The Beginner's Guide to Hertz Car Rentals

Hertz is one of the biggest names in airport car rentals, alongside Avis, Enterprise, National, Budget, and others. For Canadians, it’s also one of the easiest to extract real value from without ever paying for a rental.

The reason is simple. One credit card in your wallet can hand you mid-tier Hertz status, exclusive discounted rates, and a four-hour return grace period, all without renting a single car first.

If you’ve never paid attention to Hertz Gold Plus Rewards before, this guide will walk you through how the program works, what the tiers get you, and the shortcuts that turn an occasional rental into a pretty smooth experience.

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards: The Basics

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards is the company’s loyalty program, and it’s free to join. Sign-up takes about two minutes on the Hertz website, and you’ll get a member number that ties together your reservations, points, and any elite status you hold.

Even at the entry-level Gold tier, you’re no longer the customer waiting in line at the counter. Your rentals get pre-assigned to a numbered stall (the “Gold Canopy” at most major airports), your name is on the board, and you walk straight to the car with the keys already inside.

That alone is worth signing up for, even if you only rent once or twice a year. Points, tier benefits, and upgrades are gravy on top.

Hertz Status Tiers

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards has three tiers. Hertz lowered the bar to reach Five Star at the start of 2026, which makes the mid-tier far more accessible than it used to be.

• Gold: Free to join, no minimum rentals required. Skip-the-counter service at participating airports.
• Five Star: Three rentals or $1,000 (USD) in qualifying spend per calendar year. One-class space-available upgrades, 25% bonus points, and broader access to the Ultimate Choice lot.
• President’s Circle: 15 rentals or $3,000 (USD) in qualifying spend per calendar year. Guaranteed one-class upgrades, 50% bonus points, widest access to the Ultimate Choice lot, and a dedicated phone line.

For most Canadian leisure travellers, hitting Five Star organically is realistic over a year or two of regular travel. President’s Circle is harder unless you’re renting for work or extended trips.

The good news? You don’t actually need to rent your way in. We’ll get to the credit card shortcuts shortly.

Earning Hertz Points

You earn one Hertz point per US dollar spent on the base rental rate. Taxes, fees, and add-ons like insurance or fuel options don’t count toward earning.

Five Star members earn 1.25 points per dollar, and President’s Circle members earn 1.5 points per dollar. The bonus is small in absolute terms, but it stacks up over multiple rentals.

You can also earn Hertz points indirectly by crediting your rental to a partner airline or hotel program instead. Hertz partners with Aeroplan, Atmos Rewards, American Airlines AAdvantage, Delta SkyMiles, and many others. You can only credit to one program per rental, so the choice is yours.

Earning Aeroplan Points and SQCs on Hertz

For Canadians, the best play is usually Aeroplan’s new earning partnership with Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty. Booking through aircanada.com earns Aeroplan points on the base rental rate, and the rate scales with your Aeroplan Elite tier.

• Aeroplan members (no status): 2 points per dollar
• Aeroplan 25K, 35K, and 50K Elite: 3 points per dollar
• Aeroplan 75K Elite: 4 points per dollar
• Aeroplan Super Elite: 5 points per dollar

Booking through aircanada.com adds another 2 points per dollar on top of the tier rate, so a Super Elite booking online earns 7 points per dollar on the base rate. The same booking also earns 1 Status Qualifying Credit (SQC) for every 5 Aeroplan points, which directly counts toward keeping or upgrading your Aeroplan status under the new revenue-based qualification rules.

One catch worth flagging. Booking through aircanada.com routes the rental through Aeroplan’s CDP code, and Hertz reservations only carry one CDP at a time. So if you would otherwise stack the Amex Platinum CDP for the four-hour grace period, you have to pick one or the other. Run a quick comparison on the same dates before locking in.

Redeeming Hertz Points

Hertz uses two redemption charts. Standard Rewards start at 750 points per day for an economy car at off-peak times, and they have blackout dates. AnyDay Rewards start at 1,500 points per day with no blackout dates, which is useful around holidays and peak travel windows.

Pricing scales up with vehicle class and location. A weekend rental in a popular leisure market like Orlando or Las Vegas will cost more points than a weekday rental in a smaller city.

On a per-point basis, Hertz points aren’t especially valuable. We’d ballpark them at well under one cent each. Still, they’re a nice consolation prize if you’re already renting frequently, and they’re easier to burn than airline miles since you can use them for short rentals without the kind of award availability headaches you’d face booking flights.

Shortcuts to Hertz Status

You don’t need to rent 15 cars to skip the line and pick from a better selection. Three practical paths get Canadians there.

American Express Platinum Card

The biggest shortcut is the American Express Platinum Card, which comes with complimentary Hertz Five Star status. Enrollment is automatic once you link your card. No rentals required.

You also get exclusive Hertz pricing through the Amex Platinum CDP code, which can come in 20–50% below public rates depending on the location and date. Plus, you get a four-hour return grace period, so a 28-hour rental still bills as one day.

Aeroplan Elite or an Aeroplan credit card

This is the newest path, and it’s the strongest one for Canadians without an Amex Platinum. Aeroplan’s new partnership with Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty includes a complimentary Hertz Gold+ status grant for Aeroplan Elite members and Aeroplan-cobranded credit cardholders.

Premium Aeroplan cobranded cards are the headline here, since they grant Hertz Gold+ President’s Circle, the top tier in the program. The same status also goes to Aeroplan 75K and Super Elite members.

Eligible premium cards for President’s Circle:

• TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card
• CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite Privilege* Card
• American Express® Aeroplan Reserve Card
• American Express® Aeroplan Business Reserve Card

If you hold one of those, requesting President’s Circle from the Aeroplan dashboard is the single biggest perk you can pull out of the partnership. Guaranteed upgrades, the widest selection at Ultimate Choice lots, and a dedicated phone line for support, all at no extra cost.

For Hertz Gold+ Five Star, the mid-tier, the eligibility list extends to Aeroplan 25K, 35K, and 50K Elite members, plus holders of any core Aeroplan credit card such as the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, the CIBC Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card, or the Chase Aeroplan® Card.

You request the status grant from your Aeroplan dashboard, and it appears on your Hertz Gold+ profile within seven business days. The status is valid for 12 months and re-requested annually as long as you stay eligible.

Status matching from another program

Hertz accepts status matches from competing car rental loyalty programs through their dedicated match page. National Emerald Club Executive matches to Hertz Five Star, and National Executive Elite matches to Hertz President’s Circle.

If you don’t hold any car rental status today, the easiest entry point is to start with one credit card and chain matches outward. We cover the full playbook in our guide to status matching with car rentals.

Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite members and above also get a path to Hertz status through the Marriott–Hertz partnership, though the matched tier varies and the benefit has been less consistent than the credit card shortcuts.

Saving Money on Hertz Rates

Status gets you a better car when you arrive. The right discount code (Hertz calls these CDP codes) gets you a better rate when you book.

American Express Platinum CDP

If you hold the American Express Platinum Card, log in to the Amex travel benefits page to grab your CDP code. Plug it into the “Discount/CDP/Club Code” field on hertz.ca and you’ll see lower rates than the public price, plus the four-hour grace period applied automatically.

RBC® Avion Visa Infinite^†

The RBC® Avion Visa Infinite^† has its own Hertz partnership. Enter the first six digits of your RBC Avion Visa as the CDP code on hertz.ca, and you’ll unlock up to 20% off the base rate, a free additional driver, and 10% off prepaid fuel.

AutoSlash and Costco Travel

Both AutoSlash and Costco Travel regularly surface Hertz rates that beat the public price. Costco bookings include a free additional driver, while AutoSlash will monitor your existing reservation and email you if the price drops.

Most Hertz reservations are fully cancellable until pickup, so there’s no penalty for booking now and rebooking later if a cheaper rate appears.

For a fuller breakdown of which cards include rental car insurance, status, and discount codes, head over to our guide on the best credit cards for car rentals in Canada.

Skip the Counter and Ultimate Choice

Hertz’s on-the-ground experience leans heavily on automation, and the perks scale with your status.

At most major airports, every Gold member skips the counter entirely. You head straight to the Gold Canopy, find your name on the board, and walk to your assigned stall. The keys are in the car.

At about 50 US airport locations, Hertz operates an Ultimate Choice lot. Instead of getting a specific car assigned to you, you walk into a section of the lot (different sections for different car classes) and pick whatever you want from what’s available.

Five Star members get access to a wider section than Gold members. President’s Circle members get the widest access of all, often spanning multiple class tiers. The end result is the same as walking into the National Executive aisle, except the upgrade is happening inside Hertz’s lot rather than across brands.

Things to Know Before You Rent

A few practical notes that trip up new Hertz renters.

Decline the rental company’s damage waiver. Most premium Canadian credit cards include collision damage waiver coverage when you charge the full rental to the card. Accepting Hertz’s in-house damage waiver overrides your card’s coverage and adds $30–40 (CAD) per day to your bill.

Watch the fuel option. Hertz’s prepaid fuel option is rarely a good deal unless you’re returning the car nearly empty. The default is to refuel before return, and that’s usually the cheapest path.

Toll passes add up (US rentals). If you’re renting in the United States, Hertz’s PlatePass automatically charges tolls plus a daily convenience fee that can run $5–10 (USD) per day. Ask at pickup whether you can opt out and pay tolls directly. Canadian rentals don’t use this system.

Hertz’s EV fleet has shrunk. After the high-profile Tesla sell-off in 2024, Hertz’s electric vehicle inventory is much smaller than it once was. Don’t count on getting an EV unless you specifically book one and confirm with the location.

Conclusion

If you hold the American Express Platinum Card, signing up for Hertz Gold Plus Rewards is a no-brainer. You walk in with Five Star status, exclusive rates, and the four-hour grace period, all activated by linking your card.

Aeroplan Elites and Aeroplan credit cardholders should request the free Hertz Gold+ status grant from the Aeroplan dashboard, then book through aircanada.com when Hertz has a competitive rate. The points and SQCs are real progress toward keeping your Aeroplan status under the new rules.

If you don’t fall into either bucket, Hertz is still a fine choice when the rate or location works for your trip, but National’s Emerald Club tends to be the more rewarding starting point for a Canadian without a card-driven or program-driven shortcut into Hertz.

Either way, taking two minutes to enroll in Gold Plus Rewards before your next rental is the easiest win in the program. Skipping the counter on a tired arrival evening is worth more than most loyalty perks I can think of.