Hertz President’s Circle: Complete Benefits Guide

Officially to earn Hertz President’s Circle benefits you need to be a Hertz Gold Plus Rewards member with 15 or more Hertz vehicle rentals to your name within a calendar year. Customers who have spent US$3,000 or more within a calendar year also qualify for President’s Circle status. But there’s an easier way to get and enjoy this status!

A few credit and charge cards like Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card or The Platinum Card® from American Express come with complimentary Hertz President’s Circle. There are a few tricks to making sure your status is recognized and you get to pick from the Ultimate Choice row! I’ll also share how you can leverage your Hertz status to get status with other car rental agencies as well, unlocking free upgrades.

What is Hertz President’s Circle?

President’s Circle is the highest level of status from Hertz. To earn it the traditional way, you’d need to have 15 Rentals or spend $3,000 in a year. Hertz says this status guarantees upgrades, a dedicated Hertz Rewards line, and the widest selection of cars in the Ultimate Choice aisle.

Hertz President’s Circle Benefits

Personally I think the Ultimate Choice aisle is the best benefit — but you get a few more perks with Hertz President’s Circle, too.

• Earn 1.5 points for every $1
• Guaranteed Upgrades
• Ultimate Choice: Widest selection
• Free Additional Driver
• Dedicated Customer Service Line

How do I enroll?

First step is to enroll in Hertz Gold Rewards. Then, if you have a Capital One Venture X card, you also need to link your card to your Hertz account. Note: this benefit will apply to you as well as any authorized users on your account! But you all have to register separately.

If you have a Platinum Card, you need to find the link in your account. Go to your login and then to “Rewards and Benefits.” Rental Car elite status should be listed under “Premium Travel Benefits.” Scroll down to find the Hertz link to enroll.

What is the Ultimate Choice aisle?

This is the benefit most people are looking forward to with President’s Circle. In the Ultimate Choice aisle (available at certain locations) there are a variety of cars to choose from. We’ve used this benefit a number of times and have always been able to pick an SUV. Once in Florida, we were even able to pick a Tesla!

When you arrive at a Hertz location, you should see your name on the board as well as “President’s Circle” indicating you are free to pick your car.

How do I make sure I get to choose from Ultimate Choice with Hertz President’s Circle?

While the process seems straightforward, there are some things you need to do in order to make sure your status is recognized and you get to choose from the Ultimate Choice aisle.

Apply for your status before you book your car

Make sure you already have your Gold number and that it already shows you having President’s Circle status before you book your car.

Add your Gold number to your reservation at time of booking

While some people have been able to add it afterwards, some agents have indicated that it won’t always be possible to do this.

Book directly with Hertz or through Capital One Travel

I will first say that we have had our status recognized even when we booked through Priceline and added our Gold number at time of booking. We have done that twice with no issue. But other people have said they have issues with that.

Booking directly with Hertz and Capital One Travel seem to be easier routes to guarantee it.

I always start my car rental search at autoslash.com to try to price compare and find the cheapest rate. Capital One Travel will price match as long as you can find a publicly available rate that is lower than what they offer.

Book a midsize car or higher

Important: according to Hertz terms, you need to book a midsize car or higher to get access to this aisle. While anecdotally some people get access to this aisle without that car size, that is the only way to guarantee it. Midsize is also called “Intermediate at some locations.

A Hertz representative confirmed to me that this may also be called a “class C.”

Go to a location with Ultimate Choice

Not all airports or locations have the Ultimate Choice aisles. Check the full list here.

What car will I get with Hertz Presidents Circle Benefits?

There is no magic way to know what cars will be available. If you’ve used this, please let us know in the comments so we can compile some data points.

Every time we have used it, we have seen SUVs in this aisle. Sometimes I have seen three row SUVs that seat seven. I’ve never seen a minivan. I have seen convertibles (but only in off-season) and I’ve seen a Tesla (but only once).

Which car to book?

I recommend always booking a car that is a size at the minimum that will work for you. While Ultimate Choice is a great perk, I always want a guarantee I will get a car that will be large enough for us. You need to book at least a mid-size car or higher to get this benefit – this may be called Class “C” or Intermediate.

Unfortunately, for families of 6+ this isn’t a great perk because you’ll want to reserve a minivan to make sure you have enough seats.

Status Match to Other Car Rental Agencies

You can check current data points at statusmatcher.com to see what match is currently honored.

Enterprise

Go to Statusmatch.enterpriseplus.com to request a match. As a Hertz President’s Circle member, you will be matched to Enterprise Plus Platinum. You’ll need to screenshot your Hertz status while logged in.

With Enterprise, you’ll get four upgrade certificates that are valid for a one class upgrade. You also get a guaranteed upgrade in U.S. and Canada when renting mid-size or larger.

National

Recent data points show Hertz President’s Club will be matched to National Executive Elite. With this status, you also get to choose any car from the Executive aisle at participating locations (book midsize or higher).

Once your request is granted, you will have elite status through February 28 of the second year following your approval. Request a match here.

Note: with a Venture X, Platinum Card, or Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card, you can also enroll for National Emerald Club Executive status, but this is a tier lower than what you can get via this status match.

Avis

With Hertz President’s Circle you can match to Avis President’s Club. This will unlock a two class car upgrade — but that’s subject to availability.

Note: with a Venture X, Platinum Card, or Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card, you can also enroll for Avis Preferred Plus status, but this is a tier lower than what you can get via this status match.

Send an email to profile.update@avisbudget.com with a screenshot of your Hertz status.