Hertz monthly lease - any experiences?
 

I'm considering using the monthly lease option as my car allowance covers the majority of the fee (and I really don't want another car payment and maintenance from driving 30k+ miles a year). Has anyone had any experience with this program? On the face of it, the program appears pretty good - no down payment, month-to-month (minimum of two months), different car every three months, cancel any time (after initial two months). Is one able to earn points for this?

I offer this from a very narrow perspective (I don't know where boilermaker land is :) - but in certain cities there are also Hertz Connect options (and others like zipcar) that would work very nicely with a car allowance and limited usage, though suspect that for 30k miles it wouldn't work.

The other opinion I'd offer (imho) is;
Hertz points aren't really worth very much in the long run, I wouldn't really factor them into the cost you are going to be paying Hertz. However, if the scheme is as you descibe it then it sounds pretty useful but sadly I can't offer a view as I've no personal experience.

I think it is a very good deal. I used a minilease on minivan from June 10 to Aug 12. They allowed me to switch out the vehicle after 30 days. It also made my rental cheaper at the HLE I was renting from. One month on regular rental of minivan without LDW was $1182. When I did the minilease, I got the same van for $725 with LDW. They bill you every month if you are using a credit card, so it doesn't tie up all of your available credit. Overall, I think it is a great deal. Only thing that I didn't like about is that you cannot use your Gold Service, you have to go to the counter. You still will earn Hertz points for the rental though.

Thanks sanctified50! I have a HLE about a mile from me. I'm putting too many miles on my personal vehicle and don't want another car payment and the maintenance issues of lots of driving. There might be a little out of pocket from me, but it'll be worth it (and tax deductible).

Sounds like a good idea given your scenario, at least from the initial cost/maintenance standpoint. Don't forget to consider the insurance implications if you haven't already.

To expand on that, many credit cards provide car rental insurance for rentals of up to 30 or 42 days. For me, it was worth paying $35 more per month from Hertz to rent a car for a month at a time (thereby ensuring AMEX would provide insurance coverage on the rental) rather than doing the multi-month "Hertz monthly lease".

As an additional thought, it might be worthwhile to sign up for Hertz Platinum status for $1,200 year if you're going to have a Hertz rental practically all year round. Pay for a compact or standard and get a luxury car for the monthly lease. (Sadly HLE's rarely have Prestige cars, and even luxury cars can be hard to come by.)

I used to do this for work... It was cheaper then renting by the week. Overall my expereince was very positive. (I did drive my personal car on the weekend) The HLE near my house was very good about 'holding' me what I wanted when I would go off the lease periodically (Holidays etc) I did "exchange" monthly just for the accounting side of it... (My company liked the receipts that way and didn't want us entering into long term leases)

A further tip...the $50 off monthly rentals Hertz coupon on Hertz's website is combinable with the Hertz multi-month lease rates (as are any discounts your CDP gives you--mine gives 20%). Also check rates at different Hertz locations. Two HLEs near me have vastly different rates. For a multi-month rental, it probably makes sense to drive a bit further if you can save a lot.

Great tip, merrickdb!

Insurance-wise, I'm keeping my personal vehicle (F150). My insurance will cover any vehicle I drive.

insurance
 

this could be a good addition to monthly rentals - primary insurance for $24/month. I'm considering using this option to 'buy' my mom's new car. she is in the country for 7-8 months in the year.

https://www152.americanexpress.com/p...s&om_lid=axp10

Count towards status?
 

Do leases count towards status (president's circle) at Hertz?

:)I did a 63 day mini lease and it got me president's circle.:)

How come you achieved PC in just 63 days ? usually it's supposed to be 120 no ?

I already had 65 days before the rental. So after I completed the lease, I was moved up to President's club so I believe they count towards achieving status.

Yeah they do count.
I currently have a MML and by the end of the lease I will have 121 days ;) looking forward to that !