I got car rental elite status free.
You can too.
This involves using a link from the Platinum card.
You don’t have to have the card.
Honestly, the Platinum card has been on my radar for a while with multiple hotel elite status, car rental status, and so much more.
Basically, the link that is supposed to be used by only Platinum card members can be used by anyone.
This will only be mid-level status, but any elite status is better than none.
You would usually need 12 rentals or 40 rental days for this.
You get it free again.
It should allow you to skip lines, and get more points.
The link gives you National Executive status.
Then, you can match to Hertz, Avis, and Enterprise.
I got all mine matched except Avis.
You can too.
It is a free travel hack, so why not?
Even if you don’t rent cars often, you never know when you might need a rental.
Here is how to get your free rental car status that everyone works hard for free.
This is a hack that has worked for a long time, so please don’t go out and post it on Reddit.
The Big Three Rental Car Agencies
Ninety percent of car rental companies in the United States are owned by three companies:
- Enterprise (Enterprise, National, and Alamo)
- Avis (Avis, Budget, & Zipcar)
- Hertz (Hertz, Thrifty, & Dollar)
Personally, this is like what happened to department stores in the 2000s.
Instead of a crowded market with stores I never shopped at, I can just choose between Macys, Belk, and Dillard now.
In terms of car rentals, you are only dealing with three companies instead of what it looks like when you step foot in an airport.
I mention this because it will help you understand how to status match after you get National Executive status.
What Does Car Rental Elite Status Get You?
What do you get with rental car elite status anyway?
Basically, each company has four general classifications of elite status:
- No status (just member)
- Basic level
- Mid-level
- Top level
Here is what you get at each level.
No Status/Member
Here, you are just a member of the loyalty program.
You don’t have any form of elite status.
Just join any rental program, and you will get this one.
Basically, you will get points and anything from promotions
Everyone should have this status already.
Basic Status
Basic car rental elite status is earned after around 6 rentals.
Some programs don’t have this level like Hertz and National though.
They just have two levels: mid-level (next one) and top status.
I earned this status easily through Enterprise last summer.
I rent a lot of cars.
Without my mom’s knee surgery, I would have been at the next level a long time ago.
Honestly, National, owned by Enterprise, is the better choice in terms of benefits in the Enterprise family, but I wasn’t flying at the beginning of the year.
National also gives you a free rental by how many days you rent instead of points.
During the pandemic, you would get a free rental quicker with National because of this.
More popular National is usually at an airport location.
Most of my rentals are for local travel.
As I fly more, I will switch to National which most frequent travelers prefer for the ability to pick any car on the lot.
You can transfer Enterprise points to National, but again I wasn’t flying back then, so I figured why bother.
Instead, I earned Hilton points on my Enterprise rentals because of a lucrative promotion that earned me 4000 Hilton points for one day car rentals.
That promotion has expired.
You can still earn Hilton points, but it is not as lucrative (1000 points for one day rental).
Marriott has a similar deal with Hertz.
Since most cash back sites only give 2% back on car rentals, the Hilton/Enterprise deal can still be the better deal.
Do the math.
Mid-level Status
This is the level you will receive your free car rental elite status at.
Mid-level car rental status is usually given after 12 rentals or 40 days again.
This usually gives you more points and an additional car upgrade a year.
Car upgrades have been useless though.
Basically, there is no difference (at least where I live) between price in an economy car and a full size car), so upgrades mean nothing where I live again.
You can still at least skip a line, get more points, and possibly get a second driver free.
Again, any status is better than no status at all.
Top Level Status
This will not only give you more points, but it will usually let you skip lines and may give you personal attention.
I will write a complete guide to rental car elite status soon where I will go over each program.
I rent cars often enough again.
The Capital One Venture X card will give you Hertz top status free.
Temporarily, there was a link to the Capital One Venture X card that got you top level Hertz status for free without having to have the card.
This no longer works.
So, mid-level car status is better than nothing.
How To Get Your Free Car Rental Status In Steps
Step 1: Get National Executive Status With Platinum Card Link
The Platinum card link below will give you National Executive status.
Again, they don’t verify that you have the card.
So, anyone can use the link.
Here is the link.
Step 2: Match National To Other Programs
After you have National Executive status, you can then match to:
Then, match Hertz Five Star to:
- Enterprise Gold: link here
Why This Is Only Four Programs
What about Alamo, Budget, Dollar, and Thrifty?
Those programs do not have your typical elite program where you get elite status.
Other Status Matches (hotels, airlines, etc.)
Car rental status is not the only status you can match.
If you have hotel elite status, you can match to other chains too.
This requires a certain amount of stays though.
Here is a guide to matching hotel elite status.
You can also match airline status.
Here is a guide to matching airline elite status.
Summary
Why work hard for any elite status?
This is the way I like to live.
I have hotel elite status with multiple chains, but I don’t work too hard.
This link to the Platinum card has been working for a long time.
I was able to get top status with the Capital One Venture X link before they stopped it.
Mid-level status should allow you to skip lines, and get some extra points.
That may be all you need.
Do you plan on using this travel hack?
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