Consolidated "Hertz Platinum Elite Member Upgrades/Experiences" Thread
 

Sorry - I tried to search - but it must be down (for me at least).

Twice in the past month I have heard or seen a reference to Platinum status.

First time was in RDM. Small hertz counter and manager says that only Platinum members have their contracts printed before arrival. He said that Hertz call and reminds them that a Platinum member will be arriving that day. I inquired how one earns Platinum status and he says it is based only on money spent - but does not know how much is enough.

I searched FT later that day and didnt find any reference to Plat status so I figured he must be mistaken.

Second reference was at the IND airport. Next to the prestige vehicles were two spots with silver markers - Platinum A and Platinum B.

Is there a platinum status and how does one achieve it? Just curious.

Thanks for any info.

Chad

It's in the 4th post on the Hertz forum in the "rental levels explained" sticky.

Platinum - This program is invitation-only. It's who you are (or what you are) that gets you the invite, not your rental or spending history with Herz. Your car is brought to you by the Station Manager and they drop you off at the terminal and then take the car back to the lot. Upgrades are automatic and usually to whatever you want that they have.

Consolidated "Hertz Platinum Elite Member Upgrades/Experiences" Thread
 

I'm a newly minted Platinum member. I just rented an FCAR and got... an FCAR. Is this a normal experience or did I just get FCAR'd?

My contract does say my name and "Platinum" on the second line, so it's certainly updated in the system. The car did come from a hotel HLE location and I have no previous relationship with this location.

There are numerous threads about the (designated and soft) benefits of the Platinum program.
Some - like me - see very good value in it for my rental needs.
Others are not so certain.
One of a number of representative threads on this topic.
My advice would be to keep your expectations in check with regard to Platinum upgrades.
Both Prestige and DREAM Collection vehicles are beyond the scope of the program.
That is not to say you may not be upgraded to a Prestige vehicle.
But do not expect to rent a compact and drive off gratis in a Porsche or a Range Rover. That is simply not going to happen.
Yes, there are nice upgrades. But I've also had no upgrades at CLT and RDU.
The four-hour grace period at the end of a rental is a very good benefit.
HLE locations usually have a limited selection of vehicles.
Also, it helps to have a relationship with a location manager(s) if you are going to be renting regularly.

my guess is because it came from a HLE since not all of them carry more than F cars.. If the HLE is in a high profile area they will have better than F cars. I have received a few Prestige cars while booking a F from several HLEs only because they normally have a few in their fleet. My assumption is an HLE will give you the best car they have as a Platinum. With large airport locations getting more than a luxury is purely based on relationship/frequency and of course availability since they can see up to 15 platinums a day.

My closest HLE shows 'call for availability' for class G which is the highest that they even offer. If they had a class G (Premium) or even class I (Luxury) you would have gotten it with an F or F6 reservation. You could have asked the HLE to change your rate to an intermediate standard if it would have saved you anything.

Another quirk is that the few international locations I have rented from say service level:Platinum however as they are independently owned franchises stuck in 1990s tech (Dot Matrix carbonless form printers etc), the service is anything but. I have bought cars in less time than it takes to rent in Aruba, Mexico, Costa Rica, Jamaica, and the Bahamas.

Hertz is very hesitant to give out anything above class I. That is the top 'official' upgrade per the platinum t&c. A Platinum desk rep advised me that alot of this has to do with insurance credit card issues. Most credit cards only cover vehicles with an MSRP of $45k and below.

The whole experience was kind of underwhelming, actually. I ended up going to the airport and "upgrading" to an Impala. I travel a lot and live in the city -- I don't even own a car any more. I set my expectations pretty low: I was hoping for a Buick and an offer for a ride home (three blocks). I got neither.

You should be able to book complimentary pickup and dropoff at your house or a hotel when you reserve the car through Platinum reservations.

QL

I had to google Hertz Platinum.....is anyone getting this free or do you have to buy into it? Per the link I went on, it is $1200 if you are already Prez Circle. IMHO, definitely not worth it.

I have been Hertz Platinum since receiving complimentary membership upgrade from AMEX in Dec 2014. I always rent/reserve a full size without neverlost. Daily rate is usually $50 - $80 depending on location.

I have used it:
Three times in LHR - Upgraded to Volvo SUV twice and Mercedes ML once. I was met at terminal with car brought to me without having to take bus.

Twice at AMS - Upgraded to Bentley Continental GT Speed (Best upgrade so far) and then a Range Rover Evoque. They delivered car to terminal each time.

Once at SFO - Upgraded to brand new Infinity Q56 - Picked me up in Hertz Towncar and drove me to car rental center where someone was waiting to greet me and hand me keys to car.

Also rented from several other US rentals live LV, Miami, etc. without much of an upgrade or additional service above normal gold.

Its free if you have the Amex Centurion Card...

I find the value that Platinum gives me outweighs the $1200 annual fee.
To each his own

I have it free through my Amex. I have used it, but prefer my Chairman status with Avis. Avis rates always seem to be lower and Chairman benefits seem to be better than Hertz Plat (at least, they seem better for me).

I think the program may have changed a bit because the service for Platinum is significantly better than it was previously. I generally get a call from the station manager the day before who meets me at baggage claim and have my pick of whatever I want from their local fleet. With enough advance notice, they can find me just about anything. I’ve had Range Rovers, Escalades, Porsche’s, S-classes, and actually given back overly upgraded cars.

I reserved a Prestige Collection luxury 7-passenger SUV (Infiniti QX60 or Range Rover Discovery) for 23-27 Nov. Showed up to pick up my car and was the only person within a half mile of that end of the rental car building (it was a total ghost town). Walked up to the Hertz area but my name was not on the board--this was my first rental as a platinum so I didn't know what to expect (nor did I get any proactive communication from Hertz on what *to* expect). Luckily, due to the ghost town, I was able to walk right into the gold booth where they asked for my name and then told me that as a platinum my name shouldn't be on the board and I should always come into the booth anyway (really? I can't imagine that would be fast on busy days, but anyway...). They handed me my keys and rental agreement for a car just outside the booth and told me to show my driver's license at the booth when driving out of the lot.

Lo and behold, it was a QX60. It was parked in such a huge puddle that I had to get in on the passenger's side and climb over the center console to get into the driver's seat. Satellite radio was activated, but (despite the big screen in the center of the dash) the car had no nav system. It had about 17,000 miles on the odometer, so not new but not extremely tired either.

My family was waiting back at baggage claim plus I didn't really know what to expect as a platinum member, otherwise I might have gone back to the booth to see if any better vehicles were available. I know some will say "first-world problems", but is that what I should expect from Hertz as a platinum when reserving a specific prestige collection vehicle? Am I better off just booking something like a midsize and counting on a complimentary upgrade to this kind of vehicle?

I have no experience with it, but I think this instinct is correct.

I'm curious, how did you get platinum status?