National - Using an Emerald Club "free day"

I recently switched my reward preference to Emerald Club "free days" because it didn't seem like I was getting much in the way of frequent flyer miles from my rentals (also, it seemed like National wanted to charge me for those miles). Low and beyond, I see in my profile that I have now earned a "free day."

I didn't see any rules for what I could use this rental for, so I tried to apply it online to an otherwise expensive one-way rental out of EWR. All they had left were minivans, and the code took an astonishing $350 off the rental, but still left me with $150 in charges. I can do that one-way much cheaper another way. But I was wondering whether this is typical, or do these Emerald Club "free days" work effectively on one-way rentals?

If they do, it would be a nice benefit because I usually only keep a one-way car rental for a day and they're obviously much more expensive than regular car rentals.

For regular Emerald Club members, you're allowed to use the program free days on midsize cars. (You can use the 1-2-Free promo days on full size cars.) So it sounds like the computer realized that there were no midsize available and gave you the midsize rate's price as a discount on the minivan. If the facility is close to sold out, the rates will be astronomical for a one-way rental - specialty vehicles (e.g. not sedans) often rent for $150-$299/day plus taxes for a one-way rental, depending on the location.

Is this a multi-day rental? If so, try using the free day for a one day rental from EWR to another airport on your way, then picking up a rental at that point. One benefit is that you'll get 2 qualifying rentals towards your next free day instead of just one. But you may also save some money, especially if the other airport is one with less taxes and facility charges.

Thanks. No, I was just looking at a one-day, one-way rental. I actually have a rez alreasy booked using a good "Flyertalk code", so the unavailability of the "free day" isn't a big problem for me here. I'm just trying to figure out whether -- if there's availability -- you can use your Emerald "free day" for a ow rental without any surcharges and such. Because, if you can, that would seem like the most advantageous way to use them.

On a free day, in most locations:

- You will still have to pay any fixed price surcharges (like the $8/day one at ORD)
- You won't have to pay the percentage-based taxes and surcharges on the free day value

I've had total cost of $0.00 before at locations with no fixed priced surcharges, such as DC Union Station.

Just to clarify what ElmhurstNick stated, dependent upon your status with National will determine the type of vehicle you can use the coupon for. If you are Executive Elite, you can use the coupon on any car class.

Regarding one-way rentals. I always need to remove my corporate code (can't speak for other codes) so I get unlimited mileage.

Try booking the reservations a couple different ways...no code, with code, etc.

As a couple others have mentioned, a free day isn't a free day at most locations. You will have to pay airport fees, recreation fees, local fees, etc. O'Hare is one of the worst, and surprisingly Pittsburgh was $20+ a day using a free day.

Good luck!

As a couple others have mentioned, a free day isn't a free day at most locations. You will have to pay airport fees, recreation fees, local fees, etc. O'Hare is one of the worst, and surprisingly Pittsburgh was $20+ a day using a free day.

Good luck!

Yeah, I assumed I'd have to pay SOMETHING on my free day -- I just wanted to confirm that a one-way is treated the same as a "local" rental. It would appear that it is, which obviously makes these certificates more valuable, since one-way rentals are almost always much more expensive.

There is, of course, always the fees/taxes issues on "free" rentals. I've been doing Hertz #1 Club free days for a few years now, and they've always computed these fees "humanely" (usually lower than what the website says the cost will be). On the other hand, I had some Avis "free day" certs that I had to complain about -- and switch over to simply " dollars off" certs -- because they kept pricing the "free day" at crazy prices (like $150/day), and then wanting to charge me the tax (which was usually more than 1/3rd) on this rate.

So you never know. Car rental pricing is strange, and "free day" pricing fits the pattern.

Just out of curiosity, what is the return location? Sometimes availability is limited to something odd, like minivans, not because the pickup station is sold out, but because the return location already has too many of everything else.

Just out of curiosity, what is the return location? Sometimes availability is limited to something odd, like minivans, not because the pickup station is sold out, but because the return location already has too many of everything else.

yeah, I checked a couple nearby locations just in case.

I have an 8 day rental coming up. The National site would not let me use a free day and a coupon for $35 off a weekly rental. So I just removed the free day as it would only save a few dollars more than the coupon but waste a free day. Is there a workaround?

Is there a workaround?

Not that I have found, not online. It's possible to use multiple free Emerald days but not multiple coupon types.

I used my "one free day" to book a one way rental from Newark Airport to Iselin, NJ. I booked a midsize and it will cost me $7.54 plus gas.
My pick up date is 5/28, returning 5/29. We just take something off the Emerald Aisle. I've done this several times..

Using my free day for a one way minivan from Vancouver to Seattle Airport. Saved me $299.

I use my free days frequently when I need a one-way rental. I'm doing it next weekend, in fact. The 1-day rental returning 400mi apart is costing me $0.17. It is a great benefit.

Thanks for the confirmation. I will definitely save my "free days" for one-ways, and try to book in advance so that the inventory is available.

Don't try to save them for too long. If awarded in year X, they expire 12/31/X+1.

I have one free day and feel like it is a scam. I have a 9 day rental in MCO using a flyertalk code for $285. If I use the free day on this rental, my price jumps to $451. Can you not combine the free day with a discount code? I have tried this several times in the past and the free day just never seems to be of any benefit. Am I missing something or are there some tricks to getting this to be helpful? Thanks!

I have one free day and feel like it is a scam. I have a 9 day rental in MCO using a flyertalk code for $285. If I use the free day on this rental, my price jumps to $451. Can you not combine the free day with a discount code? I have tried this several times in the past and the free day just never seems to be of any benefit. Am I missing something or are there some tricks to getting this to be helpful? Thanks!

Are you talking about award days (earned every 5-7 rentals) or the normal online coupons for free days that we see everywhere?

I've always received great value from award days. I use them standalone for otherwise expensive rentals. The online codes for free days are more hit-and-miss. Sometimes stackable, sometimes not. I'm not exactly sure why it's messing up your 9-day rental... If you were really looking at extremely high costs, I might suggest pricing an 8-day rental with an online free day coupon and then a 2nd standalone rental using your earned free day. But that would require a car swap, and with you already down in what appears to be the $200/wk range it doesn't seem likely that you'll save a big pile of cash that would justify the time spent swapping cars.

For what it's worth, the 9 to 11 day rental, especially if it doesn't break naturally to a weekly + weekend, is one I will usually attempt to Priceline after I've arranged my best possible "normal" reservation.

I have one free day and feel like it is a scam. I have a 9 day rental in MCO using a flyertalk code for $285. If I use the free day on this rental, my price jumps to $451. Can you not combine the free day with a discount code? I have tried this several times in the past and the free day just never seems to be of any benefit. Am I missing something or are there some tricks to getting this to be helpful? Thanks!

If you have only one free day, then it's probably not worthwhile to use it on a 9-day rental, since there are other coupons that will give you the equivalent of 1 day off. Also, coupons and free days can't be combined.

Also, sometimes using a free day coupon will push you out of a weekly rate and into a daily rate (for example, sometimes on a 5 day rental). In that case the "free day" might cause those other four days to cost enough more so as to negate the value.

Yes, I am trying to use an award day (not a coupon free day). I have tried with a couple different codes and always get the same result. I usually only rent for long periods (more than a week) so it does no good to save it for a short jaunt. Here is what I tried:

7/26 - 8/4 in MCO
With code 8572130 and no free day, I get a rate of $337.
With code 8572130 and the free day, I get a rate of $528. In looking closer, I see that I am being charged the weekly rate $253, 2 extra days at $36 and then they are adding an "extension" for $251. So, it is almost like they are adding another week to my reservation. I also tried this with code 8572158 and for the dates of 3/22-3/31 and I get similar results.

Is it just me?? I think I may just go to earning miles even though I usually only fly Southwest. Thanks for the help!

Obviously that isn't a great use of a free day. I'd suggest that while in this case it may not be valuable because of how the rate gets broken up, at other times the free days can be very valuable. I'm using one this weekend for a one day, one way drop and my total was knocked down from $209 to $0.17.

I played around with this a little more today. It really seems to be code specific. The free day worked fine for any length of rental using the regular Emerald Club code. I also found a couple other codes that it worked fine with, but those codes did not give me as good of a rate. It really seems like these free days are only useful for one day rentals.

Thanks for the help.

I played around with this a little more today. It really seems to be code specific. The free day worked fine for any length of rental using the regular Emerald Club code. I also found a couple other codes that it worked fine with, but those codes did not give me as good of a rate. It really seems like these free days are only useful for one day rentals.I find that the free day codes are most useful when you have enough days for the entire rental, and there wouldn't be another promo (like a weekend rental third day free). Since I rent 25-30 times a year, I usually have 5-6 days a year to burn, and I'll take them for a one way trip.

This year, I'm planning a 9 day trip between Toronto and either Montreal or Quebec City. in one direction or another. Unfortunately, within that part of Canada, the free one-way rental comes with 0 free km instead of unlimited mileage, unless I pick it up on the US side (BTV or BUF), and keep it for two extra days while I'm in the first city.

Every year so many fee-day credits go unused.

Usually they are non-transferable but is it anyway to give it to sister? (may be having name on rental?) Was just wondering.

Every year so many fee-day credits go unused.

Usually they are non-transferable but is it anyway to give it to sister? (may be having name on rental?) Was just wondering.

Banked days in your account is not transferrable. 1-2-Free promotional days are technically not transferrable but since they are in the form of coupon code, they effectively are.

Banked days in your account is not transferrable. 1-2-Free promotional days are technically not transferrable but since they are in the form of coupon code, they effectively are.

Care to explain how this works? Would be a nice use cause I seem to have three days left over..
And did you try it yourself ?

Care to explain how this works? Would be a nice use cause I seem to have three days left over..
And did you try it yourself ?

The 1-2 free days come with coupon codes. You just give the code to whoever you want and they shouldn't have a problem (probably would help to be EC member). I usually give away 3-5 every year that I can't use.

All they had left were minivans, and the code took an astonishing $350 off the rental, but still left me with $150 in charges.
That's absurd, I've never seen anything like this using an earned EC free rental day. What was the extra "$150 in charges" showing as on the contract? One way fees? I've never seen separate one-way fees at all on a National rental... it's usually just reflected in a really high one-day rate. Many members (including myself) save free rental days exactly for this purpose, i.e. expensive one-way rentals.

Don't try to save them for too long. If awarded in year X, they expire 12/31/X+1.

Does this mean a reservation has to be made before the free day expiration date or does the rental need to start/finish before the expiration? I had a free day that was expiring on 12/31/2011, but I was able to make a reservation (before expiration) for this coming weekend. The National website still shows the $0 + tax balance on the reservation, but my level of service is listed as "Counter" so I'm a little skeptical (or maybe this is normal and I've never noticed?). Any risk here? Should I just select a car from the aisle? I'd really hate to have the free day credit not work and end up with a pricey last minute rental.

Does this mean a reservation has to be made before the free day expiration date or does the rental need to start/finish before the expiration? I had a free day that was expiring on 12/31/2011, but I was able to make a reservation (before expiration) for this coming weekend. The National website still shows the $0 + tax balance on the reservation, but my level of service is listed as "Counter" so I'm a little skeptical (or maybe this is normal and I've never noticed?). Any risk here? Should I just select a car from the aisle? I'd really hate to have the free day credit not work and end up with a pricey last minute rental.

You "should" be ok - if you cancel this reservation though the "free" day is lost.

You "should" be ok - if you cancel this reservation though the "free" day is lost.

Thanks - I didn't have any problems using the free day.

Don't try to save them for too long. If awarded in year X, they expire 12/31/X+1.

In fact, they expire on the morning of 12/31. Early on New Year's Eve, your free-days balance just drops by the unused year-X days.

I booked a paid multi-day rental, returning the car to another airport. Then I tried to book the same reservation, using one free day; I was planning to cancel the prior reservation.
"No vehicles available". Right.

Sometimes this occurs due to minimum stay requirements put in place during busy periods. Where is this one-way being picked up and returned?

Thanks; that makes sense. Picked up at a small airport in the Carolinas and returned to Charlotte Airport.

Yes, I am trying to use an award day (not a coupon free day). I have tried with a couple different codes and always get the same result. I usually only rent for long periods (more than a week) so it does no good to save it for a short jaunt. Here is what I tried:

7/26 - 8/4 in MCO
With code 8572130 and no free day, I get a rate of $337.
With code 8572130 and the free day, I get a rate of $528. In looking closer, I see that I am being charged the weekly rate $253, 2 extra days at $36 and then they are adding an "extension" for $251. So, it is almost like they are adding another week to my reservation. I also tried this with code 8572158 and for the dates of 3/22-3/31 and I get similar results.

Is it just me?? I think I may just go to earning miles even though I usually only fly Southwest. Thanks for the help!

I played around with this a little more today. It really seems to be code specific. The free day worked fine for any length of rental using the regular Emerald Club code. I also found a couple other codes that it worked fine with, but those codes did not give me as good of a rate. It really seems like these free days are only useful for one day rentals.

Thanks for the help.

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I just just ran across the exact same thing. Trying to use the KLM code on an 8 day rental at ORD.

Code only - $436.41 ($353.39 + 1x extension @ $50.67)
Code + 1 free day - $700.05 ($343.63 + 7x extension @ $47.60 - $53.06 discount)
Code + 2 free days - $595.45 ($343.63 + 6x extension @ $47.96 - $94.76 discount)
Code + 3 free days - $504.52 ($343.63 + 5x extension @ $48.45 - $125.08 discount))
Code + 1x 1_2_Free code - $413.65 ($353.39 + 1x extension @ $50.67 - $18.96 discount)

Conversely, using the IBM code (for example) shows:

Code only - $368.06 ($180.00 + $36.00)
Code + 1 free day - $333.78 ($180.00 + $36.00 - $25.71 discount)
Code + 3 free days - $265.20 ($180.00 + $36.00 - $77.14 discount)
Code + 1x 1_2_Free code - $333.78 ($180.00 + $36.00 - $25.71 discount)

So for some reason, the KLM code (and a couple of others I tried) seems to go completely bonkers when you start mixing in free days. Anyone had any luck calling in to get this obvious error cleaned up?

That's absurd, I've never seen anything like this using an earned EC free rental day. What was the extra "$150 in charges" showing as on the contract? One way fees? I've never seen separate one-way fees at all on a National rental... it's usually just reflected in a really high one-day rate. Many members (including myself) save free rental days exactly for this purpose, i.e. expensive one-way rentals.

When you're an exec elite, you can use those for the full value of the minivan. The OP was only able to have the value of the midsize rate deducted, thus the $150.