Time to Bleed 'em Down
Jul 23, 2009 | 7:59 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2005
Programs: AA EXP, AAirpass, & CK 2MM, MR Plat Premier, DL Plat, US Plat, UA RECOVERING GS
Posts: 2,620
Time to Bleed 'em Down
Hi,
I pop in and out of this forum (Hertz) every once in a while to keep updated on Hertz changes but by no means am I a Hertz-FT expert. I've been doing a bit of research here on my #1 Club points but am hoping the community can offer some specific suggestions for my needs. Sorry if this is redundant to other threads. I was unable to find anything this direct.
I've banked about 125k #1 points since I changed over form earning AA miles. I've decided it's about time to bleed some of those points out. I've run in to some incredibly high priced rentals lately and I'm missing chances to monetize my points. Here's my situation:
1.) Personal travel makes up about 30-40% of my Hertz spend and about 20% of my rentals by rented days. My personal travel (involving car rentals) includes most of the US, Europe (mostly France, Belgium, Germany), Turkey (about 10 times a year so it gets its own listing), and Oz. Obviously I want to use points for personal travel only. All comments from this point forward apply to those rentals.
2.) I never rent "normal cars", so crazy discounts on midsize cars don't help me. I only rent SUVs and Prestige. If I can't find a Prestige vehicle I like, I'm ok with a Tahoe or similar but have no desire for a nameless sedan. Sports cars are only "ehhhh..." for me. My definition of desirable Prestige is the Infiniti SUV, some of the Infiniti sedans, the C-Class, and the little Volvo SUV (sorry, not good with model names).
3.) I'm flexible about when and where I redeem. I'm paying for it now, so if, for example, my best bet is to redeem for Winter on odd days on Tuesdays; fine. I'll wait for that scenario.
4.) Rentals are normally a few days. I have an equal amount of weekend and weekday personal travel. I have maybe 4-8 personal trips a year that are week or more.
5.) Notwithstanding #1 above, I do have a lot of weeklong business rentals. If there is a crazy deal I can surely make that work for me somehow.
6.) I'm President's Circle for several years running.
I think that's about it. I've called Hertz a few times regarding redemptions and I feel like there aren't a lot of options. One thing I've learned on my years on FT is that there is always an "angel" and strategy to redeeming. I'm not feeling that I know enough to see that yet.
My apologies to the forum for the length of my post and the basic nature of my question. I have done my research here but I'm hoping that my specific situation might net me some specific advice.
Regards,
DillMan
I pop in and out of this forum (Hertz) every once in a while to keep updated on Hertz changes but by no means am I a Hertz-FT expert. I've been doing a bit of research here on my #1 Club points but am hoping the community can offer some specific suggestions for my needs. Sorry if this is redundant to other threads. I was unable to find anything this direct.
I've banked about 125k #1 points since I changed over form earning AA miles. I've decided it's about time to bleed some of those points out. I've run in to some incredibly high priced rentals lately and I'm missing chances to monetize my points. Here's my situation:
1.) Personal travel makes up about 30-40% of my Hertz spend and about 20% of my rentals by rented days. My personal travel (involving car rentals) includes most of the US, Europe (mostly France, Belgium, Germany), Turkey (about 10 times a year so it gets its own listing), and Oz. Obviously I want to use points for personal travel only. All comments from this point forward apply to those rentals.
2.) I never rent "normal cars", so crazy discounts on midsize cars don't help me. I only rent SUVs and Prestige. If I can't find a Prestige vehicle I like, I'm ok with a Tahoe or similar but have no desire for a nameless sedan. Sports cars are only "ehhhh..." for me. My definition of desirable Prestige is the Infiniti SUV, some of the Infiniti sedans, the C-Class, and the little Volvo SUV (sorry, not good with model names).
3.) I'm flexible about when and where I redeem. I'm paying for it now, so if, for example, my best bet is to redeem for Winter on odd days on Tuesdays; fine. I'll wait for that scenario.
4.) Rentals are normally a few days. I have an equal amount of weekend and weekday personal travel. I have maybe 4-8 personal trips a year that are week or more.
5.) Notwithstanding #1 above, I do have a lot of weeklong business rentals. If there is a crazy deal I can surely make that work for me somehow.
6.) I'm President's Circle for several years running.
I think that's about it. I've called Hertz a few times regarding redemptions and I feel like there aren't a lot of options. One thing I've learned on my years on FT is that there is always an "angel" and strategy to redeeming. I'm not feeling that I know enough to see that yet.
My apologies to the forum for the length of my post and the basic nature of my question. I have done my research here but I'm hoping that my specific situation might net me some specific advice.
Regards,
DillMan
Jul 23, 2009 | 10:39 pm
#3
Join Date: Feb 2005
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium (former PP), Hilton Silver, UA Silver, AS Member, Hertz 5*
Posts: 3,906
Its not that hard to redeem for free car rentals. Login to your account online and click on the link over how many points you have with Hertz. That link will take you to a page where you can start redeeming points for car rentals.
If you want to make a reservation at moment, click on the button for redeem & reserve now. That will pull up a bunch of redemption options. Hertz classifies awards based on free upgrades and free car rentals. The car rentals are of varying length, car class, one way or regular and peak or non-peak days/weeks.
Hertz has a limited number of blackout dates, and you will have to pay double to redeem for peak days/weeks. There is a link at the bottom of the page listing the blackout dates by location.
To the OP: You were probably confused by the Hertz phone representatives in trying to redeem an award. As a gold (actually 5* member now - I must call for a status update), I have not been impressed by the general knowledge of some of Hertz's phone reps.
If you want to make a reservation at moment, click on the button for redeem & reserve now. That will pull up a bunch of redemption options. Hertz classifies awards based on free upgrades and free car rentals. The car rentals are of varying length, car class, one way or regular and peak or non-peak days/weeks.
Hertz has a limited number of blackout dates, and you will have to pay double to redeem for peak days/weeks. There is a link at the bottom of the page listing the blackout dates by location.
To the OP: You were probably confused by the Hertz phone representatives in trying to redeem an award. As a gold (actually 5* member now - I must call for a status update), I have not been impressed by the general knowledge of some of Hertz's phone reps.