Airline elite status and Car Rental Programs
 

here's a question for the experts:

i have Plat on AA and MVP/Gold on AS. as i am (barely) under 25 and renting quite a bit before my next birthday, i'm wondering if my elite airline statuses can get the (bs) underage driver fee waived with any major car rental companies?

was that sentence long enough? i'd appreciate any insights.

I doubt an elite card will be much help, but you may check with your insurance company to see if they have negotiated deals. I'm insured with USAA, and they've got deals with Avis and Hertz to waive underage fees.

Nope, unless you have a corporate discount number that waives the fee, you're out of luck.

d

Won't help at all.

Ender - I've found two options, neither perfect.

1)Dollar + StudentAdvantage card. This waives the $25/day fee from Dollar, or so it says when you sign up. Ah, what it does not tell you is that it makes you eligible for a 'special rate, usually 5-20% off'. Sure. Take the normal rate and tack on $25 bucks. I've saved money with the card once with seven rentals from Dollar in the last year.

2) ABA member discount + Hertz. They waive the underage fee here as well. I've been told that other professional groups get the discount. Although - they've never asked to see my ABA card. I've used this twice - no problems, but Hertz is usually a bit more pricey than dollar.

Hope that helps a bit - good luck, and let me know if you find anything else.