I rarely rent cars but am going to Hawaii soon and will need one at HNL and then one at LIH. Can someone explain to me the coupon situation? What goes where for the following:

Discount Plan (CDP) Number:
Promotional Coupon (PC) Number:
Rate Code(RQ)
Convention (CV) Number

Also, I will be in HNL Saturday aft until Monday morning. I will then be in LIH Monday until Saturday evening. Any guidance for discounts would be appreciated.

Sorry, posted twice.

[This message has been edited by Cory6188 (edited Dec 10, 2003).]

Okay, for starters, a CDP number is a number that links you to a discount with an organization or company (such as AAA or an airline). Usually this discount can range from 5% to 20%, depending on the length of the rental and the location from which you are renting.

A PC number is the place where you can enter any individual coupon codes you may have. Coupon codes are often things such as dollars off per day, a free car seat, free gas, an upgrade, etc. Usually, in order to use a coupon, you must have a corresponding CDP number.

For example, let's say that a full-size for one week at EWR is $200. I have a AAA CDP of 000075, which gives me 10% off. Your rate is now $180. You also have a coupon with a PC number on it for $30 off a weekly rental. Now your rental costs $150. It's actually pretty simple.

Now, the RQ is usually a code, comprised of letters, that is used by Hertz in order to provide discounts. Right now, I know of two rate codes in effect (there may be many more). LOCAL (for discounts at Hertz Local Editions) and FRDM (for "Freedom" rates).

Finally, the CV, or convention, number. I'm not totally sure on this one, but I believe that it is used to give discounts to attendees of trade shows, large-scale meetings, etc. Airlines and hotels have similar discounts for large gatherings.

I hope this info helps you. I have always been satisfied with Hertz, and I'm sure you will be too!

[This message has been edited by Cory6188 (edited Dec 10, 2003).]

For those of you rent more often than I, can one use a mismatched CDP and PC? For instance, can I use a CDP for my Entertainment coupon book, AAA, or my corporation, along with the PC code that gives quadruple credit for Southwest airlines? Or, do I need to use Southwest's CDP, as well? Thanks!

When i try to do that it generally says PC not valid with CDP... But give it a shot... it can't hurt to try

alamedaguy, I was wondering the same thing so I tried to make a reservation with my corporate CDP and Southwest's quadruple credit PC# (950902) and I got the following error:

PROMOTION COUPON REQUIRES A SPECIFIC CORPORATE DISCOUNT NUMBER

When I change to Southwest's CDP number the reservation is accepted.
I guess they won't let you mix and match discount codes. Too bad.

Thanks, both of you, for the help. I suppose I will add a few minutes of playing around to all future reservations, and maybe I'll get lucky.