Hertz - Is Hertz worth the extra dough?

Here is my dilemma:
Travelling to SAN with the family (2 kids age 3&1) +1 grandparent. Have 3 minivan reservations:
1)Hertz #1 Gold: $291/wk (I have been trying all sorts of PC's and CDP's and so far this is the best I could get)
2)Avis Preferred Select: $249/wk + AA FFmiles (I reserved during the 25th aniversary promotion)
3)Dollar Express: $219/wk

I have been pretty exclusive to Hertz over the past 3 years, but the price difference is quite compelling. The wife said to just stick with Hertz for the convenience since we will be coming off a transcon flight with the kids. If it was just myself I would definitely go cheap, but in this case I am torn. The ability to just get in the car and go may be worth it in this case. What do you think?

Shouldn't Avis Preferred Select get you into the van just about as fast?

I would choose Avis, because of the $42 savings + AA miles (don't know how many you get, but it would be a lot for me).

I'd say pick either Avis or Hertz, but avoid Dollar, Thrift etc...
overall its not that cheap compared to Avis or Hertz.. and I had some bad experiences with Thrifty Customer service...

I haven't rented Avis in 6 years, so I don't know the current state of Preferred Select.

But...assuming that's their expedited renter process, I'd take the lower cost plus the fat pile of AA miles.

I actually have done a Dollar Express rental at SAN and had no problems. I did it about 5 years ago (I don't even think it was called "express" at the time) and it wasn't as seamless as #1 Club Gold, but we wanted a convertible and they had a cheap one available. Seemed like a decent Dollar station, but overall your Avis rental is the best deal anyway - assuming you have a decent multiplier on those AA miles.

Forgive me because I haven't rented from Avis in a while (Preferred Select is from Amex plat). Don't you still have to stop at the counter for Avis? Is there a special line for Preferred Select?

Preferred Select is basically the same as Preferred except that you are suppose to get a 1 category upgrade if available and a newspaper.

With preferred, you are suppose to be able to bypass the line. The bus driver will drop you off at your spot or you will see your name on the screen. No stopping at the counter, unless something's wrong.

Forgive me because I haven't rented from Avis in a while (Preferred Select is from Amex plat). Don't you still have to stop at the counter for Avis? Is there a special line for Preferred Select?

Some locations (like SNA) have sort of a manual board, where you still have to stop for a second at the Preferred counter to get your keys/contract, but off you go. LAX has the Hertz Gold-esque electronic board with stall number. Not sure what SAN has.

You're probably fine with Avis, but I'd avoid Dollar. But still, is $43 over a week (~$6/day) really that much of a difference? Personally I stick with Hertz because of the #1 Award points. For every $500 I spend with Hertz (excluding fees/taxes) I get a free day rental certificate. In Manhattan that's worth on average at least $100, so Hertz ends up being ~20% or more cheaper than the rate I actually pay. That doesn't even include the 5-Star free day certs after 15 rentals, and the Manhattan Gold free day certs after every 6 Manhattan rentals. Pretty good deal, and pretty good reason to stay loyal to Hertz when the price difference isn't that great. (Oh, I chose Hertz to begin with because of Neverlost...)

Thx for the replies guys. ijgordon brings up a good point- which is worth more, 290 ZE points or ~2500 AA points+$42?

Thx for the replies guys. ijgordon brings up a good point- which is worth more, 290 ZE points or ~2500 AA points+$42?

I value my ZE points at 7 cents each.

I value my AA miles - when I'm buying them - at a penny each.

Edited because I read your equation wrong... Value-wise, Avis does look like a better option here, but I'd try to find out a bit more about the SAN Avis station - just to confirm that you'll have a seamless Preferred Select rental. I still would consider erring on the side of a clean #1 Club Gold process if you are unsure what Avis provides at SAN.

I value my ZE points at 7 cents each.But Manhattanites, and it appears the OP may be one, can value ZE points easily at $0.20 each. Car rentals in NYC generally range from $85-120/day for mid/full/premium size, or an average of ~$100. Most of us don't own cars, but rent on the weekend when we want to go somewhere. Believe it or not, it's more cost-effective to rent even if you're going away every other weekend!
Additionally, every rental outside of Manhattan is worth an additional $6.66 in terms of the free day cert after 15 rentals (though I think it's 10 if you're not already 5-star). So that's about $65-$70 in give-backs for the Hertz rental. Depending on how the OP values AA miles, Hertz might actually be more of a value.

PS, I love mileage math. :)

Good point on the Manhattan rentals... I just figured that the 500-point free days wouldn't work there. (I mean, geez, "Not valid in NYC Metro area" is practically standard fine print on rental car promotions!)

Maybe off-topic, but why are rental cars so ungodly expensive in NYC? They aren't crazy-expensive in either major cities. San Francisco...I've done rentals from airports and HLE's downtown for "normal" weekend rates. London...all sorts of dirt-cheap rental options - in fact, cheaper than Kansas City! (Gassing up is another story.) Chicago, LA, Honolulu, Miami...all have normal rates, promos, etc. I haven't done so myself, but I know my wife has rented reasonably-priced cars in Paris.

What is so unusual about New York?

Good point on the Manhattan rentals... I just figured that the 500-point free days wouldn't work there. (I mean, geez, "Not valid in NYC Metro area" is practically standard fine print on rental car promotions!)Yup, they do work, and I use them ALL the time! ^

Maybe off-topic, but why are rental cars so ungodly expensive in NYC? They aren't crazy-expensive in either major cities. What is so unusual about New York?Supply-demand, I guess, in that there are a LOT of locals, even well-off ones, who don't own cars and thus need to rent in order to get out of the city (other than public transport). This creates a LOT more demand for rental cars compared to any other city. They are priced accordingly. As long as I can keep earning my free rental day certificates, I don't mind so much. :)

I am using a reward next month for a week rental on a luxury car...the Lincoln Town Car. I wanted the prestige collection but they would not upgrade me unless I pay a considerable amount of additional cash. A nice clerk at the pick-up location was willing to give me the free upgrade but could not because the corporate system would not allow her to over-ride the system. Bogus! So I will drive the Town Car to Vegas from LA. :rolleyes:

Free Rentals are not really free. You have to pay the high taxes and fees. NOT REALLY FREE like airline tickets can be or hotel stays. Also, Hertz will hold the full amount of the regular rental rate on your credit card until you return the car and the charge drops off about 5-10 business days later. If you are needing that credit space for a Hotel credit card authorization, you may be unable to do it unless you have higher credit limits and/or American Express. I only have two credit cards now and I needed to have the authorization credit space available for a stay at the Four Seasons... Hertz does not care. If you do not have the credit, you don't get the free rental. I worked it out, but felt that it is really troublesome. I have a bad taste in my mouth toward Hertz over this - especially since I gave them so much biz through my company. :td:

Hertz has a lot of locations, but most of them are closed on Sundays. :td:

Customer Service - even for #1 Club Gold is terrible sometimes. Some of the reservationists are mean, nasty, uneducated and uninformed about Hertz promotions and rules. :td: Once in a while you get a nice person to talk to, but rarely. :td:

Hertz is more expensive, but it is worth it if you are Hertz #1 Gold - you get out of there faster most of the time, and I like that. :rolleyes:

I am using a reward next month for a week rental on a luxury car...the Lincoln Town Car. I wanted the prestige collection but they would not upgrade me unless I pay a considerable amount of additional cash. A nice clerk at the pick-up location was willing to give me the free upgrade but could not because the corporate system would not allow her to over-ride the system. Bogus! So I will drive the Town Car to Vegas from LA. :rolleyes:

Which other rental agency regularly gives its members free upgrades to Prestige-type cars? I don't see Jaguars sitting on the Executive aisle at National.

Free Rentals are not really free. You have to pay the high taxes and fees. NOT REALLY FREE like airline tickets can be or hotel stays.

I did 2 free rental days about a month ago. My bill at return was $0.00. I think this varies by location - if there is a fixed per-day tax, you will get charged. No different from hotels. If there is an occupancy fee (fixed, per night), you usually pay it.

And I haven't had a totally free airline award ticket in years. Maybe I'm with the wrong airlines...

Also, Hertz will hold the full amount of the regular rental rate on your credit card until you return the car and the charge drops off about 5-10 business days later. If you are needing that credit space for a Hotel credit card authorization, you may be unable to do it unless you have higher credit limits and/or American Express. I only have two credit cards now and I needed to have the authorization credit space available for a stay at the Four Seasons... Hertz does not care.

I have read about this on the board here before - where a rental agency will pre-authorize thousands of dollars on a CC and then sometimes not release it when the rental is over. I agree it sucks when they do this - especially when it seems like they are pre-authorizing the value of the entire vehicle. :mad: For some reason, they don't do this to me. At least, I've never noticed it. After renting hundreds of cars over the years, I think I'd notice it if I was always seeing big chunks of my credit line held as pending or pre-authorized charges.

And FWIW, most of the problems I've read about this practice relate to the third-tier agencies. It's not a Hertz-specific thing.

Hertz has a lot of locations, but most of them are closed on Sundays. :td:

:confused: I think this is probably an exaggeration. Perhaps the HLE's in business centers are closed Sundays, but Hertz's airport locations are usually open 18-20 hours a day, 7 days a week, and their bigger HLE's are usually open a few hours on each of Saturday and Sunday. The two HLE's I use most often are Noon-5PM on the weekends.

Hey, it's better than nothing, right? There are no Avis or National HLE's anywhere near my house, and I can walk or run to 2 Hertz locations. I can't complain...