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Starwood, Hertz Announce Partnership

Starwood Preferred Guest and Hertz have become new partners, and Marriott Rewards members can enjoy extended perks with the car rental company.

SPG members who book a rental car with Hertz will receive a 35-percent discount off base rates and 200 Starpoints per booking. SPG Platinum and Marriott Rewards Platinum status holders will automatically receive Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star status. SPG Platinum Ambassador and Marriott Rewards Platinum Premier members will obtain Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle elite status. Make sure to link your accounts and request a status match here.

As a Marriott Rewards member, you also earn bonus points for each rental, but the rates are better. You will earn 2,000 Marriott Rewards points for rentals that are two to four days long and 5,000 Marriott Rewards points for rentals that are five days or longer. When converted at a rate of 1-to-3, 200 Starpoints equal to just 600 Marriott points. It seems that providing a Marriott Rewards number at booking presents a higher point-earning opportunity.

When it comes to earning Starpoints/Marriott Rewards points versus Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Points, you can’t earn both. You have to specify one or the other earning method either upon car pick-up or in your Hertz profile.

Discounted rates and confirmed car upgrades sure can be nice, but the new partnership doesn’t quite replace SPG’s loss of Uber as a partner. As of Dec. 17, it is no longer possible to earn bonus Starpoints by hailing an Uber ride.

If you have status with either hotel chain and rent cars frequently, you might as well take advantage of this new partnership, but you won’t be earning that many Starpoints. I recommend crediting elite points to Marriott instead to come out ahead.

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2 Comments
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BondGuy February 2, 2018

Unfortunately it is "UP TO 35% discount", classic bait and switch.

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BMGRAHAM February 2, 2018

I'm waiting for Hertz to launch their own service to compete against Uber (before Uber launches one to compete with Hertz and I don't mean getting into the car rental business but I do have an idea of how Uber and Lyft could do this within their current operating model).