Joe McConnell
Finding the best car rental company to suit your travel needs is more important than ever. Like many companies, National Car Rental offers a loyalty program that rewards members when they rent vehicles. National Emerald Club members earn rental credits toward free rental days, with elite status levels that can help you get to your next free rental faster.
Here’s what you need to know about National’s Emerald Club.
Related: Best Car Rental Sites to Book Your Next Road Trip
National Emerald Club Program Overview
The first thing you need to know is that unlike other rental companies like Hertz and Avis, National does not have a points program. Instead, National allows customers to earn credits that can be used for free rental days.
National Emerald Club members earn credits based on qualifying rentals and the number of days you rent your vehicle. The credits you earn will be equal to your total rental days divided by four. Broken down, it looks like this:
- For rentals of one to seven days, you are entitled to a rental credit.
- Rentals of eight days or more earn one credit every four days. So, you would earn two credits for a rental of eight to 11 days or three credits for a rental of 12 to 15 days.
As you can see, this program rewards members who rent frequently for short periods more than those who rent less frequently and for longer periods. When you reach seven credits, you get a free rental day for (up to) a midsize car.
National offers users a mobile app for contactless payment, which can be especially useful for airports without Emerald Aisle. Through the app, you can select a vehicle by year, make, model, color, and mileage in advance. National will then hold the car for you for 15 minutes.
Since National is owned by Enterprise Holdings, you can also reserve cars from any Enterprise location through the National website. You will also receive credit for free rental days and elite status at participating Enterprise locations when you enter your Emerald Club membership number in your reservation. However, you will not receive the benefits of Emerald Club elite status when you rent from Enterprise.
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Related: Can’t Find a Car Rental? Here Are 7 Secrets That Might Help You
Elite Status with National Emerald Club
As soon as you join the Emerald Club, you’ll get some perks, but you’ll get more if you reach elite status with National. Here’s what you need to know about the Emerald Club’s entry-level status, as well as the higher status levels of Executive and Executive Elite.
Emerald Club Entry Level
Emerald Club also offers some benefits to first-time members, including:
- Earn credits on every rental or choose to earn airline miles or hotel points at one of National’s partner programs.
- Free rental days start at seven credits.
- Emerald Aisle Access: When you reserve a midsize car at any Emerald Aisle location, you can skip the counter and go straight to Emerald Aisle. Then, pick up any car (midsize and above) at Emerald Aisle and pay only the midsize rate in the U.S. and Canada.
- Enjoy a free car class upgrade (subject to availability) at participating locations in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain and Germany.
- There are no costs for the second driver.
- Take advantage of the Drop & Go service, which allows you to return the car and receive a receipt by email.
- Members can take advantage of priority service, which guarantees them rapid service at participating airports in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Related: How to Skip Long Rental Car Pickup Lines for Free
Emerald Club Executive Status
You’ll earn National Emerald Club Executive status once you complete 12 paid rentals or 40 paid rental days in a calendar year. You can also earn Executive status as a benefit of several premium travel rewards cards, including The Platinum Card® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and Chase Sapphire Reserve®. (Membership required.)
In addition to the basic member benefits, Executive members enjoy the following benefits:
- Free rental days cost only six credits.
- Executive Area Access: Choose any car (full-size and above) in the Executive Area at select rental locations in the U.S. and Canada and pay only the midsize rate.
- Enjoy a guaranteed free upgrade when you book a full-size luxury vehicle in the U.S. and Canada.
- Enjoy discounted pricing when you upgrade to Premier Selection vehicles at rental lots across the United States and Canada. Premier Selection vehicles typically include high-end luxury vehicles, such as the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, and Lexus IS 250.
Related: Credit Cards That Offer Elite Status for Car Rentals
Emerald Club Executive Elite status
The highest status level in the National Emerald Club is Executive Elite, which you can achieve after 25 paid rentals or 85 paid rental days in a calendar year. Executive Elite includes all the benefits of the lower levels, but there are some additional benefits, including:
- Free rental days cost only five credits (any car class except trucks and exotics, with no exclusion dates).
- Get a guaranteed vehicle (up to a full-size car) by booking at least 24 hours in advance using the midsize rate in the US or Canada.
- Enjoy free delivery to most private airports in the United States or Canada located within 50 miles of a National rental location.
Related: The Complete Guide to Matching Elite Status to Car Rentals
Earn points and miles with Emerald Club
Emerald Club members can choose to earn points or miles at one of National’s 14 partners instead of rental credits on their rentals. See the full list of partners here, but here’s a quick look at what you could earn at some of the most popular programs:
To change your earning preferences, log in to your Emerald Club account, go to your profile, click “Rewards” and select “Edit” next to “Rewards Preferences.”
Keep in mind that National charges a “frequent flyer fee” on bookings that earn points or miles in partner programs. This fee varies by program, but is typically between 50 cents and $2 per rental day. Always consider whether it makes more sense to earn credit for a free rental or pay extra to earn points or miles.
Related: 10 Ways to Earn Airline Miles Beyond Credit Cards
Tips to Maximize Your Emerald Club Car Rental
Here at TPG, we often write about saving money on rental cars and using points and miles for road trips. Here are some more tips for maximizing your National Emerald Club car rental:
- Using Coupon Codes: As with most car rental companies, you will get a much better rate by using a coupon code or corporate code. These codes are available to employees of many large corporations and members of large organizations, in addition to the deals listed on National’s Specials page.
- Rent from locations with Emerald Aisle: Book an eligible midsize rate and rent from a location where you can select your vehicle. You may be able to get a larger or better car for the same price.
- Consider Premier Selection vehicles: For an additional fee, you can reserve unusual cars like Corvettes and Maseratis in National’s Premier Selection fleet. Keep in mind that luxury vehicles tend to be excluded from credit card rental car insurance, but the optional American Express Premium Car Rental Protection plan may provide coverage.
- Try AutoSlash: While you must book an eligible rate to get Emerald Club benefits and rental credits, you can often find better rates with AutoSlash. You can use this handy tool to compare rates before you book and to search for better rates after you book.
Finally, no matter which car rental company you use, it pays to pay with one of the best credit cards for rental car coverage. That way, you may be able to decline the additional coverage options offered by the rental company and save money.
Related: How to Redeem Points and Miles for Car Rentals
Bottom line
National Emerald Club is a great program, especially for travelers who rent medium or large vehicles frequently and for short periods. With over 1,500 locations worldwide to choose from, you’ll find a rental location that suits your needs for most trips.
