Mar 29, 2017, 6:02 am
Last edit by: FlyinHawaiian
Questions regarding specific locations (eg, "I am Renting From XXX; What Might I Get?") may be moved to specific/dedicated threads for that location. All major airport codes may be searched using FlyerTalk's search engine; otherwise, words in " " quotation marks will bypass the character limit filter.
Overview of Service and List of Existing and Future Airport Locations: https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/produ...ate_choice.jsp
Am I Eligible? Is My Vehicle Eligible?
Q. Who can use Ultimate Choice?
Any member of the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program is eligible to use Ultimate Choice. The areas you can select from depend on your status in the program (President's Circle, Five Star, or Gold).
Q. What is the minimum booking class to be eligible to freely select cars from Ultimate Choice?
A. You can book anything other than an Economy (A), Compact (B), or Manager's Special (EXAR) vehicle, and be eligible for Ultimate Choice.
Q. What if I book a lower class such as Economy or Compact or Manager's Special?
A. You will be assigned a car from that class (or higher, as a complimentary upgrade) in a marked space.
Q. What happens if I book a Economy or Compact but pick a higher-class car from Ultimate Choice?
A. You will likely be asked to pay the midsize rental rate by the gate agent.
Q. What if I book a Fullsize car but find a lower class car in Ultimate Choice that I like better?
A. You may chose to take it, but you will pay the originally-booked Fullsize rate.
Q. What if I book a Adrenaline/Electric/Hybrid/Luxury/Prestige car or a Minivan/Truck/SUV?
A. You will be assigned a car from that class in a marked space. You can either accept it or chose a car from Ultimate Choice.
Q. Can I use Ultimate Choice for one-way rentals?
A. Yes.
Q. Can I use Ultimate Choice for award rentals?
A. Yes, provided the reservation is for a mid-size car or higher.
Overview of Service and List of Existing and Future Airport Locations: https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/produ...ate_choice.jsp
Am I Eligible? Is My Vehicle Eligible?
Q. Who can use Ultimate Choice?
Any member of the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program is eligible to use Ultimate Choice. The areas you can select from depend on your status in the program (President's Circle, Five Star, or Gold).
Q. What is the minimum booking class to be eligible to freely select cars from Ultimate Choice?
A. You can book anything other than an Economy (A), Compact (B), or Manager's Special (EXAR) vehicle, and be eligible for Ultimate Choice.
Q. What if I book a lower class such as Economy or Compact or Manager's Special?
A. You will be assigned a car from that class (or higher, as a complimentary upgrade) in a marked space.
Q. What happens if I book a Economy or Compact but pick a higher-class car from Ultimate Choice?
A. You will likely be asked to pay the midsize rental rate by the gate agent.
Q. What if I book a Fullsize car but find a lower class car in Ultimate Choice that I like better?
A. You may chose to take it, but you will pay the originally-booked Fullsize rate.
Q. What if I book a Adrenaline/Electric/Hybrid/Luxury/Prestige car or a Minivan/Truck/SUV?
A. You will be assigned a car from that class in a marked space. You can either accept it or chose a car from Ultimate Choice.
Q. Can I use Ultimate Choice for one-way rentals?
A. Yes.
Q. Can I use Ultimate Choice for award rentals?
A. Yes, provided the reservation is for a mid-size car or higher.
Questions/Discussion About Hertz Ultimate Choice Service
Feb 18, 2017, 3:59 pm
#91
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: ATL
Programs: DL DM, Hyatt LT DM, Wyndham DM, Hertz PC, HH Gold, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,038
Still not sure how exactly this works. Seems can take from choice but if you are PC you can grab anything except premium/luxury(fee applies)?
Feb 19, 2017, 12:33 pm
#93
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: YEG/SFO
Programs: AC, UA, HH, MR, and the other usual suspects
Posts: 360
This is how it worked at SFO with SXM
Got to the Rental Car Centre just after midnight after a flight arrived 2 1/2 hours late (had updated my reservation for the late arrival)) Name was on the board, directed to Gold section. Reserved D class with SXM.
Told to look for a hang tag indicating that the car had SXM. Had to wander up and down the Gold aisles full of C class cars, none of which had an SXM tag. One of the employees helped me look - he didn't find anything either.
Went back to the Gold customer service desk. They hunted around on the computer to find a car with SXM - "upgraded" to a Hyundai Sonata or a Malibu.
Took the 2016 22,000 mile Malibu.
So, SXM may be an issue.
Told to look for a hang tag indicating that the car had SXM. Had to wander up and down the Gold aisles full of C class cars, none of which had an SXM tag. One of the employees helped me look - he didn't find anything either.
Went back to the Gold customer service desk. They hunted around on the computer to find a car with SXM - "upgraded" to a Hyundai Sonata or a Malibu.
Took the 2016 22,000 mile Malibu.
So, SXM may be an issue.
How does Hertz Ultimate Choice work with SXM?
I always select SiriusXM when I reserve a car. How can I make sure that I select a car with SiriusXM under Hertz Ultimate Choice, apart from opening every desired car and checking if it has SXM or not (which may be hard/impossible to judge due to lack of SXM reception in the garages)?
What happens if I selected SXM in my reservation and picked a car without SXM? Will I still be charged the fee?
What about the reverse situation? You didn't reserve SXM but you pick (unknowingly or not) an Ultimate Choice car which has SXM. Will the SXM fee be tacked on to your rental record?
I always select SiriusXM when I reserve a car. How can I make sure that I select a car with SiriusXM under Hertz Ultimate Choice, apart from opening every desired car and checking if it has SXM or not (which may be hard/impossible to judge due to lack of SXM reception in the garages)?
What happens if I selected SXM in my reservation and picked a car without SXM? Will I still be charged the fee?
What about the reverse situation? You didn't reserve SXM but you pick (unknowingly or not) an Ultimate Choice car which has SXM. Will the SXM fee be tacked on to your rental record?
Feb 19, 2017, 12:46 pm
#94
Company Representative - AutoSlash and HotelSlash
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: autoslash.com | hotelslash.com
Posts: 5,657
Feb 20, 2017, 9:00 am
#95
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: South West, UK
Programs: VFC, BAEC, ETIHAD, IHG,
Posts: 59
Im about to book for a Boston rental in July for 3 weeks. I have Amex Gold/Hertz Gold (sadly not 5* or PC). Apparently Amex Gold gets a one class upgrade. We are a family of 4. Do I book an intermediate/Standard or Full Size ?? ...decisions decisions ! Do I get to choose from the Gold aisle along with the aisle I have booked ?? Thank you for any tips
Feb 20, 2017, 9:41 am
#96
Company Representative - AutoSlash and HotelSlash
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: autoslash.com | hotelslash.com
Posts: 5,657
You only get the upgrade if you use the Amex CDP. With Ultimate Choice though it doesn't really matter. Just book a midsize (intermediate) at the best deal you can get and you can choose from the UC area.
Feb 20, 2017, 9:46 am
#97
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: South West, UK
Programs: VFC, BAEC, ETIHAD, IHG,
Posts: 59
Feb 23, 2017, 5:46 pm
#98
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 706
I'm a President's Circle member with an upcoming Prestige booking at LAX. The exact car description/class is: Infiniti QX60 / Land Rover Discovery Sport (Group Z4) RGDR
Upon arrival, am I able to freely choose any available Prestige car from the lot? There are a number of others I might be interested in:
- (G6) Mercedes SLK250 Convertible (Group G6) JTAR
- (S6) Mercedes GL450 (Group S6) LFDR
- Standard Elite, 2-4 Door, Automatic, Air (Group P4) RCAR
For note, when I called the location, they hadn't heard of the $35 or $25/day upgrade offer and merely said that I should speak to the 'upgrade desk' on the day.
Upon arrival, am I able to freely choose any available Prestige car from the lot? There are a number of others I might be interested in:
- (G6) Mercedes SLK250 Convertible (Group G6) JTAR
- (S6) Mercedes GL450 (Group S6) LFDR
- Standard Elite, 2-4 Door, Automatic, Air (Group P4) RCAR
For note, when I called the location, they hadn't heard of the $35 or $25/day upgrade offer and merely said that I should speak to the 'upgrade desk' on the day.
Feb 23, 2017, 6:23 pm
#99
Company Representative - AutoSlash and HotelSlash
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: autoslash.com | hotelslash.com
Posts: 5,657
I'm a President's Circle member with an upcoming Prestige booking at LAX. The exact car description/class is: Infiniti QX60 / Land Rover Discovery Sport (Group Z4) RGDR
Upon arrival, am I able to freely choose any available Prestige car from the lot? There are a number of others I might be interested in:
- (G6) Mercedes SLK250 Convertible (Group G6) JTAR
- (S6) Mercedes GL450 (Group S6) LFDR
- Standard Elite, 2-4 Door, Automatic, Air (Group P4) RCAR
For note, when I called the location, they hadn't heard of the $35 or $25/day upgrade offer and merely said that I should speak to the 'upgrade desk' on the day.
Upon arrival, am I able to freely choose any available Prestige car from the lot? There are a number of others I might be interested in:
- (G6) Mercedes SLK250 Convertible (Group G6) JTAR
- (S6) Mercedes GL450 (Group S6) LFDR
- Standard Elite, 2-4 Door, Automatic, Air (Group P4) RCAR
For note, when I called the location, they hadn't heard of the $35 or $25/day upgrade offer and merely said that I should speak to the 'upgrade desk' on the day.
If you book a Prestige vehicle, you are guaranteed something from the class you booked. Assuming you are a Hertz Gold member, when you arrive at Hertz, you will be assigned a vehicle in a specific stall number. If you are President's Circle, you will have the option to choose anything from the Ultimate Choice PC area instead of your assigned vehicle, which may or may not include other Prestige class vehicles. What you cannot do however is just browse Prestige class vehicles not in the Ultimate Choice area and assume you can do a no-charge swap. That is something that is at the discretion of the local staff.
Feb 23, 2017, 6:43 pm
#101
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: YXY
Posts: 3,506
How is that different from the hitherto situation? So far, when I booked at least C at many US airport stations, I could either pick the car assigned to me, or any other vehicle from a certain part of the Gold area.
This sounds like the same thing with a new name. What am I missing?
This sounds like the same thing with a new name. What am I missing?
Last edited by sokolov; Feb 24, 2017 at 8:57 am
Feb 23, 2017, 6:47 pm
#102
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 706
It is confusing. For note, I was looking at the 'Prestige Series' lot in the following PDF: http://images.hertz.com/pdfs/09_2016_UltimateChoice.pdf
I was also reading their verbiage: "You can upgrade to a Prestige Series class vehicle for a small fee when you book a midsize or higher vehicle." - Unclear if you already have a Prestige car though...
I was also reading their verbiage: "You can upgrade to a Prestige Series class vehicle for a small fee when you book a midsize or higher vehicle." - Unclear if you already have a Prestige car though...
Feb 24, 2017, 1:27 pm
#103
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Los Angeles, California
Programs: IHG Diamond Elite, Hilton Diamond, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 3,531
I'm a President's Circle member with an upcoming Prestige booking at LAX. The exact car description/class is: Infiniti QX60 / Land Rover Discovery Sport (Group Z4) RGDR
Upon arrival, am I able to freely choose any available Prestige car from the lot? There are a number of others I might be interested in:
- (G6) Mercedes SLK250 Convertible (Group G6) JTAR
- (S6) Mercedes GL450 (Group S6) LFDR
- Standard Elite, 2-4 Door, Automatic, Air (Group P4) RCAR
For note, when I called the location, they hadn't heard of the $35 or $25/day upgrade offer and merely said that I should speak to the 'upgrade desk' on the day.
Upon arrival, am I able to freely choose any available Prestige car from the lot? There are a number of others I might be interested in:
- (G6) Mercedes SLK250 Convertible (Group G6) JTAR
- (S6) Mercedes GL450 (Group S6) LFDR
- Standard Elite, 2-4 Door, Automatic, Air (Group P4) RCAR
For note, when I called the location, they hadn't heard of the $35 or $25/day upgrade offer and merely said that I should speak to the 'upgrade desk' on the day.
Feb 25, 2017, 1:18 pm
#105
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Gloucestershire
Programs: BA Gold (ex-GGL, maybe future Silver), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,197
Does anyone know if Houston will be on Ultimate Choice by Easter (April 14th?)
Currently have a midsize reservation there (fullsize was $25/day more); unfortunately I get caught by the redirect when trying to view the UC site on hertz.com as I am outside the US.
Currently have a midsize reservation there (fullsize was $25/day more); unfortunately I get caught by the redirect when trying to view the UC site on hertz.com as I am outside the US.