A car rental service is as important as any other travel service in the world. Airlines and hotel industries can’t run seamlessly without having car rental companies. Passengers would be seen stranded at the airport if there is a shortage of rental cars. Hence, car rental companies play a crucial role in the smooth functioning of the hotel and airline industry. Every year, most car rental companies are rated on their fleet, availability, service, and value for money by various industry experts and travel publications. However, National Car Rental often tops the list of the best car rental service providers almost every year.
In this detailed review, we are going to unfold every aspect of the most prestigious and popular car rental service in the world. Let’s know it’s pros, cons, features, pricing, rewards program, and much more before taking the plunge.
About National Car Rental
National Car Rental is an American car rental company founded in August 1947 in Clayton, Missouri, U.S. It was started by 24 individual car rental agents. Initially, it used to operate in 60 locations, but now it offers services to around 2000 locations across the world.
The brand is known for it’s popular Emerald Club which is a loyalty program meant for business travelers. The program offers special perks and offers to frequent travelers all across the world without filling up forms or dealing with any customer care executive.
How To Rent A Car Via National Car Rental?
Making a reservation is pretty easy on National Car Rental. It offers over 2000 locations across the world, including the U.S., Europe, Asia-Pacific, Australia, Africa, the Caribbean, etc. One can book a car for any location coming in the list of services.
How To Make A Booking?
– First of all, you need to add the pickup location, and date of travel with the exact time
– Secondly, fill in the renter’s age.
– Thirdly, if you want to avail the benefits of your Emerald Club Membership then enter it’s number or a coupon code to get a discount.
– Once you hit a search button, you will get the results list with a car’s features, pricing, etc.
– You can use the filters to simplify your search.
– You can also add some extra products or services such as insurance, navigation, car seats, roadside protection, etc.
– After selecting everything you can finalize your booking.
How To Amplify Your Savings While Renting A Car?
National Car Rental is known for it’s rewards program and special offers around the year. Here, are some of the best ways that you can put to use to save a good amount of money while making bookings.
– Affordable minivans & SUVs for family
If you are traveling with a family then booking a minivan or a full-fledged SUV is much more convenient than any other car. National Car Rental gives you amazing discounts via its special Emerald Aisle membership.
– Special coupon codes
One can also use some special coupon codes to avail of extra discounts while making a car rental reservation. National also offers some special corporate and coupon codes to members of big organizations and employees of some major multi-national companies.
– A Free Rental Program
National Car also offers a free rental program via it’s Emerald Club membership. Here, users will get free credit for a good number of car rentals. Days are not applicable here. Within 1 to 7 days, rentals will be considered as one rental credit. From 8 to 11 days it will be two and from 12 to 15 days, its three. It is purely meant for frequent users. The more you book, the more profit you get.
– One, Two, Free promotion
National is also known for it’s famous yearly promotion, One, Two, Free. In this offer, the brand offers a free rental day the consecutive rentals of over two days. The promotion period usually starts from mid-August to the end of January. However, the free days can be taken from mid-June.
– Autolash special offer
Apart from the company’s own loyalty program and rewards, there is one more way to get exciting offers while making a car rental reservation on National. After making a booking on National, you just need to submit booking details on AutoSlash and it will track and update you about the rental for sudden price drops.
Know About National Emerald Club
National has become a household name for it’s incredibly beneficial Emerald Club. It is designed for frequent travelers who are always on the move. The membership cum loyalty program offers a series of perks and privileges to it’s members. It also offers free car rentals, effortless travel around the clock, and much more. Let’s know more about it in detail, including it’s 3 tiers.
Before explaining every tier, let’s take a look at some common features and services that every member gets irrespective of his membership level.
Common Features & Services That Every Emerald Club Member Gets Across All Levels
– Emerald Aisle
It is a quick bypass service at the counter in the U.S. and Canada.
– Emerald Checkout
It is a fast service to book a rental car while the National mobile app.
– Premier Selection
This service helps you to upgrade to a premier class without connecting with any customer representative at the counter.
– Emerald Reserve Service
It gives an instant bypass at the counter and picks any available car in the class from over 70 locations in Canada and the U.S
– Emerald Club Counter Service
It gives access to the dedicated Emerald Club queue at the rental counter for quicker service
– Priority Service
It gives members the privilege to go directly to the Emerald Club booth at selected locations in Latin America, Europe, and the Caribbean.
Emerald Club Levels
Emerald Club
This is the starting level that offers 1 rental credit for every successful rental. Members will get a free rental day on earning 7 rental credits. Along with that, the level offers:
- Chargeless second driver facility
- Drop & Go service. Just drop off your car and go without worrying about a receipt. It will be emailed to your registered email id.
- Free rental days
- A free 1 class upgrade for selected locations
Emerald Club Executive
Upon the completion of 12 or 40 paid rentals days, all Emerald Club members get automatically upgraded to the Emerald Club Executive level. This level brings a number of benefits, including:
- 1 rental credit for every successful booking
- Free rental days at the price of 6 rental credits
- Pick any car of your choice from the Executive section and pay for a Midsize. However, it’s applicable only in the U.S. and Canada.
- Assured upgrade upon booking a midsize car in Canada and U.S
Emerald Club Executive Elite Level
To get upgraded to the top level one has to qualify for 25 paid rentals or 85 paid rental days in one calendar year. The top-level Emerald Club Executive offers:
- 1 rental credit for every successful rental booked
- Free rental days at the cost of 5 rental credits across all classes
- No blackout dates
- An assured car in 24 hours while renting any midsize car in the U.S. or Canada.
Who Should Join the Emerald Club? Know the benefits
The Emerald Club program is designed especially for frequent travelers. It offers:
- Speed
- Choice
- Control
- Every member an instant bypass at the counter at over 50 airports in the U.S and Canada
- A privilege to book a car of his choice at multiple locations.
- A convenience to add a second driver without paying any additional fees in the contract
- One-click reservations across all the locations to make it easier for members to book and travel
- A priority and expedited service to members
National’s Partners Rewards Program
National Car has over 14 airline partners that also offer some exciting offers, including:
- ANA offers Mileage Club Miles. One can earn over 50 credits per day.
- Air China offers the Phoenix Miles program offering 800 km/rental
- Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan offers 50 miles/per day
- Asia Miles offers 500 miles/rental
- Copa Airlines offers 50miles/per day
Likewise, there are many more airlines that offer exciting rewards that can be used to rent a car for free at the National Car Rental platform.
Similarly, it also has hotel partners, including
- Best Western Hotels & Resorts offering 3 points/$1
- Hilton Honors offering 500 points/rental
- Radisson Rewards Americas offers 300 points/per day.
Know About Credit Card Rewards: How to Earn Them?
Credit cards offer a lot of reward points while using multiple services. When it comes to National Car Rentals, you can use Chase and CitiBusiness credit cards to get maximum benefits. Here are three cards with eye-catching benefits, including:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: it offers 3x reward points while traveling. It also includes car rentals
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: It offers 2x reward points on travel that includes car rentals
- CitiBusines: It offers 2x miles on renting cars.
National Car Rentals Alternatives
When it comes to it’s alternatives, then the market is flooded with car rental services. However, sometimes options can be overwhelming and put users in a lot of dilemmas. Although National Car Rentals offer the best deals and rewards along with a lot of cars, still it’s prominent alternatives are:
– Enterprise
Enterprise operates in more than 7000 locations and offers a 4-level loyalty program.
– Alamo
It is also a prominent alternative to National when it comes to features and rewards. it offers unlimited free mileage as a standard feature. It also runs a special Alamo Insider program for free offering customers an assured 5% off the retail price.
– Hertz
Hertz is a little more expanded than National.
Why Should You Choose National Car Rental?
National Car rental is nothing short of a joyride for everyone, especially Emerald Club members. It’s membership is much more rewarding, convenient, and loaded with privileges than it’s competitors. It offers multiple promotions and privileges that let users board their rentals swiftly and effortlessly anywhere in the world. So if you want to fully enjoy National Car rental service, then enroll yourself in it’s membership program. It will give you incredible benefits like no one else in the market.
FAQs
Is the membership to Emerald Club free?
Yes, one can join free of cost.
Can I use it’s free days with any other car rental service?
No, one can’t use it with any other car rental service provider.
Does one require additional insurance?
It’s up to one’s wish. National Car Rental does offer multiple insurance options along with credit cards.
Does it offer a mobile app?
Yes. One can manage their rentals or membership right from the mobile app effortlessly.