SportsTech

Recently retired, and I don't want to use my former employer's contract ID any more because it includes Collision Damage Waiver - which really means, at least in this case, that the company is self-insured. I know this because someone whacked me from behind a couple years ago and MY company ended up paying for the repairs!

So... any advice on how to get a decent price for a National rental, that doesn't include LDW? I checked out the default Emerald Club 5007125 rate, and it pretty much stinks, as do the airline rates I checked (United, American). BJ's rates aren't close to my old corporate rates, either (and no, it wasn't IBM or another truly huge entity.)

Twixboy

Are you asking how you can rent cars for $35/day? Sorry, but that ain't happening. There's a reason why it's called a corporate rate. When you do thousands of rentals a year you should expect a discount. If you're doing personal traveling, sign up for a EC account and apply coupons. There are some if you search google and also National will email you a few coupons per month as an EC member. You can also cross-shop against other rental companies because as a personal traveler there's no reason to stick to one company if you can get a significantly better rate elsewhere.

xienon

Does your former company have a personal use code? The personal use code for my company that doesn't include CDW ends in a '2' whereas the business use code ends in a '1'.

SportsTech

Sounded like good advice, but when I went back to check the "contract ID" field it only says, "XXXX National Contract"; no numbers. Seems like that info is obscured.

I think I'll call the travel desk, though, and see if they have a code for personal use that doesn't include the CDW.

To Twixboy:

Frankly, I'm not sure why National wouldn't want me (and millions of other good customers) to continue to get decent rates when we retire. They have our driving history - I've been Exec or Exec Elite for years, with only the one accident that, as I said, was a rear-ender at a stoplight; otherwise, not a single claim in hundreds of rentals. It's hard for a business to attract good new customers; seems like they'd want to keep my business at the same (or similar) rates to the rate I've been paying as an employee.

Twixboy

My contract field is the same way. The contract is attached to my profile and is automatically applied to any reservation I make. If I want to make a personal reservation using my free day coupons, I need to remove the contract and then go into my profile to remove all the insurance and extras, then change the credit card information from my corporate card to my personal card. It's a pain in the butt.

I suppose a call to the travel desk is your best bet since every company's policy will be different. I'm pretty sure my company won't even let me use their contract once I leave or retire considering they don't even have a personal use code for current employees.

That's a very valid point, but I'm not sure if the customer retention department at National is that smart