Earn Double, Triple Points with Hertz

The rental-car companies’ own loyalty programs tend to be relegated to back-burner status in the mileage-earning endeavors of many travelers.

Promotions like this, from Hertz, are reminders that the car companies’ programs can provide solid value.

Offer Details

Between September 8 and December 15, members of the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program (U.S. and Canadian residents only) can earn double points for the first qualifying rental and triple points for all subsequent rentals at participating Hertz locations in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, USVI, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.

Registration is required.

Deal or No Deal

The key feature of this promotion is not the double points themselves but the fact that the double points are in Hertz’s own program. They’re not airline miles or hotel points, in other words.

In the Gold Plus Rewards program, members normally earn one point per $1 spent on Hertz rentals. With the bonus, then, a hypothetical two-day rental costing $150 would earn 300 points, and a second two-day rental would reap 450 points.

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On the award side of the Hertz program, prices for a free weekend day start at 550 points, a free weekday rental starts at 675 points, and a free weekly rental (5 – 7 days) starts at 2,750 points.

So in our example, the first two-day paid rental would generate more than half the required points for a free one-day weekend rental, effectively a rebate of 25 percent. And for subsequent rentals, the return-on-investment is even higher. That’s likely a significantly better value than you’d get from earning airline miles or hotel points for a Hertz rental, even if there were bonuses in place.

Bottom line: If you’re not already a member of the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program, maybe you should be.

Also Worth Considering

National’s “One Two Free” promotion—one free rental day for every two paid rentals of a mid-sized or larger car for two or more days—is in effect through January 31, 2016.

More From Smartertravel:

• Seven Worst Rental-Car Rip-Offs (and How to Beat Them)
• National’s ‘One Two Free’ Promo Returns
• Renting a Car Under Age 25 Is Possible, But Pricey

This article originally appeared on FrequentFlier.com.