National Car Rental's ONE TWO FREE Promotion Is Back

National Car Rental's popular ONE TWO FREE promotion is making its return this spring, giving Emerald Club members the chance to earn free rental days on qualifying rentals across the U.S. and Canada.

If you've got a road trip or two on the calendar between April and June, this is one of the easier car rental promotions to take advantage of.

How the Promotion Works

The concept is simple: for every two qualifying rentals you complete during the promotional period, you'll earn one free rental day.

The promotion runs from April 6 – June 7, 2026, and you'll need to register through the Emerald Club promo page before your first qualifying rental. Registration is open now through June 7, 2026.

To qualify, you'll need to be an active Emerald Club member and reside in either the U.S. or Canada. If you're not already a member, signing up is free and takes just a few minutes.

Qualifying Rental Breakdown

Each qualifying rental must be a minimum of two consecutive days in a midsize or larger vehicle. The number of qualifying rentals you earn depends on the length of each rental:

• 2–7 days: 1 qualifying rental
• 8–11 days: 2 qualifying rentals
• 12–15 days: 3 qualifying rentals
• 16–19 days: 4 qualifying rentals
• 20–23 days: 5 qualifying rentals
• 24–27 days: 6 qualifying rentals

Example Scenario

Say you rent a midsize SUV for a two-day weekend getaway in April. That's one qualifying rental.

Later in May, you book an eight-day road trip out west. Because it falls in the 8–11 day range, that single rental counts as two qualifying rentals.

Between those two bookings, you've racked up three qualifying rentals – earning you one free rental day (with a fourth qualifying rental away from a second). You can then apply that free day to a future rental before December 31, 2026.

Frequent short rentals are the best way to maximize this promotion, since each two-day rental earns a qualifying credit. That said, I wouldn't go out of your way to split a longer trip into separate bookings just to game an extra free day – the savings on the base rate alone likely wouldn't be worth the hassle.

Getting Emerald Club Status in Canada

While basic Emerald Club membership is free and all you need for this promotion, higher-tier status like Executive or Executive Elite unlocks perks like guaranteed upgrades and the ability to choose your own car from the Executive aisle.

The easiest path for Canadians is through a status match. National's Emerald Club has one of the more generous status match programs in the car rental space, accepting matches from airline frequent flyer programs, hotel loyalty programs, and even other car rental programs.

If you hold the American Express Platinum Card, you already have complimentary Hertz Five Star status – which can be matched over to National for Executive-level status. From there, you can also chain-match to Avis and Enterprise if you want coverage across all the major brands.

Even mid-tier hotel status like Hilton Gold or Marriott Gold Elite has been enough for a successful match in many cases. For the full rundown on how to work the chain, check out our guide to status matching with car rentals.

RBC® Avion Visa Infinite^† Shortcut

Here's one that flies under the radar. National still has a dedicated enrollment page for RBC® Avion Visa Infinite^† cardholders that grants Emerald Club Executive status directly – no status match required.

I tested this myself and was upgraded to Executive status valid through February 28, 2028. All I had to do was enroll through the RBC partnership page and add my RBC® Avion Visa Infinite^† card as a payment method.

Executive status includes guaranteed upgrades on midsize through luxury vehicles, access to the Executive aisle (where you pick your own car), and no second-driver fees.

A word of caution: RBC no longer advertises this perk on its own website, and it's unclear how long National will continue to honour it. If you decide to enroll, treat it as a nice bonus rather than something to count on long-term – and don't be surprised if the status quietly disappears at some point.

Key Terms to Know

Free rental days cover the base rate only (time and mileage). Taxes, fees, fuel, and optional services like GPS or insurance aren't included.

You can redeem up to three free days per rental, and the rental must be at least three days long. Free days expire on December 31, 2026, so you'll have plenty of time to use them.

It's worth noting that free days can't be combined with other Emerald Club promotions or discounts, and they can't be applied to existing reservations.

If you're thinking about which credit card to use for your rentals, check out our guide to the best credit cards for car rentals in Canada to maximize your coverage and rewards. And if you're weighing National against other options, we've also compared Turo vs. traditional car rentals.

Conclusion

If you rent cars even a couple of times between April and June, this one's worth the 30 seconds it takes to register. Two rentals gets you a free day – no hoops, no spend thresholds, no points math.

Just make sure you're booking midsize or larger for at least two days each time.