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!
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Faster airport exiting processes. Thank you for the offer!
I hate the way companies charge a transponder fee for every day of your rental even if you only use it once. I would gladly pay a fair fee for the convenience of skipping the tool booth.
The thing that would make it easier for me, specifically at National, would be to have something on the outside of the car to tell you what the features are. Bluetooth? GPS? Satellite? Miles? Make it easier for me to pick when I have a choice. Jumping from car to car is awkward.
Need more employees handling the reservations. Everytime I go to rent a car, I stand in line for at least 15 to 20 mins!
No hassle returns
Improved electronic check in at HNL airport. Someone have an automatic key dispenser where I dont have to stand in line at the Emerald Aisle waiting for my key.
what is the one thing that can make your car rental experience better?
A free upgrade of course.
Quick and efficient check-in and check-out. Don’t mind 5 to 10 minutes, but more than 15 minutes is irritating and unnecessary if you staff to reservations.
Actually having the car that I reserved!
Anything but Hertz please…i was too loyal for too long to Hertz but they finally done it this past holiday season – eat my dust….
Having a car that is properly equipped for the weather condition. Winter tires and – please – an ice scrapper!
This is a coll giveaway. I have a scheduled rental for February and certainly could use one of the prices. Thanks.
Rental counters directly at the airport instead of having to take a shuttle always makes me a happier renter.
Easy pick up and return would be the most important to me. I hate it when I have to spend a lot of time at the counter.
Not having to haggle to get the deal I made online or fight about add on’s, no cars in that class etc.
I wish rental car companies would rent to those 18 and older without a surcharge.
Instructions for setting up the Bluetooth in the car. That would be my pet peeve.
Rental counters located at the airport rather than taking a shuttle. Saves a lot of time.
electric/hybrid cars. and full insurance without the exorbitant fees.
The thing that can make my experience better is definitely newer cars with lower miles. Thanks!
What matters most to me is how quickly I get from the line out the door. The last thing I want after a long flight is a long wait/many details to go over.
Emerald Isle for sure. I love National!
National is one of my favorites. I wish their price in cities is more competitive.
Ease of rental process/pick up and on my way with minimal delay.
By-passing the counter (and waiting line…): Just walk straight away from the airport terminal to the rental car.
Select your own car.
Include GPS on rentals outside US
I wish the fuel rate was cheaper or you could specify a half tank refill on the pre-rental rate. I would like to pre-pay for the gas to not worry about it, but most of the time i don’t drive enough to use the full tank of gas.
Getting to my car, into my car, and off the load as quickly as I can.
Cars with bluetooth enabled music systems and usb charging ports.
One nice touch that would make every rental reservation just a little bit better is having company representatives that always actually care about their customers (or at least pretend to). It seems that lately anytime that I’ve had to speak with someone regarding my vehicle / rental agreement / etc, I would have appreciated a little less apathy.
Interacting with as few humans as possible.
The Emerald Aisle will greatly contribute to a couple of upcoming ski trips. I fly into the SF area and bring my own tire chains. I can select the car based on the tire size!
competitive gas price so you don’t have to fill up before you return your car.
It would be nice to not have to argue about not needing insurance due to primary coverage on my credit card every single time.
My experience would be so much better if the rental desks were located in the airport. I dread waiting for and taking a shuttle to the lot, especially when my kids are with me. Thank you for the wonderful giveaway.
Erin
fairyfractal at gmail dot com
Returns in terminal or at the consulate very least quick shuttles to keep from missing flight.
I would have to say being able to pick from various models of vehicles and sizes from within one class rather than usually only get no choice
A fast checkout experience without all the paper work and signing
It would be great to have expanded hours at non airport locations. I live 20 minutes from EWR and sure I can rent a car there pretty much 24/7, the rates are always high. There are many off airport locations from several different companies but they are always closed after 1PM on Saturday and closed all day Sunday. It would be great to rent a car on Friday night (after 6) or Sat AM (before 9) and return it Sunday. Plus, off airport locations are almost always cheaper.
Shorter lines for picking up the car from places off airport.
No hassle & great cars with the Executive status!
Having a shuttle bus that gets you to the terminal quickly.
Decent counter customer service
Having a credit card all the time is bit of annoying hassle.
Free kids car seats & no hassle returns!
A website that doesn’t make me use some archaic calendar to select dates that was developed in the 90’s.
I have Executive status with National and love the program!
The thing that could make my rental experience better would be if they would just charge a reasonable price for filling up the gas tank when you return the car. Just charge a small premium and I’d be happy to pay it.
A few fun or interesting cars in the National executive line up. Once got to drive a BMW Z4 while entertaining a foreign guest. It was a real treat for both of us.