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Hertz Gold Plus Rewards is Hertz’s loyalty program, which is like a frequent flyer program for rental cars. It’s free to join, and you can use it to earn free car rentals.
This guide explains what you need to know about earning and using points and making the most out of your Hertz Gold Plus Rewards membership.
Joining the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program is free and can offer some great benefits. You can earn 1 point per dollar and redeem your rewards for car rentals. Any type of car rental can be booked with rewards, including one-way rentals and luxury vehicles from the Prestige and Green collections.
The benefits you get when you join the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program include:
In order to achieve Hertz Five Star status, you need to meet one of the following criteria in a 12 month period.
Once you have achieved Five Star status you will enjoy the following benefits in addition to all of the standard Hertz Gold Plus Rewards benefits:
You need to meet one of the following criteria in a 12-month period to achieve Hertz President’s Circle status:
While this might sound like a status level that will offer great benefits, it’s largely the same as Five Star status. Some new benefits differentiate it more than in prior years:
Bottom Line: Hertz offers 2 elite levels of membership: Five Star and President’s Circle. Status can be earned through the number of rentals, dollars spent, or through Delta Air Lines status.
You can earn complimentary Hertz status based on your Delta Medallion status.
Delta Medallion Status
Complimentary Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Status
Delta Gold Medallion status
Five Star status
Delta Platinum Medallion status
President’s Circle status
Delta Diamond Medallion status
President’s Circle status
Hot Tip: If you hold the invitation-only Centurion Card from American Express you will receive Hertz President’s Circle status.
If you are a member of Marriott Bonvoy and have Platinum Elite status, you are eligible for Hertz elite status. Click here to register for a status match. Your new status can take up to 5 days to become effective.
Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status Level
Complimentary Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Status
Titanium Elite
Five Star status
Ambassador Elite
President’s Circle status
Hot Tip: If you have status with another car rental company you can often get an elite status match.
If you have The Platinum Card® from American Express, you might have seen the car rental privileges section offering complimentary memberships in Avis Preferred, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, and National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive. This can be a little misleading as far as Hertz membership is concerned.
While the complimentary membership sounds nice, membership in Hertz Gold Plus Rewards is free to anyone, so the membership itself isn’t much of a perk. There are, however, some nice benefits you can receive by booking your Hertz rental using your Platinum Card from American Express.
The Amex Platinum Card offers a few benefits to its members that could be useful when renting a car through Hertz.
These same benefits are also available through The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.
You must be enrolled in Hertz Gold Plus Rewards and use code CDP #211762 when making your reservation to take advantage of these benefits. Your Amex Platinum Card must be used as payment for your reservation (or payment for taxes and fees on free rental redemptions).
You will earn 1 point for every qualifying dollar spent on your qualifying Hertz rental anywhere in the world. In addition to earning points on the base price of your rental, you will also earn points on extra charges including:
You won’t earn any points for toll charges that you are billed for.
Hot Tip: You may not be able to earn points or enjoy elite status if you make your car rental booking through a third party site (like Expedia, Orbitz, etc.) so be sure to book directly with Hertz if points and status are important to you.
Purchasing points can occasionally be a good idea, but should only be done with a very specific redemption in mind. Hertz points are available for 20 cents each with a minimum 50-point purchase.
Hertz Gold Plus Rewards points are not worth 20 cents each, but a purchase could make sense if you just need a small number of points to make a redemption. You must have at least 500 rewards points in your account to purchase points, and you can’t purchase more than 10,000 rewards points in a single calendar year.
Log in to your account to purchase points. Click on “My Account” in the upper right-hand corner, then select “Rewards account activity” in the drop-down box. Select “Points Purchase” from the menu. You will see instructions on how to fill out the request form to fax in. It’s not an easy process to purchase points, so be sure it makes sense for your situation before proceeding.
Use your Hertz Gold Plus Rewards on a reservation by logging into your account and selecting “rent a car” on the top left-hand side of the website. Fill out your destination, pick up and drop off dates and times, and choose the car type you want. Underneath the “car rental type” selection box, you will see where you can check the box that says “Use my Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Points.”
Hot Tip: For all rentals in North America using points, a 24-hour advanced reservation is required.
Once you hit “submit,” you will see a list of available cars and prices. However, you won’t be able to see any points yet. This can be confusing, but hang in there and continue with the booking process. Once you get to the “Review & Book” step, you will be able to see your options to use your points.
At the top of the page in a yellow outlined area, you will be able to see all of your options for using your Hertz Gold Plus Rewards points. Depending on how many points you have and the cost of the rental in points, you can choose to use points for 1, 2, 3 or more days. You will notice that the cash total will change depending on how much of the rental you plan to pay for with points.
Pay attention to the number of days you are renting. When searching for a 2-day rental, there is still an option to use 3 days’ worth of points, which would waste an entire days’ worth of points if you’re not careful.
In May 2019, Hertz massively increased the price of their awards and entirely removed weekend rental discounts. One-day rentals now start at 750 and can vary based on car type, location, and length of rental. For a full list of rental prices in points, click here. Otherwise, these are the basics:
Length of Rental
Standard Rewards Pricing in Points
AnyDay Rewards Pricing in Points
1 free rental day
750
1,500
1 free rental day (one-way)
1,500
3,000
1 free weekly rental
3,750
7,500
Hertz now has penalties that apply to all reward bookings:
Even if you are paying for your entire car rental with points, you will still be required to pay all taxes and fees. When you are considering which credit card to use to pay for your the taxes and fees on an award rental (or for the entire rental if you aren’t using points), don’t forget to choose a card that earns multiple points per dollar on car rentals.
These cards will earn 2x points/$1 spent at any Hertz location on top of the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards points you will earn:
A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.
Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance. With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.
Chase Ultimate Rewards
The World of Hyatt card offers a fast track to Hyatt elite status, an annual free night, and up to 9x points per $1 on Hyatt stays.
The World of Hyatt Credit Card makes your Hyatt stays more rewarding and helps you get coveted World of Hyatt elite status faster. This card is a must-have for any traveler who regularly stays at Hyatt hotels, or even for anyone who’s able to take advantage of the card’s annual free night certificate.
When you factor in all the benefits the World of Hyatt card offers, it’s easy to see why it is one of the best co-branded hotel credit cards on the market.
World of Hyatt
Earn 3x points/$1 spent on your Hertz car rental with these cards:
A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.
If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® is one of the best options out there.
The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access, with excellent point earning and redemption options. Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.
Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!
Chase Ultimate Rewards
*The information regarding the Citi Premier card has expired, and the card is no longer open to applicants.
The Citi Premier® Card is an excellent option for anyone looking for an all-around travel rewards credit card. The card helps you earn points fast with great 3x bonus categories such as restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, airfare, and hotels. Plus, it offers access to airline and hotel transfer partners, doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, and has a reasonable annual fee!
Citi ThankYou Rewards
Standard Rewards cost fewer points than AnyDay Rewards but are subject to blackout dates. If you want to rent during times like holidays, local events, or during a high demand season, you might have to use AnyDay Rewards, which don’t have blackout dates. Blackout dates vary by location.
Hot Tip: The credit card you use to pay for your rental must be included in your profile in order to receive Hertz Gold Plus Rewards benefits.
Hertz now offers Cash + Points rentals. Search for your rental to see available offers.
While Hertz has locations worldwide, there is a shortlist of countries where you can redeem rewards. There are many other countries where you can earn Hertz Gold Plus Rewards points, but these are the only ones in which you can use those points for car rentals:
You can transfer your Hertz Gold Plus Rewards points to your spouse or domestic partner for free as long as you meet the following criteria:
There is no limit on the number of points you can transfer to your spouse.
The Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program is free to join and offers many benefits.
Whether you are an infrequent renter or a seasoned traveler, you will enjoy benefits like being able to skip the counter to go directly to your car and not having to pay extra to add your spouse or domestic partner as a second driver. You can use your points for free car rental days, or transfer them to hotel, airline, and train partners. And while elite status is available, this is a good program even for infrequent car renters as many of the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards benefits are offered to all members.
The information regarding the Centurion® Card from American Express was independently collected by Upgraded Points and was not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Citi Premier® Card has expired and the card is no longer open to applicants.
For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
Yes, you can purchase Hertz Gold Plus Rewards points for 20 cents each. Access the required forms through the website by selecting My Account>Rewards Account Activity>Purchase Points.
You can find your Hertz Gold Plus Rewards number through their website. Log in to your account and click on “My Account” in the upper right-hand side of the screen. Then select “Membership Information/T&C” or “Membership Information/Print My Card”. Then under “Terms and Conditions” select “Print My Card” from the menu. This will bring up a digital member card with your name and member number on it.
As long as you are logged into your account, you member number will automatically be linked with your reservations.
Yes, as long as the reservation was completed while you were already a Hertz Gold Plus Rewards member and it hasn’t been more than 6 months since the rental was returned.
To request retroactive credit log into your account and click on “My Account” on the top right-hand side of the screen. Select “Use My Points” from the drop-down menu, then click on “Missing Points Request.” Only points earned in the following countries are eligible for retroactive credit: United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and St.Thomas /US Virgin Islands, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil.
Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program is free to all that sign up. Just go to Hertz.com to join.
Hertz offers some members’ only discounts to all Hertz Gold Plus Rewards members. Click here to access these discounts.
Hertz’s Gold Canopy service is available at select airports and can be a big time saver. The basic idea is that you get to skip the counter and go directly to your rental car. Your name will be on a large reservations board that indicates your car’s parking spot number. Just head straight to your car without having to check in first.
For all questions about your Hertz Gold Plus Rewards membership, you can contact Hertz directly at 888-999-4900 (7 a.m.-9 p.m. CT M-F).
As a Hertz Gold Plus Rewards member, your spouse, domestic partner, or co-worker is automatically considered an authorized user, so there is no need to add them to your reservation. If the person you would like to add is not a spouse, domestic partner or co-worker they will need to fill out an Additional Authorized Operator agreement at a Hertz location at an additional charge.
Joining Hertz Gold Plus Rewards is easy. Just click here to sign up online in minutes.
Mobile Gold alerts are emails sent to let you know what car you will be driving and where it is parked as soon as it’s ready. This service is only available at select locations in the United States.
Your Hertz Gold Plus Rewards points will not expire as long as you have earned or redeemed points through rental activity within the previous 18 months.
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Katie has been in the points and miles game since 2015 and started her own blog in 2016. She’s been freelance writing since then and her work has been featured in publications like Travel + Leisure, Forbes Advisor, and Fortune Recommends.
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