Loyalty programs

These guides explain the US rental companies' loyalty programs: how you pick up the car, what earns points or status and which conditions apply. Start with the comparison, then read the program you're most likely to use.

Start with these guides

1. Rental car loyalty programs: compare pickup, rewards and conditions. Start here. It compares five programs on documented pickup and rewards differences, with location and booking conditions kept in view.
2. Rental car brands: who owns which, and what to check. Which brands belong to which groups, and what shared ownership does and doesn't settle about prices, service or benefits.
3. National Emerald Club: aisle access, status and rental credits. How National describes Emerald Aisle access, status qualification and free-day credits.
4. Hertz Gold+: tiers, points and pickup conditions. Hertz Gold+ benefits, with a clear warning about conflicting Five Star qualification figures on Hertz's own US pages.
5. Avis Preferred: levels, earning and upgrade conditions. Avis Preferred levels and published qualification figures, and the conditions to check before relying on pickup or upgrade benefits.
6. Enterprise Plus: points, status and which rentals qualify. Which Enterprise rentals earn points and tier credit, and when to use your National number instead.

Other programs

SIXT ONE has two point balances and a euro-based earning rule, and some benefits depend on the branch. Budget Fastbreak is mainly a pickup-and-return service; Budget’s public pages describe convenience and offers, not a points balance. If a credit card can give you status, see cards with rental-car status.

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