Easy Giveaway: $1000 and National Car Rental Top Tier Elite Status!

by Gary Leff

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.

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!

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  4. Being able to bypass the rental desk and head straight out to the aisle is the most valuable thing that National offers.

  5. The thing that could make my car rental better. Well other than a vehicle that is clean and works well mechanically, would probably come when I reach the counter. Not feeling pressured or tricked into purchasing add ons I don’t need as has happened in the past.

  7. I have been a National Executive Club member since 1995 and have never been disappointed. Just back from Hawaii where the staff in Kona and Maui were great. I wish all the locations had that Aloha spirit.Choosing your car is a great feature. I would love to make it up to the next level- Executive Elite – for a year.

  9. No hard sell on insurance coverage at the counter. Especially that trick question”what insurance do you usually get the basic or…”

  15. I think the one thing to make my rental experience better is to offer great low one way rates.

  16. If a car has xm, keep it activated, keep counter from up selling, give benefits (upgrade) as promised.

  21. I would love it if the tank was full when I checked out the rental and the location would fill it up at market price (say the price at the nearest pump) when I returned it.

  24. I am a BIG proponent of EMERALD! I get frustrated when I discover my FULL TANK of gas is actually a bit low because previous user refilled 15-20 miles from airport. Need a way that rental company can verify tank is truly full. Hope to win GIFT CARD!!!!

  27. Not having the counter staff trying to hard sell upgrade or insurance i don’t want or need like Thrifty at the Denver airport does.

  32. i feel like the experience would be slightly better if there aren’t so many add on fees (I.e. Additional driver fees , gps fee, upgrade fee).

  34. In terminal drop off, even if they don’t have an on-site presence. Who likes wasting time waiting around for a shuttle?

  35. I enjoy Emerald aisle, but National could increase check in staff at busy times. Nothing like fighting traffic and then waiting at LAX for space to come in off the street to check in and run to the shuttle.

  36. I’d like to see a more interesting fleet of cars. They don’t have to be nicer, just less boring – like Zipcars instead of mass volume sedans in various sizes.

  38. Would like to have a seamless counter experience and I would love when the cars are newer models with fewer miles and that they are clean and not trashed with coffee stains on seats and such. Would love to try out National….

  40. What would help me when renting cars is the peace of mind knowing I have insurance in case of accident or damage to a rental car without paying a fortune. The area of insurance coverage for car rentals remains too uncertain/confusing/expensive IMO.

  41. Offer luxury cars at all National airport locations. We have noticed in the last few years that many National airport locations no longer offer luxury cars.

  44. Bigger stations should use a “Now helping guest #…” numbering system (and include chairs to sit in) so renters and sit and wait to be called up, rather than stand in a cattle line. Simple fix, not too much cost, but the return in goodwill would be tremendous.

  45. For the love of all that is holy in the rental car business… GIVE ME A CLEAN WINDSHIELD INSIDE AND OUT.

    Thank you.

  46. Please give me the choice of hybrids, I love my Prius at home and hate having to gas up so frequently.

  48. I only rent from National. The ability to choose my own car for the needs of each trip is a great perk for me. Convertible in Vegas, 4-wheel drive for Oregon’s sandy beaches, compact car for short drives, and mini van for a family trip in Hawaii, National always has the right car for my needs.

  50. In emerald aisle, knowing what features cars have without having to look inside them . For example, Bluetooth, satellite radio, backup camera, etc.

Comments are closed.