Hertz Gold Plus Rewards: How to Score Free Rental Cars & Other Perks

Smart travelers look for every opportunity to save money on different aspects of their trip. For those interested in saving on rental cars, joining the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Program is a smart move. This rewards program not only provides rental-car specific perks, but it also has partnered with other popular loyalty programs.

That means you can get special status with Hertz Gold Plus Rewards based on your membership in other rewards programs and you can transfer Hertz Gold Plus Rewards points to partners as well. The program is flexible and the perks can make travel a whole lot cheaper and more pleasant so those who rent cars even on occasion should take a close look at becoming a Hertz Gold Plus Rewards member.

This article will walk you through everything you need to know about how the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Program works.

What is the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program?

The Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program is a free program you can join that rewards your loyalty to Hertz when booking rental cars. You can sign up for membership online by completing a simple form. After that, you can earn special status at a higher membership tier simply by spending a certain amount of money, completing a certain number of rentals with Hertz, or achieving status with a partner loyalty program that's transferable to Hertz.

Becoming a member of the Gold Plus Rewards Program is worth considering even if you just rent a car one time. After all, there's no cost to becoming a member and even the entry-level membership offers perks such:

• The opportunity to earn one point per dollar spent with Hertz and to redeem points for free rental cars or free airline rewards. Just 550 points will get you a free Weekend Car Rental Day.
• Ultimate choice, which lets you pick your vehicle from Hertz's fleet
• The ability to pick up and drop off your vehicle without having to wait at the checkout counter
• A 1-month trial of CLEAR, which enables faster clearance of security at airports
• Adding an extra driver at no additional cost when renting a car

Higher status levels come with even better benefits, including upgraded vehicles, more points for spending with Hertz, and the ability to transfer your rewards points to partners to book other types of free travel besides getting a car at no cost.

How to join Hertz Gold Plus Rewards

You can join Hertz Gold Plus rewards program at any time if you are 21 years of age or over. While drivers aged 25 and under normally are charged an additional fee for renting a vehicle with Hertz, they can still join the Gold Rewards Plus program. In fact, AAA members of ages of 21-24 who join the program will get the fee waived for underaged drivers when they rent a car.

Joining is simple. To become a member, simply visit the Hertz website, select Gold Rewards Plus from the top menu, and click Join.  

You'll be taken to a screen where you can complete a form to become a Gold Plus Rewards member. This will require providing information about yourself including:

• Your first and last name
• Your email address
• Your chosen password
• Your telephone number
• A corporate discount code, if you are eligible for discounted memberships through your workplace or other organization
• Your date of birth
• Your driver's license information including your license number; the state where your license was issued; and the date your license expires
• Your credit card information, which is kept on file for future reservations only — you will not be charged for becoming a member of the rewards program
• Your billing address for the credit card on file

After filling out this form and clicking to affirm you've read the program's terms and conditions and are consenting to them electronically, you'll officially become a Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program member.

The Hertz Gold Plus Rewards status levels

There are three different Hertz Gold Plus Rewards status levels: Gold, Five Star, and President's Circle. While Gold status is automatic when you join, you'll need to fulfill certain requirements to move up to a higher status. Each additional status level comes with its own perks and benefits, which get better as you move up the ladder.

Status level	How to qualify	What you get
Gold	Qualify automatically by joining the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program	Earn 1 point per $1 spent at Hertz. Points can be redeemed for free day rentals of vehicles or for online rewards Ultimate Choice, which allows you to select which vehicle you want within your vehicle category A 1-month trial of CLEAR, which enables faster clearance of airport security A free additional driver when you rent a vehicle Five Star status for one day
Five Star	Make 12 car rentals with Hertz or spend $2,400 with the company	Free vehicle upgrades when available Earn 1.25 points per $1 spent with Hertz. Points can be redeemed for free day rentals of vehicles or for online rewards Points can be transferred to select travel partners for redemption Ultimate Choice, which provides the opportunity to choose your car from a wider selection of vehicles A 2-month trial of CLEAR A free additional driver when you rent a vehicle President's Circle status for a day
President’s Circle	Make 20 car rentals with Hertz or spend $4,000 with the company	Guaranteed vehicle upgrades whenever you rent a vehicle Earn 1.5 points per $1 spent with Hertz. Points can also be redeemed for free rental cars or online rewards Points are transferable to select airline partners Get the widest selection of vehicles to pick from with Ultimate Choice A free 4-month trial of CLEAR Access to a dedicated Hertz rewards line and to exclusive rewards options only for President's Circle members A free additional driver

How to status match with Hertz

The Hertz Gold Plus Rewards loyalty program is not the only loyalty program out there. In fact, there are many others you can join with different travel services. The good news is, if you achieve a higher-tier membership in one rewards program, you can often get a “status match” with another — this means you can automatically move up to a higher tier with other programs.

Hertz provides a status match with several other rewards programs including:

• Delta airlines: Members of the Delta SkyMiles loyalty program who achieve Gold Level Medallion status will get Five Star status with Hertz. Members who achieve Platinum or Diamond status with Delta will get President's Circle status with Hertz.
• United Airlines: United MileagePlus loyalty program members can get Five Star status with Hertz if they have Silver or Premier Gold status with United. MileagePlus members with Premier Platinum or higher status get President's Circle membership with Hertz.
• Marriott: Marriott Bonvoy members who have achieved Bonvoy Titanium Elite Status will get Five Star status with Hertz Gold Plus while Ambassador Elite members with Marriott get President's Circle status with Hertz.
• IHG: IHG Rewards Club members with Spire Elite status can automatically qualify for Five Star Status with Hertz.

Hertz also extends Presidential Status to primary cardholders of a few of the best travel credit cards from United including:

• United Club℠ Infinite Card: This card provides United Club membership as well as Hertz President's Circle Status. It has a $525 annual fee that's offset by perks including free first and second checked bags on United flights as well as a generous rewards program.
• The United MileagePlus Presidential Club Card: The United Presidential Plus Card is no longer available for new cardmembers but existing cardholders can get President's Circle status with Hertz as one of their cardholder perks.

For more details, read our United Club Infinite Card review.

How to earn Hertz Gold Plus Rewards

There are a few primary ways to earn points with Hertz Gold Plus Rewards including renting a vehicle, buying points, and transferring points from a spouse.

Renting a car

You'll begin earning points for each car you rent as soon as you become a Hertz Gold Plus Rewards member. However, the amount of points you earn will vary depending on which rewards membership status you have attained. You'll earn:

• 1 point per dollar spent with Gold status
• 1.25 points per dollar spent with Five Star status
• 1.5 points per dollar spent with President's Circle status

Purchasing points

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards members can purchase up to 10,000 additional points per calendar year after accruing a minimum balance of 500 points through spending on vehicle rentals. Points purchases must be charged to a major credit card and cost $0.20 per point. There's a minimum purchase of 50 points.

A cost of $0.20 per point is very expensive so purchasing points is not typically worth your money. However, if you are very close to being able to redeem for a free vehicle and you need just a few more points, then it can make sense to buy them. If you decide to do this, you'll just need to log into your account and select "Points Purchase."

Transferring points from a spouse

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards points can be transferred to a spouse or domestic partner who is also a Gold Plus Rewards member. There is no limit to the number of times you are allowed to transfer points to your significant other.

How to earn airline and hotel points with Hertz Gold Plus Rewards

While Hertz Gold Plus Rewards can be redeemed for free rental car days, they don't have to be. You also have the option to transfer your points to select airline and hotel partners to redeem for free flights or free nights.

The table below shows which programs you can transfer points to and what the transfer rate is.

Travel partner	Transfer rate
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan	600 Hertz points = 500 Mileage Plan miles
American Airlines Aadvantage	600 Hertz points = 500 AAdvantage miles
Amtrak Guest Rewards	600 Hertz points = 500 Guest Rewards
Delta SkyMiles	600 Hertz points = 500 Delta Skymiles
Frontier Early Returns	600 Hertz points = 500 EarlyReturns miles
IHG Rewards Club	600 Hertz points = 1,000 Rewards Club points
Marriott Bonvoy	600 Hertz points = 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
Southwest Rapid Rewards	600 Hertz points = 1,200 Southwest Rapid Rewards points
Spirit Free Spirit	600 Hertz points = 500 SpiritFree Spirit miles
United MileagePlus	600 Hertz points = 500 MileagePlus miles

How to double dip and earn even more points and miles

If you want to maximize the rewards you earn when you rent a car with Hertz, you can pay for your Hertz rental car with a travel rewards credit card. Many travel rewards cards offer bonus points for car rentals under their travel spending category. That means if you use one of these credit cards, you can score Hertz rewards for spending with Hertz and rewards with your credit card for car rental spending.

Some of the best cards to use to double dip and get bonus points for car rental purchases include the following:

Card name	Earnings rate on auto rental
Chase Sapphire Reserve®	3X (or 10X if booked through Ultimate Rewards)
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card	2 miles per dollar (or 5 miles per dollar if booked through Capital One Travel)
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	2X (or 5X if booked through Ultimate Rewards)

Explore more benefits at our Chase Sapphire Preferred Card review.

As if earning double points wasn't enough, you can also get another valuable perk for paying for a Hertz rental with a travel rewards credit card: Free insurance coverage for your car rental. Rental car companies often want you to pay for their insurance coverage, but you can get coverage for free if you sign up for a credit card that offers car rental insurance.

Be sure to read the fine print when it comes to your card’s terms and conditions, though — some cards offer only secondary coverage, which means you need to rely on other insurance first, such as your auto insurance. Others offer primary rental coverage so they will pay for loss and damage without you having to first go through another insurer. You'll need to find out if your card's coverage is primary or secondary, whether it covers all potential losses, and what the coverage limits are.

To take advantage of car rental insurance from your credit card, look for a card offering comprehensive coverage and make sure you pay for your rental vehicle with that card. Here are a few cards you can use to score this coverage:

Card name	Insurance details
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card	Primary collision insurance that provides reimbursement up to the cash value of the vehicle. Policy applies for most cars rented both in the U.S. and abroad.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®	Primary collision insurance that provides reimbursement for up to $75,000.
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express	Secondary coverage for car rental loss and damage including coverage on rentals lasting up to 30 days.
United℠ Explorer Card	Primary coverage for collision insurance that provides coverage up to the cash value of the vehicle

Frequently asked questions

Bottom line

If you plan to rent a car from Hertz at any time, you should join the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program to take advantage of the benefits this free membership program provides. Don't forget to see if you can score a higher membership status through your participation in other loyalty programs. And remember that you can double dip to get points with both Hertz and your credit card by paying for your rental with a card that provides bonus points for this sort of travel spending.