The only way to earn points within the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program is by renting vehicles from Hertz, which makes this program both very simple but also rather restrictive as there are no opportunities to transfer points in.
Members of the program can expect to earn a minimum of 1 point per dollar spent on car rentals, but earning increases as you graduate up the membership tiers within the program, as follows:
- Gold: Members in this free, entry-level tier will earn 1 point for every dollar spent on rentals.
- Five Star: Five star members receive a 25% boost, earning 1.25 points for every dollar spent on rentals.
- President’s Circle: Members in the President’s Circle tier have a 50% boost, earning 1.5 points per dollar spent on their rentals.
Elite Status
This program is very straightforward. The more rentals you complete or money you spend within a calendar year, the higher your status will be, and with that, the better your earning rate and the better the perks you will receive.
- Gold: Anyone who signs up starts at this point. It requires no spend, and all you need to do is sign up.
- Five Star: This level requires 10 rentals or $2,000 in spend. Benefits include a free additional driver, a wider selection of vehicles available to you, as well as upgrades when available.
- President’s Circle: This top-tier level requires 15 rentals or $3,000 in spend. Once you reach this level, you’ll enjoy a free additional driver, the widest selection of vehicles available, guaranteed one-class upgrades with a maximum upgrade to a full-size vehicle and a dedicated customer service line.
It’s worth noting that the requirements for rentals are independent of the duration of those rentals, so in order to qualify for Five Star, you could do so with either 10 one-day rentals or 10 one-week rentals, in theory.
Credit Cards
Hertz does not offer any cobranded credit cards of its own. However, several credit cards offer Hertz benefits as part of their perks.
Partners
Delta Air Lines SkyMiles
Delta Airlines elites receive Hertz status once they link their SkyMiles accounts with their Hertz membership. Silver and Gold Medallion members are granted Five Star status within Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, whereas Platinum and Diamond members are offered President’s Circle status.
Marriott Bonvoy
Elite members with Marriott Bonvoy can also benefit from Marriott’s partnership with Hertz. Ambassador Elite Bonvoy members receive President’s Circle, Titanium Elite members receive Five Star status, and Platinum Elites are given a fast track to Five Star, where they can qualify with fewer rentals than what are normally required.
IHG One Rewards
Only a single Elite tier of IHG One Rewards members gain Hertz status. Diamond Elite members with the IHG receive Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star status.
Miles or Points In Lieu of Gold Plus Rewards
Hertz Gold Plus Rewards members can elect to earn airline miles or hotel points in lieu of points within the program. Do keep in mind that once you have chosen to earn points with a specific airline or hotel, you will forfeit your ability to earn points within Hertz’s program until you change your selection.
Status Matches
Hertz will status-match elite members from other rental car companies in an effort to win their business by offering them a taste of the benefits they can enjoy through its Gold Plus Rewards program.
Elite members from Avis, Enterprise, National, Europcar and Sixt rental car companies can head to Hertz’s Status Match website to find out how to get this process started.
Shopping Portals
While Hertz does not operate its own shopping portal to earn additional points through your everyday purchases, you may be able to stack your points-earning strategy by booking your Hertz rentals online and going through other portals such as Rakuten and TopCashBack. Cash-back earning rates vary throughout the year, but check back each time you need to reserve a rental car to maximize your earnings.
Buying Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Points
Members can purchase a yearly maximum of 10,000 Hertz Gold Plus Rewards points at $0.20 each. The minimum points purchase is 50 points, and you must have earned at least 500 points via car rentals before you’re allowed to purchase additional points. Point purchases are done over the phone with customer service at 1-888-999-4900.
While purchasing points is an option, the cost is relatively high, and you’d probably be better off just paying the cash rate for the rental.
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