Car Rental Loyalty Programs: Are They Worth Your Attention?

How Car Rental Loyalty Programs Work

Car rental loyalty programs operate differently from airline and hotel programs. The primary value is not points — it is time savings and operational convenience. The most important benefits are skip-the-counter pickup, expedited return, and in some cases, the ability to choose a vehicle from a designated area rather than accepting whatever is assigned.

Points and free day redemptions exist in most programs, but the earning rates are low enough that frequent renters typically value status perks over points accumulation. All major programs offer free enrollment, so there is no reason not to join programs you use even occasionally.

The Major Programs Compared

National Emerald Club — The Most Cited for Operational Value

National Car Rental's Emerald Club is the program most frequently praised by frequent business travelers, because of one specific benefit: Emerald Aisle. Base-level members can bypass the counter entirely and choose any vehicle from the Midsize-and-above section of the Emerald Aisle, paying only the reserved Midsize rate. You physically walk to the lot and pick the car you want.

The three tiers within National Emerald Club:

• Emerald Club (base, free): Emerald Aisle access — choose from Midsize and above, pay Midsize rate. Earn 1 free rental day credit per 7 qualifying rentals.
• Executive (12 paid rentals or 40 paid rental days/year): Emerald Executive Area — choose from Fullsize and above, still pay Midsize rate. Earn 1 free day credit per 6 rentals.
• Executive Elite (highest tier): Enhanced earning and priority service.

The "choose any car" perk at base level is why National Emerald Club is often recommended as a first car rental program to join — you get the most meaningful operational benefit immediately without earning any status.

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards — Tiered Status with Counter Bypass

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards offers a three-tier structure with skip-the-counter pickup available at base level at select locations:

• Gold (base, free): Skip-the-counter at select locations, choose your own vehicle at select locations, earn 1 point per dollar spent on base rental rate. Points redeem for free rental days.
• Five Star (10 rentals or $2,000 qualifying spend/year): Enhanced vehicle selection, priority service
• President's Circle (15 rentals or $3,000 spend/year): Highest tier, guaranteed upgrades at select locations, priority vehicle selection

Hertz earns 1 point per dollar on the base rental rate only — taxes, fees, and extras do not earn. Points are redeemable for free rental days.

Avis Preferred — Simple Counter Bypass

Avis Preferred takes a straightforward approach: base-level enrollment provides immediate skip-the-counter access at most locations. Members proceed directly to their vehicle at the designated area using their reservation number and driver's license. Three tiers exist:

• Avis Preferred (base): Skip lines, go directly to vehicle, earn 1 point per dollar on base rate, 2 points per dollar on accessories
• Avis Preferred Plus: Accelerated earning, enhanced vehicle selection
• Avis President's Club: Highest tier with confirmed upgrades and premium services

Enterprise Plus — Straightforward Accumulation

Enterprise Plus offers four tiers based on annual rental volume, with a points-based system and upgrade benefits:

• Plus (base): Earn 1 point per qualifying dollar on base rate
• Silver (6–11 rentals): 10% point bonus, 1 free upgrade per year
• Gold (12 rentals or 40 rental days): 15% point bonus, 2 free upgrades annually
• Platinum (24 rentals or 85 rental days): 20% point bonus, 4 free upgrades per year

Enterprise operates separately from National despite sharing corporate ownership — accounts and status do not transfer between the two programs.

Budget Fastbreak — Convenience Without Points

Budget Fastbreak takes the simplest approach: no points, no tiers, just counter bypass. Members bypass the counter by presenting their driver's license and proceed directly to their vehicle. The program does not offer points earning or free rental days through a traditional rewards structure, but the convenience benefit is immediate and requires no rental history to unlock.

Complimentary Status Through Credit Cards

Several premium travel credit cards include complimentary car rental status as a cardholder benefit — making this a particularly low-effort way to unlock top-tier perks:

• The Platinum Card from American Express: Complimentary Hertz President's Circle status, Avis Preferred Plus status, and National Emerald Club Executive status
• Chase Sapphire Reserve: National Emerald Club Executive status
• Marriott Bonvoy Titanium and Ambassador Elite members: Hertz President's Circle status (via hotel partnership)

If you hold any of these cards, you already have access to meaningful car rental status without a single rental on record. This is one of the clearest examples where a credit card's ancillary benefits cover a significant portion of its annual fee value.

Status vs. Points: Which Matters More

For most travelers who rent cars occasionally to frequently, status perks outperform points accumulation by a wide margin. The math on points is unfavorable: at 1 point per dollar, you need roughly $200–300 in rentals to earn a single free rental day worth perhaps $40–80. That is a return under 2% — comparable to, but not better than, what a flat-rate credit card earns on the same spend.

Status perks, by contrast, deliver immediate value on every rental: no counter wait, better vehicle selection, and consistent service priority. For business travelers expensing rentals, the time savings alone justify enrollment. The practical recommendation:

• Join National Emerald Club for the Emerald Aisle benefit immediately available at enrollment
• Check your credit cards for complimentary status at Hertz or Avis before renting — you may already have better-than-base status
• Pick a primary program and consolidate rentals there to build status, rather than spreading across programs

International Programs: Sixt and Europcar

If you travel frequently in Europe or rent internationally, two programs are worth knowing:

• Sixt ONE: Sixt's multi-tier loyalty program available in 100+ countries. Base Silver tier is free; Gold requires 8 rentals or €800 spend; Platinum requires 15 rentals or €1,500. Benefits include counter bypass, free upgrades, and — at Platinum — a dedicated Sixt One service line and guaranteed vehicle class. Sixt partners with Lufthansa Miles & More and several European frequent flyer programs for mile earning.
• Europcar Privilege: Europcar's program with Connect (base), Exec, and Exec Plus tiers. Exec Plus (15 rentals or €3,000/year) provides guaranteed vehicle upgrades, priority service, and Exec Plus lounge access at select airports. Europcar earns miles with Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) and British Airways Avios, making it a natural fit for European travelers already in those programs.

For US-based travelers renting in Europe, it is worth checking whether your US car rental status matches to the European brand. Enterprise, National, and Alamo are all owned by Enterprise Holdings and share status recognition — a National Executive Elite member renting an Alamo vehicle in Europe may receive priority service at participating locations.

Earning Airline Miles Through Car Rentals

Most major car rental programs allow you to earn airline miles instead of (or in addition to) loyalty points. The rates are modest but add up for frequent renters:

• Delta SkyMiles + Hertz: Earn up to 8 SkyMiles per dollar spent on Hertz rentals. Register your SkyMiles number in your Hertz Gold Plus profile. One of the highest airline earn rates among car rental partnerships.
• United MileagePlus + Hertz or National: Earn MileagePlus miles on qualifying rentals at Hertz and National. Chase co-brand United cardholders get elevated earn rates.
• American AAdvantage + Avis or Budget: Earn AAdvantage miles on Avis and Budget rentals. Rates vary by reservation type and base rate.
• Amex Platinum status at Hertz, Avis, and National: If you hold the Platinum Card from American Express, you receive complimentary Hertz President's Circle, Avis Preferred Plus, and National Emerald Club Executive status. This means you earn car rental status perks (counter bypass, vehicle selection) without a single rental — one of the clearest examples of a credit card benefit delivering outsized value.

One practical note: you generally cannot earn both loyalty points and airline miles on the same rental — you choose one at booking. For frequent renters building toward elite status, earning loyalty points is usually more valuable. For occasional renters who already have status or don't rent enough to build it, electing airline miles extracts more value from each transaction.