I've booked thru AutoEurope and it will be a Hertz rental. Are there any benefits to joining their rewards program - especially now since the booking process is already in action?
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8166 posts
I am a Hertz Gold member, and the cheapest rates directly from Hertz are with the free Gold Card. But the Gold Card is only good on rentals that are arranged thru Hertz.
AutoEurope sometimes beats the Gold Card prices and sometimes they don't.
Depending on the city, AutoEurope uses a number of different car rental agencies. If you can start a reservation in their system and get an address of the pickup location, it's easy to Google Map that location and figure out which brand rental car you'll be getting. They are a first class operation, however.
Posted by
Houston
3521 posts
The best part of the rewards program is you no longer have to wait in line to be assigned a car. You just go to the reserved car, or in some locations even pick your own car, and you are out of there. If you seldom rent, might not be worth the effort to keep your info updated in their system. I don't know if this works with 3rd party reservations like AutoEurope.
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8496 posts
I used to belong when I traveled a lot for business, but I don't see any value unless you are renting often at home. I never saw any rates better than from competitors from belonging.
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Good replies. On the one hand, it's just another way for a company to get their hands on my information and hound me with emails and possibly mailed mail. The car is expensive since I'm 'doing this right' after 11 years waiting, so it would automatically upgrade my level to the second one ... but then what? Like you said, if this is my only rental for the year, is it worth getting into their system? Still thinking ....
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7574 posts
It is unlikely that it would give you an upgrade in Europe, and forget about skipping the line there, you will still have to wait and do paperwork, ID checks, etc.
Beware that if they do offer you a "free" upgrade, they will recalculate any Insurance and fees and charge you the difference, the "free" upgrade only applies to the base rental, not any add-ons.
Posted by
Portland, Maine
2916 posts
If you can start a reservation in their system and get an address of the pickup location, it's easy to Google Map that location and figure out which brand rental car you'll be getting.
Maybe that used to be the case, but for several years now, whenever I rent from AutoEurope you see the possible rental agencies well before you book, with their prices, and can pick which one you want.