz Rewards Program

Signing up for the Hertz Rewards program is quite easy. It took me all of two minutes to register and you need to have your driver’s license and credit card handy (although they do NOT charge you, you still need to provide a card which will be used for future rentals).

Use this link to sign up for the Hertz Rewards Program.

Hertz does not send you a membership card so you will either need to write your member number down, memorize it, or print out the card from their website.

Hertz Mobile App

Hertz has a mobile application for both iPhone and Android Platforms. Renters can use it to book a reservation, assist with parking and more. Here are some sample screenshots:

Hertz Current Fleet

Hertz’s fleet is fairly modern consisting of a mix of Chevys, Fords and Dodge/Chrysler along with some higher end options from BMW and Mercedes. See the images below for a sampling and click here to view the full, and current list.

Hertz Car Sales

Like many rental car companies, Hertz offers used rental cars for sale. Visit their >car sales website for more information.

Final Thoughts on Hertz Gold Benefits & the Hertz Rewards Program in General

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Hertz Gold Benefits – overview of the Hertz Rewards Program

Hertz Rewards Program – overview