Thanks to this thread, I'd found out that I qualified for 5 Star this year, and I was looking through the newly designed (and not so easy to navigate) website, and found the following pertaining to 5 Star and Prez Circle membership:
Q: What is the timeframe for which my rentals qualify me for either Five Star or President's Circle?
A: Any qualifying rental by a #1 Club Gold member that occurs between January 1 and December 31 will be tallied and used towards qualification of Five Star and President's Circle. If a rental begins on December 28 and ends on January 5, you will receive credit in the year in which the rental ends.
Q: Can I expect to receive either Five Star or President's Circle service outside of the United States or Canada?
A: Yes, you will be able to find Five Star or President's Circle at these airport locations outside of the U.S. and Canada: Australia: Blackwater, Brisbane, Cairns, Coolangatta, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Maroochydore, Rockhampton, Townsville, Canberra, Belmont, Sydney, Williamtown, Melbourne, Adelaide, Karratha, Kalgoorlie, Burnie, Devonport, Hobart, Launceston; France: Orly, Roissy, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse-Blagnac, Bordeaux-Merignac, Paris St. Ferdinand; Germany: Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Suesseldorf, Munich, Berlin; United Kingdom: Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Gatwick, Edinburgh; Italy: Rome-Fiumicino, Milan-Linate, Malpensa; Spain: Madrid, Barcelona; Switzerland: Zurich, Geneva; Netherlands: Amsterdam-Schipol. You will also find Five Star and President's Circle services at these Hertz franchise locations outside the U.S. and Canada: South Africa: Johannesburg; Sweden: Stockholm, Gothenburg; Austria: Vienna; Finland: Helsinki; Greece: Athens; Ireland: Dublin, Israel: Tel Aviv; Portugal: Lisbon.
Q: Can I pay a fee to become a member of Five Star or President's Circle?
A: No, membership is earned by a #1 Club Gold member who completes the required amount of #1 Club Gold rental transactions during the qualification period. #1 Club Gold Membership is available to anyone with a $50 annual fee requirement.
Q: How will I know if I've received my 25% bonus on my #1 Awards Points?
A: On a quarterly basis, the #1 Awards Statements are mailed out and if you are a President's Circle member, you will see the 25% bonus points on that statement. In the event that you do not agree with the statement amount, please call us at 1-888-999-4900.
Q: When do I receive my Free Rental Days?
A: After you have completed the qualified number of rental transactions necessary within the qualification period, you will automatically be sent a Free Rental Day Certificate.
Q: How often will I receive Five Star and President's Circle Special Coupon Offers?
A: These special offer coupons will be sent to our Five Star or President's Circle members periodically throughout the year either through mail or e-mail.
Q: Why can't I get 25% bonus on my miles?
A: The #1 Awards program is managed by Hertz and therefore, we are able to offer the 25% bonus to President's Circle members. The 25% bonus on Hertz #1 Awards Points is offered only to President's Circle members as a bonus. #1 Awards Points can be converted into many frequent traveler programs for redemption. We do periodically have joint mileage bonus promotions with our airline and hotel partners. Check our Special Offers for details.
Q: What kind of Special Offers will I receive?
A: We'll periodically send out Special Offers containing discounts off of Hertz Rentals and periodically special offers from some of our Travel Partners.
Q: What is a qualifying rental?
A: For the purposes of obtaining rentals that are credited towards Five Star or President's Circle membership or for Free Rental Day Certificates; A qualifying rental is a rental transaction that is paid for by the customer and where your #1 Club Gold number is provided. Any rental transaction that is made entirely with the use of a Free Day Coupon will not be counted as a "qualifying rental" for the purpose of obtaining credit towards membership or other Free Day Coupons.
Q: Can I combine multiple Free Day Certificate for one rental?
A: For President's Circle members only, Free Rental Day Certificates can be combined up to 3 days. Free Rental Day Certificates may be used and combined during blackout periods subject to the following minimum rental periods; 2 paid rental days required for 1 free rental day; 4 paid rental days required for 2 free rental days; 6 paid rental days required for 3 free rental days. For Five Star members, a Free Rental Day Certificate may be used in conjunction with a longer rental, but may not be combined with any other Free Rental Day Certificate, nor may they be used during the blackout events that are listed in the "Qualifications & Requirements" section.
If the tiers were easier to understand they may be incentive to members to work "harder" to earn them..... seems odd the tiers are not very obviously published.....
