meh
It's better to HAVE the "Presidents Circle" status than NOT to have it, sure, but...FYI....Hertz is garbage. Specifically, their rewards program.
Presidents Circle peeps get this benefit, whooppeeeedooo:
"675 points after every 15 qualifying Hertz rentals"
That means, for 15 rentals (likely 30 or more actual days)....you get ONE free day. This is not even a drop in the bucket.
Compare this loyalty program to Avis First, where they give you "Two-day Weekend Rental Rewards with every fourth qualifying rental of two or more days."
So if you have 16 rentals....Avis gives you 8 free days, and Hertz gives you 1.
I say all of this as a person who rents very frequently and today I actually achieved Presidents Circle by the normal way - renting a lot of cars.
Also keep in mind that Hertz's website is impossible to use, really janky, and much of the time, you are not able to use your points on a rental anyway, or at best, never for more than ONE free day of the entire rental. Good luck trying to redeem 2 days at once, meaning, the cash add-on for the other days will almost always be a factor in your redemptions. In my experience, one free Hertz day + one Hertz paid day can actually be more expensive than 2 paid Avis days.
So, it's amusing that today's news came just as I had already decided to focus 100% on Avis next year so that I can earn Avis First in due time. Still, of course I registered. At least, in 2016, I will still be Presidents Circle, even though I plan to rent from Hertz almost never again.