• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
  • Advertising Disclosure
Home  >  National Car Rental  >  Maximizing Reward Days From National Car Rental
National Car Rental

Maximizing Reward Days From National Car Rental

Kyle Stewart Posted onAugust 4, 2019September 14, 2021 14 Comments

National Rental Car offers Reward Days for their loyal customers with free rentals with almost every car category available. Sometimes, however, downgrading your rental on arrival is the best way to ensure exactly what you want.


If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com.


If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today.

National Car Rental Reward Days

I rent a lot of cars, it’s part and parcel with my work travel schedule. For the last four years, I have made Executive Elite with National car rental which requires either 25 rentals or 85 rental days annually. With such status, I usually get just about any car except Exotics regardless of which category I select.

Standard members receive one free reward day for every seven rental days they incur, Executives, one for every six rental days, and Executive Elites one for every five rental days. During National’s One-Two-Free promotion, reward days are given to registrants for every two rental days, though I am not sure one of those certificates would work.

Restrictions

There are a few restrictions around the way you can use Reward Days if you hold any status other than Executive Elite. Among them, one-way rentals are not permitted on one-day rentals. Another restriction is the car type. Any member who is not an Executive Elite is limited to full-size cars and smaller. This excludes convertibles as well, though they may qualify for another vehicle type if they had a hardtop.

Renting a car seat from National in Kona.
Renting a car seat from National in Kona.

Maximizing Value

I recently reserved a car for a trip home to Omaha, NE. That rental was a one-way to Kansas City, MO but was not for one day but in other instances, I have found that the multi-day rental requirement is not typically enforced online, over the phone, or in-person. This could be a glitch, or it could be a limitation only loosely enforced.

During my rental period, almost every car category was wide open. Economy (never ever rent this), Standard, Full Size, but then even premium, luxury, and all sorts of SUVs were available included in the reward days category. While I don’t necessarily want a National Car Rental luxury SUV (Infiniti QC80 is common), by reserving the very top of the line, I should be able to take my pick of just about any vehicle I want so long as I am renting a luxury vehicle (nearly the highest category.) The only excluded the small truck category for my rental period (similar results generated below.)

Free Day Eligible vs not
Free Day Eligible vs not

In the past, I have reserved premium cars but have never gotten anything better than a Nissan Maxima. When I rent luxury cars (sometimes the same rate or close to full-size car prices) I am limited to whatever Cadillac they have or the smallest possible BMW SUV (not my cup of tea).

By securing the very best rental car category possible, well above premium and luxury, I will be able to select just about anything besides a Maserati or Corvette including BMWs, Audis, Mercedes-Benz and that delivers incredible value for me. In this rental, I will get a value of $900+ in exchange from rentals earned from 15 days on the road.

Top of the line National Rental
Top of the line National Rental

Conclusion

I am a firm believer that you should always select the experience you want to have. While I get frustrated when my upgrade doesn’t clear like any other business traveler, having the privilege of downgrading yourself to get the exact experience you want is the epitome of demonstrating loyalty to customers.

What do you think? What’s the best rental car you have secured without spending money to upgrade?  Does another car rental company offer something better?

Previous Article Founders Card: American Express Platinum With Fraction of Benefits
Next Article By Any Other Name: Southwest’s Seating Charge

About Author

Kyle Stewart

Kyle is a freelance travel writer with contributions to Time, the Washington Post, MSNBC, Yahoo!, Reuters, Huffington Post, MapHappy, Live And Lets Fly and many other media outlets. He is also co-founder of Scottandthomas.com, a travel agency that delivers "Travel Personalized." He focuses on using miles and points to provide a premium experience for his wife and daughter. Email: sherpa@thetripsherpa.com

Follow us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter

Related Posts

  • aa loyalty points

    Is American Airlines Loyalty Points Program Too Generous?

    July 31, 2022
  • Hyatt Place Dubai Wasl master bedroom

    Hotel Review: Hyatt Place Dubai Wasl District

    May 29, 2022
  • American Airlines pilot

    Nearly Free Status With American Airlines Loyalty Points

    April 24, 2022

14 Comments

  1. Uri Goren Reply
    August 4, 2019 at 11:59 am

    You get a free day for 7 rentals, not 7 retail days.

  2. MeanMeosh Reply
    August 4, 2019 at 2:16 pm

    I guess I’m confused on how this works. You use a free rental day on a Luxury SUV category and then pick another car when you get there, even if it’s a lower category? I know the whole “pick any car from the Executive Aisle when booking a Midsize” thing, but they let you take a car from a lower category you didn’t reserve if you book a Luxury SUV?

    • Kyle Stewart Reply
      August 4, 2019 at 5:29 pm

      They will always let you downgrade, but if you book something in a specialty category like Premium, it will always be the minimum from that category. Those vehicles are sometimes on the aisle but not always. So if I want a Luxury vehicle like a Mercedes-Benz and I rent over that category, there’s no reason I shouldn’t have access to the top of that category. But in my experience, the bottom of the reserved category is usually what’s guaranteed and when it is free to go bigger, it guarantees a better experience.

  3. David Reply
    August 4, 2019 at 4:36 pm

    Where does it say anywhere in the T&C’s that you can’t use free days for single day one-ways unless you are Executive Elite? I have never heard of such a thing, either for regular free days or the One Two Free kind.

  4. Nishanth Murthy Reply
    August 4, 2019 at 5:06 pm

    Hi Kyle,

    I have been renting from Nationals for the Past 12 months in a row. Being an Executive elite member, i say it is based on the location employees. I have rented Audi Q3, Suburban, Infiniti Q70, Cadilliac XT5 and XTS, and all the 3 major usa sports cars(camaro, mustang and challneger) all of these only for a full size prize.

    Also, i can get any variant cars on free days , i have to pay only the taxes.
    The National membership has been the best thing happened to me being a car lover !

    • Kyle Stewart Reply
      August 4, 2019 at 5:30 pm

      National is the best I have found, I love them.

  5. Nishanth Murthy Reply
    August 4, 2019 at 5:09 pm

    Yes they do.
    I always switch vehicle from one location to the other.

    If you contract says luxury vehicle, then you are allowed to switch with any vehicle between luxury and economy provides they have the fleet.

    Being a elite member, you can just walk in drop and pickup whatever you wanna exchange with.

    I have exchanged caddy xt5 with dodge challenger and range rover evoque with a chrysler 300 being a premium without any reservation.

  6. Yolanda Alaniz Reply
    August 4, 2019 at 5:15 pm

    It depends in the area you live at. Plus don’t forget you have to pay an extra $100. Deposit on top of the charge depends we’re you live even though you are an executive elite member, you will get it back within 2-5 days. Also need to check into the policy new rules in our area they are combined with Enterprise and let me tell you all new rules and it really sucks!! I had to deal with a bunch of new policy rules and since I have been with them for more than 9 years these policies are getting worse. Sorry I am being truthful, but if you go to the other car rentals their prices are higher and the deposits are doubled. Make sure you have a Master Card or VISA card, they do not accept any Bank like debit cards anymore at all. Many people get upset about this but that is National and Enterprise rules. You also do not accumulate days until you have rented by rentals not days, that has changed if you rent for the weekend you will get one point so you have to rent almost 5 different weekends to get one free day. like I said rules changed same goes for 1-2 free day, now you cannot use those 2 together. Those are 2 different offers so you are not allowed to combine those days together at all. The only thing that you can use is look up for the specials then use them to rent sometimes you either get a free day of rental or $20. Off a day your choice look for the specials first.
    Since Enterprise has moved into the airport in my town it has been very crappy on the policies. You almost have to schedule months in advance because you can’t rent a car for one day to go see the doctor out of town when you need to see the specialist

    • Kyle Stewart Reply
      August 4, 2019 at 5:33 pm

      It’s true there is a deposit on rentals with debit cards, maybe that’s a future post. It makes sense if you think about those with nefarious purposes. Consider that cars do get stolen and if you have a debit card with nothing in the bank and they give you the keys to $30,000 it can be impossible to recover. Credit cards help deter some of this and assist in recovery if the vehicle doesn’t return as expected.

  7. Ash Reply
    August 4, 2019 at 11:25 pm

    You sound like a tool in all honesty. Lol

    • Kyle Stewart Reply
      August 4, 2019 at 11:38 pm

      Lol

  8. MICHAELANGELO McClendon Reply
    August 5, 2019 at 9:12 am

    I have been a loyal executive elite member for more than 5 years and my experiences are totally different and vary from State to state and airport to airport. There are clear racial bias I have experienced (so have others I have come to discover) at the Indianapolis International airport location. It should be noted reaching the highest “reward” level requires some significant spending. I am also a HertzPlus member and since having multiple horrible experiences at IND with complaints filed and no one ever getting back to resolve or explain. My new loyal dollars have moved to Hertz.

  9. Michael Romeyn Reply
    August 6, 2019 at 12:13 am

    Who is paying you for these influencer ads?

    • Matthew Reply
      August 6, 2019 at 12:16 am

      No one. Would you like to?

Leave a Reply to Matthew Cancel reply

Search

Recent Posts

  • Georgian Food Warsaw
    Delicious Georgian Food In Warsaw August 8, 2022
  • Delta Ghana Lawsuit
    Bizarre Delta Air Lines Ghana Flight Prompts Formal Complaint, Threat Of Lawsuit August 8, 2022
  • Did An American Airlines Flight Divert To Rome Just Because A Man Soiled Himself? August 8, 2022
  • Warsaw Poland Photo Essay
    Photo Essay: Warsaw, Poland August 8, 2022

Categories

Popular Posts

  • Southwest Airlines Lady In Red
    Southwest Airlines Allows “Lady In Red” To Fly In Revealing Attire But Throws Off Seatmate Who Defended Her July 13, 2022
  • American Airlines Flight Attendant Snoozing
    American Airlines Flight Attendant Snoozes During Flight, Prompting Complaint From Thirsty Business Class Passenger July 11, 2022
  • American Airlines stock
    Analyst: American Airlines Bankruptcy Increasingly Likely July 24, 2022
  • Avianca 787 Business Class
    Comically Bad: Avianca 787 Business Class July 21, 2022

Archives

August 2022
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Jul    

As seen on:

live_and_lets_fly

The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles The new United Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles is the most beautiful of all Polaris Lounges. Stay tuned for a detailed look and many more photos on the blog tomorrow. Well done @united.
@malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire i @malaysiaairlines just announced it would retire its A380 fleet. While not surprising, it is sad to see the growing list of carriers retiring this superjumbo jet. On Malaysia Airlines, I flew the #A380 once from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to London (LHR) and had the entire first class cabin to myself (full review on the blog). It was a beautiful flight that I will always remember.
Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited tha Welcome to @fly_bur @aveloair! I am so excited that a new carrier, Avelo, has launched, especially from an airport just 12 minutes from my home!
I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxair I greatly miss the @lufthansa #747-8 at @flylaxairport. Hopefully this summer it will return.

.
.
.
.
#Lufthansa #FirstClass #747 #747-8 #StarAlliance #Miles #Points
I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. I recently spent a weekend at the @ventanabigsur. This is not only a lovely, all-inclusive resort, but one of the best properties to use your @hyatt World of Hyatt points.
.
.
.
.
#Hyatt #BigSur #California #WorldofHyatt #CA-1 #Points #Hotels
In terms of a spacious first class product, the @E In terms of a spacious first class product, the @Emirates suite on a 777-300ER is hard to beat. My preference is Suite 2K.

.
.
.
.
#Emirates #777 #firstclass
Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from I Nearly five years ago, I took a “break” from Instagram ahead of the birth of my first child. Goodness, how time flies. While I’ve enjoyed catching up on others over the years, now it is time for me to return to Instagram. In this first post, I highlight two joys in my life, my two children, whom I trust will grow up to be prolific travelers that circumnavigate the globe as ambassadors of love and respect.

.
.
.
.
.

#travel #airplanes #airlines #miles #points #familytravel #human #integrity #honor
United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improv United Airlines' new Polaris seat is a huge improvement over UA's current business class seat. Check out my blog at liveandletsfly.com for 70+ photos of how @united is transforming its entire business class experience starting this December!
The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben! The perfect @flysas name tag for #Longyearben!
Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen - Spotted four #polarbear outside of #longyearbyen -- oh, and I love 40°F summer weather!
One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure One of the best crews I have ever had the pleasure of flying with in all my years of flying. Thank you @flysas SK940 on 11 Aug 2016
Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I a Next stop ARN! But dear @flysas , next time if I assign a window seat months in advance, don't move me to a center seat "for my convenience" with no way to get my original seat back... 😞
Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be rac Ready for #PIA from #MAN to #JFK -- we will be racing the #Delta flight to JFK at the gate next to us, which also departs at 12:45p. With @onemileatatime
Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregenc Another room with a beautiful view... #hyattregencycasablanca #cassablanca #hyatt
Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the i Enjoying #shanghai with @onemileatatime from the inside of the @grandhyatt_shanghai ... It is 40°C outside! 😓
From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minut From my front gate to my boarding gate in 15 minutes flat. I ❤️ #bur #burbankairport
@malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in se @malaysiaairlines #747 out of retirement and in service at #kul -- beautiful livery!
View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful bran View from my 61st floor room at the beautiful brand new @parkhyattguangzhou -- look for a full review coming soon on the blog #hyatt #parkhyatt #guangzhou #parkhyattguangzhou
Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, Will miss the @united #globalfirstlounge at #ord, which closes tomorrow and the Queen of the Skies #747 which will be retired in 2018.
The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. The colonial #architecture of #mumbai is stunning. If you're ever here, get up at 5am and have a walk around the city before it gets busy. You can hear the birds instead of honking horns.
Load More... Follow on Instagram
facebook twitter instagram rss

This site is for entertainment purposes only. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.

 

Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. Outside of banner ads published through the Boarding Area network, this compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site. While we do try to list all the best miles and points deals, the site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners.

 

Editorial Disclosure: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any entity mentioned herein. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.