National Car Rental has what I believe is the strongest promotion in the market each year, “One Two Free.”
You earn a free rental day for every two qualifying rentals (mid-size or larger for 2 days or longer). And when they run the promotion, they do so for long periods of time. The most current offer is for a five month stretch which concludes at the end of January.
I’ve been renting regularly from National for the past couple of years. The unique selling proposition to me isn’t the rewards, though I’ve earned plenty of free rental days. It’s the ‘Emerald Aisle’ where being a member of their Emerald Club program means you walk out to the lot, take your choice of cars from the designated row(s), and just get in and drive to the exit.
Sometimes I’ll take whatever is closest, other times an SUV when I want something larger, and occasionally I’ll get in a bunch of cars to look for the one with lowest miles and features I want. National calls it “speed, choice, and control.” I call it not having to go asking for something other than a Taurus.
As the current One Two Free promotion wraps up, National offered me the chance to interview one of their frequent renters and also give away status and gift cards. I jumped at the chance.
- To be clear, I’m not taking anything from National for doing this — all of the prizes and benefits go to you, my readers.
- I thought if they could put me in touch with someone to interview who rents much more frequently than I do, a minimum of 100 days a year, they could offer a really interesting perspective.
So here’s the giveaway:
- (5) $200 gift cards
- (5) National Emerald Club Executive Elite status upgrades.
There will be (5) prize winners, each to receive a $200 gift card and Executive Elite status. Not only do Executive Elites get to pick from the Executive aisle of higher category cars (as National Executive status allows) but they earn free rental days faster and in my experience are able to redeem those free rental days for premium vehicles.
- Worth noting that WorldElite MasterCard cardholders and American Express Platinum cardholders are entitled to National’s Executive status, which also gets access to the Executive aisle. That’s worth signing up for.
All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on this post answering the question: what is the one thing that can make your car rental experience better?
Please enter only one time. This contest will run through January 19 at noon Eastern, and I will draw the winners with the assistance of random.org. All of my decisions are final.
Here’s the interview, so you can learn about car rentals from someone who rents more than I do
I had a great discussion with Bruce McNeal who rents well over a hundred times a year, and thought I’d ask how he thinks about his rentals and since he more or less lives in a car how he approaches making it as comfortable and easy as possible.
How often are you on the road, and what leads you to travel so much?
- I am on the road sometimes for 15 days a month. I am part of the store support team on a national retailer. I have locations in ten states.
Are you renting from the same locations over and over, or different locations?
- I fly to 4 or 5 airports and try to know the staff on the Aisle or at the rental counter at the airports. The rest of my rentals come from the great staff at the National located in Naperville, IL. I park my car at that location and drive to areas where I can visit 3 or 4 stores at a time.
How many of your rental days are through National?
- All my rentals are with National, when the Markham location was closed, I tried Hertz local and the cars were inconsistent. I also had an issue with the I Pass ( toll road auto pay)system that they had.
Why do you choose National as your primary rental company?
- Our corporation uses National as a primary car rental company, the special treatment as an Emerald Aisle member and other perks keep me coming back.
How do you book – do you have an assistant, do you book yourself, and if so online/phone/mobile app? Why?
- I book thru a corp. travel site, as required by my company. I used to book on`line and take advantage of the great discounts sent out from National. I do not have anyone assisting me.
When taking cars from the Emerald Aisle what do you look for in making your choice – specific vehicle type? Do you get in multiple cars and select based on features or look at mileage? In other words, do you take the first car to get out quickly or do you use the Aisle to be picky?
- The first thing is a personal matter; I have several family members that either are retired from American car manufactures or are currently working for one; I take great pride in “Buy American” whenever I can. I enjoy SUV’s in the winter when roads can become hazardous. Then I like the great looking cars( in my opinion) like the Chrysler 300. Currently I am crazy about the Ford Explorer especially when it is fully loaded and has satellite radio.
Do you take any accessories or optional items? Why or why not?
- When I am in an area that I do not know and not working, I take insurance, I pass on everything else.
How do you refuel – do you prepay, fill up the tank yourself, or just return the car without a fillup? Why?
- I always refill, the National in Naperville is part of an Enterprise location, so I return with the same amount of gas. The main reason why is that it is our policy not to prepay gas.
How do you use your free rental days? Business or leisure? How do you decide whether to pay out of pocket or use a free rental day?
- More often than not I attach the extra days to a rental when I intend to enjoy a weekend in or near a city that I am working in that week. There have been several times that I let my wife drive my car and use a rental car if her auto in in the shop for several days. I will pay for the rental instead of using free days, if there are great weekend rates in the discount coupons that National sends out. Why use a free day for a nineteen dollar rental?
Any other tips and tricks that my readers should know?
- Being nice goes a long way. There was an airport location, I befriended one of the Aisle attendants; I would call and they would find the best available car for me. Please be pleasant to the people working at the locations, they rent 100’s of cars daily and some things do not always fall together. Lastly a smile means a lot to everybody.
Thanks, Bruce!
Now, leave your comment on this post to enter to win a gift card and status! And take advantage of 1-2 Free while there’s still time!
- You can join the 40,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign up to receive posts by email (just one e-mail per day) or subscribe to the RSS feed. It’s free. You can also follow me on Twitter for the latest deals. Don’t miss out!
I’ve been using national for the last few years, however they keep closing NYC locations, i would say two fold: open more NYC locations and also – let us use discounts in NYC, I accumulate free car rental days and get a ton of emails with rental discount codes, however I can’t use any in NYC!
One thing that makes my rental better is a good choice of vehicles.
When I travel and rent a car, the last thing I want to do is stand in line at the rental agency. I want to walk directly to my vehicle, drop my bag in the trunk, and drive to my destination.
A clean car inside and outside.
An easy way to figure out which cars have the lowest mileage would be great. Especially when you get to choose your own car.
That sounds fast-I like that!
i like the Executive Aisle but sometimes all they have are minivans…. Would be nice to have a consistent variety to choose from. And of course gift cards would be nice.
Very generous. Thanks for the opportunity.
the experience is better with cheap rates!
new cars = low mileage. renting a car with under 3000 miles on it from Silvercar over Xmas sure was nice!
No wait times is by far the most important, the last thing I want to do after spending all that time on the plane and waiting to disembark is wait longer.
Very generous, thanks for the opportunity.
Having the outside of the vehicle clean…especially the windshield during winter. I could barely see out of my last rental car!
Skipping the check in line altogether is critical. I won’t rent from a company unless I can go directly to the vehicle.
Automating the pick up / drop off experience would make everything go a lot more smoothly.
Nothing worse than getting into a dirty, smelly car after a long flight. It would nice to enforce the quality control on the cleanliness of rental cars.
not having to argue with the rental car agent for an upgrade.
Consistent experience from location to location
Skipping lines/reducing wait time. Although a close second is not having to worry about extra charges when returning a car.
not to get a hard upsell on insurance at the counter, if i have to go to the counter!!!!!
GPS free for all cars. Too many times it’s either prohibitively expensive or they’re out of units (I know, smartphones, but that drains your battery and don’t look at your phone while driving!). And a variety of phone chargers available for check-out/automatically in the car.
National is my favorite rental car agency.
What could make the rental experience better? More consistent availability of vehicles with Bluetooth pairing and/or USB plug-in ability so I don’t have to guess or search multiple cars for one that will let me easily access music and calling through my iPhone.
Sensible pricing and insurance in foreign countries
Better rates on one way rentals!
Having a car ready to go for me when I get to the rental location!
Thanks for the giveaway!
clean windshields
I wish all rental car companies would note which vehicles have cigarette odors so those of us who are allergic don’t have to deal with it. I am in a rental car now (car is in the shop) and am now on my 3rd vehicle in 2 days because the previous 2 were filled with cigarette smoke. It’s been a horrible experience so far!
Love me some Emerald Aisle!
Thinking about a rental at HOU! Thanks for this opportunity!
I do enjoy cars with tech features. Syncing my phone to a car makes for a more convenient rental when I’m already in an unfamiliar city.
Specifically for National EA/ES: have a display with the list of cars currently parked in these aisles to help make the choice without walking and looking around.
Fair and reasonable add on charges for toll roads.
A clean car interior makes a big difference in my rental experience. Spill residue on the center console or weird smells are a bad way to start your rental.
I’d love to try the Emerald Aisle — it would definitely make my car rental experience better. Thanks!
make it like Silvercar where you can pay $5 and they fill the tank at market rates
I love the aisle!
More variety is always good. I appreciate seeing cars other than Malibu/Impala/Maxima/Altima.
Not having to provide a receipt to show that I filled up the tank before return the car.
A clean, low-mileage car!
do not upsell insurance and add-ons just rent me your car 🙂
Fix the toll billing mess.
I have been using National a bit lately and like their cars. I would like two things to work better in my rentals – firstly a list of gas stations near the return location as that is one thing I am always scrambling to do and the GPS i ssomewhat reliable. Secondly, for status holders, a longer grace period would be very helpful.
Rough idea of trunk space during booking – accommodates oversize bags, etc.
Streamlining the check in process. Seems like it takes forever to get the car. Long lines, long wait to get the car. Maybe have an online check-in, where you could let them know exact time on the day of and they could have a separate line for those who are elite and who checked in early where your car would be pulled up and ready
I think when customer service is good it can make your entire experience better. If you have someone who is willing to help and is friendly it makes it so much more easier than someone who is grumpy and has an attitude.
Interesting to hear more about rental cars too!
I’d love to use the gift card on my upcoming trip to Maui and splurge for a Convertible!
I could happily use the Gift Card. I always look for counter free pickup, low mileage, basic features etc. Some cars I rented did not have cruise control which is a real pain.