Originally Posted by TravelTheWorld66

So here’s what happened. I got to the executive aisle in Boston and there was nothing! A few minivans and Santa Fe’s. Nothing I wanted to drive cross-country. They had plenty in the Premier section: Jaguar F-Pace, Lincoln MKX, Volvo X60, and some sedans. I snooped around the Enterprise and Alamo sections and they were pretty empty as well. I asked the manager on duty if there was anything nicer than a Santa Fe he’d be able to offer me. He pulled up a base model Ford Explorer with 41,000 miles. I politely declined.

I ultimately found an Audi Q5 with 7,000 miles. I basically asked if he could hook me up considering the amount of business I do with National, but he was still pushing the up-charge. I then asked, pointing to the Audi, “Is there any way we can pretend this was in the Executive Aisle?”, and I offered him the folded $100 bill. He was shocked and said if the cameras saw him accept money he’d be in big trouble. I was embarrassed.

He told me to hang on and he would see what he could do. A few minutes later he brought up the Q5 for me, at no additional charge. I apologized for making him uncomfortable by offering a tip, and surprisingly he said, “Well if you insist on giving it to me, you can”. What a change of position in just 5 minutes! So I offered him the $100 bill again and he tells me not to be so obvious. So I get out a business card and put the bill under it so the cameras can’t see, which is what I should have done from the start. I think he thought about it for a few minutes and regretted not taking it initially.

So technically I would have got the Q5 for free if I had just kept my mouth shut, but $100 for a 23-day upgrade isn’t a bad deal at all! And he appreciated it. Next time I’ll be more discreet.