I am indeed a Gold Rewards member. I went to the counter because (a) there was no pre-check-in notice sent to me and more importantly, (b) I never remember that it's possible to skip the counter --just like I never remember that there's such a thing as digital key cards for hotel rooms! I am not a Hertz loyalist--I rent from the cheapest decently-rated company that AutoSlash finds for me, and that's rarely Hertz, so I don't really have much familiarity with their process. I do know that Avis usually sends me an email to check in before I arrive, which I do, but Hertz did not send anything, so I had to go to the counter.