Originally Posted by
UGATraveler
Hello everyone-
I have not posted in this particular forum before and I was not able to find this topic after a quick search, so I apologize if this is a repeat thread.
I was hoping to book a rental car for my Mother as a gift for a Class Reunion she is attending and I was hoping to book it using either my Gold Points or paying for it myself so she does not have to worry about anything. Only problem is, I do not live where she is so it will be her picking up the car, not me.
Is this not possible? Every Hertz Rep I have spoken to has said no, I cannot even use my Gold / Corporate Rate to book under her name unless I am picking up the car. I would hope there is some sort of option for doing this? In another scenario, what happens if someone books a rental car under their name and something comes up (flight delayed, schedule change, etc) and they cannot be there to pick it up, can a family member not pick it up on their absence if they are pre-authorized by the Renter? That surely has happened many times in rental situations?
I have done this multiple times with hotels when booking for other people to stay on my account wihtout me being there and its no problem, they are happy to take my money / points, etc..
Any help is greatly appreciated-
Thanks ^
Only the account holder can book with Gold Points, so no go on that front. As for a cash booking, I don't know of a situation where they'll allow another person to pick up the car without you present.
While there may be a way to do this that I don't know about, it would be, at best, a Your Mileage May Vary situation, and could easily fall apart when she tries to pick up the car.
The simplest solution by far is for you to just book the car under her name, tell her it's a gift, and send her a check.
EDIT: As to why you can do this with hotels, but not a rental car, the person is driving off the lot in $20k or more of hardware, plus the ability to cause massive harm, so the rental car companies have a much bigger interest in ensuring that they know, and authorize, the person taking the car, than a hotel company does.