hugolover

A few questions from a Newbie:

I've signed up to the Executive status and I'm not sure how its all working. So for a SFO rental, I book the mid-size option and can choose from any car on the Executive aisle? What if I book a higher category, can I choose from a better choice. Is there an Executive Plus selection?

So for example, if I was looking for a Cadillac, do I need to just book the Premium or Luxury category or are they available in some sort of "aisle"?

Do bookings through regular channels like Expedia permit the tier benefits?

dwbf11

APFPilot1985

i have my first rental as an executive elite coming up this week at the philadelphia 30th street station. Do i just book the midsize and i get the upgrade automatically? Will the upgrade be to standard or to full size?

Edit: If I book a full size will i get an upgrade from that?

jackal

Many locations that are big enough to have "Emerald Aisles" and "Executive Selection" aisles are also big enough to have "aisles" of each car class.

So, maybe it'll help to think of it like this:

Each car class is given an "aisle." National doesn't really preassign cars; for anyone (status or non-status), you reserve your car class and then go to the corresponding "aisle" to pick your car. If you reserve a compact, you go to the compact aisle. If you reserve a fullsize, you go to the fullsize aisle. If you reserve an SUV, you go to the SUV aisle.

Here's where the first slightly confusing twist comes:

As an Emerald Club member, you get access to one additional aisle if you reserve a midsize: the Emerald Aisle, which has midsizes and some slightly nicer/larger cars, too.

As an Executive member, you get access to two additional aisles--the Emerald Aisle and the Executive Selection aisle, which is a slightly nicer version of the Emerald Aisle, often stocked with some slightly nicer cars (fullsizes, maybe some vans/SUVs, and occasionally a nicer premium car or something. (Read FT for reports on what you might find in the EA and ES.) Just like the regular Emerald Aisle, to access the Executive Selection aisle, you book a midsize car.

These are aisles just like the economy car aisle and the minivan aisle--and if you are an Executive member and book a midsize, you actually have access to three aisles--the regular midsize aisle, the Emerald Aisle, and the Executive Selection aisle.

If you want a nicer car that you probably won't find in the Executive Selection aisle, like a Cadillac, you'll want to book the car class that has Cadillacs in it, like a luxury car. You'll then have access instead to what you might call the luxury car aisle, where one or a couple of the options might be a Cadillac. So yes, there is an "aisle" that might have some Cadillacs, but it's not the Executive Selection aisle--it's the luxury car aisle, and you have to book a luxury car to get access to that aisle.

That leads to the second slightly confusing twist:

As an Executive member, you are automatically charged one class lower than you reserve (this is how National does its "free one-car-class upgrade" benefit) if you reserve at least a fullsize. So if you reserve a fullsize, you are charged for a midsize (though if you reserve a midsize, you are also charged for a midsize, so for an Executive, there's no reason not to book a fullsize). Either a midsize or a fullsize reservation will get you access to the Emerald Aisle and the Executive Selection aisle (along with either the midsize or fullsize aisles, depending on which size you book).

If you want access to nicer cars than that, you'll have to book a premium, but you'll actually only be charged for a fullsize. And to go up from there, you'd book a luxury, but you'll actually only be charged for a premium.

So, there's no such thing as an "Executive Plus" aisle because you are already getting a nicer selection of cars in the Executive Selection aisle (on your fullsize reservation for your midsize rate, if that makes sense). If you want access to something like an Executive Plus aisle, you'd need to book something nicer than a fullsize, like a premium car, and then you'll have access to the premium car aisle, which I suppose you could call the "Executive Plus" aisle.

I don't know if thinking about it like that helps it make more sense (or confuses it even more), but I thought I'd try tossing it out there for ya.

See my post above for how it works. With elite status at National, you don't really get an upgrade--instead, you reserve the class you want to drive, and the system automatically charges you for one class lower. So if you want a premium car, book a premium and you'll only be charged for a fullsize (you can confirm this by looking at prices when you're logged in vs. when you're logged out--when you're logged in, the premium car will show up as the same price as the fullsize car does when you're logged out).

It might sound confusing at first but it's actually easier in the long run, and then you also don't run into as many issues like you do with Hertz and Avis where they might not actually upgrade you and might use an excuse that they're sold out of upgrades or something--with National's system, you are confirmed in an actual reservation for the higher class, and so you shouldn't ever be downgraded to something smaller, at least not without their profuse apologies and some sort of refund. (Theoretically, anyway. )

Also, as an Executive (or Executive Elite), there's no difference in price to reserve a midsize vs. a fullsize, so you might as well just reserve the fullsize. It sorta kinda doesn't really matter, as you'll have access to both the Emerald Aisle and Executive Selection either way, but since it doesn't matter, why not book the fullsize anyway. Make sense?

Edit: I just reread your post and see that you're renting from 30th Street, not the airport--in that case, there is no EA or ES, and they actually do preassign you a car and hand you keys at the counter (vs. at the airport, where it's all choose-your-own-car), but as far as upgrades, it still works the same (sort of)--if you reserve a fullsize, you'll pay for a midsize and they'll hand you keys for a fullsize car at the counter inside. If you want something nicer, book a premium, you'll pay for a fullsize, and they'll hand you keys for a premium.

FWIW, I've had decent luck with driving away in fairly nice cars at 30th Street (with all companies)--because it's a smaller station, they often don't have a lot of cars, and so as a customer with status, I'll often get a multi-class upgrade for free. I once got a Mercedes E350 on a ~$30/day reservation from 30th Street. I've also gotten SUVs on fullsize rates and other things like that.

xuni4everx

what happens if you reserve compact, and pick up the car from executive lot?
i know that you are suppose to book intermediate or higher class, but there is about $20 difference between compact and intermediate.

jackal

They'll charge you an upgrade at the exit gate--perhaps $20, perhaps more, perhaps less.

Tide_from_PAE

Can you use a free upgrade coupon on your reservation? National often has one on its website and it would upgrade your compact reservation to a midsize reservation, which would make you eligible for the Emerald Aisle.

dwbf11

Anecdotal reports from this forum suggest that method does not gain one access to the EA/ES, but rather the midsize reserve. Just a YMMV caution.

xuni4everx

I just return my rental today, and there was no extra charge.
I booked compact Friday~monday for $31, went straight to executive lane, took black 300c, gate agent didn't say anything about my reservation. receipt shows $31.

newfbc

FYI - Ebates is now offering 6.5% cash back at National... previously 2.5%. Rebates post a few days after your rental return.
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrer...%0A&eeid=28187

Ron.

GreeNYC

I only see the 2.5, where do you see 6.5?

jackal

I saw it myself yesterday, so I can confirm it was there. Maybe it was a temporary fluke (or a special?). Darn it, I should have booked something.

RaSiDa

How does National count rentals? If I rent a car and drop it off at 11pm on Jan 1 and pick up a new car at the same location at 1am on Jan 2, does this count as 2 rentals?

AutoSlash

Yes, anytime you open a new rental contract it counts as another rental.

RaSiDa

@AutoSlash, are you the company representative for National?
Your name confuses me, but you do mark as "Company Representative"