The Hertz Gold Plus Rewards frequent renter loyalty program has undergone a major devaluation once again, with all rewards increasing by as much as almost 26.67 percent effective as of yesterday, Tuesday, August 9, 2022 — with the exception of one reward — and some categories have either changed or have been eliminated altogether.
Massive Devaluation of Hertz Gold Plus Rewards 2022
These “adjustments” — as they were officially referred by Hertz — were technically announced on Sunday, August 7, 2022 via an e-mail message which was sent to members of Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. The main topic of that e-mail message touted the availability of box trucks which can be rented from Hertz by the hour, by the day, or for a longer period of time for moving across town or across the country. If the recipient of that e-mail message was not interested in the topic, then he or she missed the announcement pertaining to the “adjustments” which was buried in that e-mail message.
For your convenience in calculating value for yourself, here is a complete list of the rewards for which you can redeem your Hertz Gold Plus Rewards frequent renter loyalty program points if the destination of your car rental is in the United States — along with a comparison of the former reward redemptions:
| Daily Rentals | Previous Standard Rewards | New Standard Rewards | Percent Increase | Previous AnyDay Rewards | New AnyDay Rewards | Percent Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Free Rental Day | 750 | 900 | 20 percent | 1,500 | 1,900 | 26.67 percent |
| 2 Free Rental Days | 1,500 | 1,900 | 26.67 percent | 3,000 | 3,800 | 26.67 percent |
| 3 Free Rental Days | 2,250 | 2,850 | 26.67 percent | 4,500 | 5,700 | 26.67 percent |
| 4 Free Rental Days | 3,000 | 3,800 | 26.67 percent | 6,000 | 7,600 | 26.67 percent |
| Specialty Vehicles 1 Free Rental Day | 1,500 | 1,900 | 26.67 percent | 3,000 | 3,800 | 26.67 percent |
| Specialty Vehicles 2 Free Rental Days | 3,000 | 3,800 | 26.67 percent | 6,000 | 7,600 | 26.67 percent |
| Specialty Vehicles 3 Free Rental Days | 4,500 | 5,700 | 26.67 percent | 9,000 | 11,400 | 26.67 percent |
| Specialty Vehicles 4 Free Rental Days | 6,000 | 7,600 | 26.67 percent | 12,000 | 15,200 | 26.67 percent |
| Hertz Adrenaline Collection 1 Free Standard Day | Not applicable | 2,787 | Not applicable | Not applicable | 5,573 | Not applicable |
| Hertz Adrenaline Collection 2 Free Standard Days | Not applicable | 5,573 | Not applicable | Not applicable | 11,147 | Not applicable |
| Hertz Adrenaline Collection 3 Free Standard Days | Not applicable | 8,360 | Not applicable | Not applicable | 16,720 | Not applicable |
| Hertz Adrenaline Collection 4 Free Standard Days | Not applicable | 11,147 | Not applicable | Not applicable | 22,293 | Not applicable |
| Hertz Prestige Collection 1 Free Standard Day | Not applicable | 3,167 | Not applicable | Not applicable | 6,333 | Not applicable |
| Hertz Prestige Collection 2 Free Standard Days | Not applicable | 6,333 | Not applicable | Not applicable | 12,667 | Not applicable |
| Hertz Prestige Collection 3 Free Standard Days | Not applicable | 9,500 | Not applicable | Not applicable | 19,000 | Not applicable |
| Hertz Prestige Collection 4 Free Standard Days | Not applicable | 12,667 | Not applicable | Not applicable | 25,333 | Not applicable |
The free standard day rewards for both Hertz Adrenaline Collection vehicles and Hertz Prestige Collection vehicles are new type of rewards which have been introduced with these “adjustments” and included in the Daily Rentals table above.
| Weekly Rentals | Previous Standard Rewards | New Standard Rewards | Percent Increase | Previous AnyDay Rewards | New AnyDay Rewards | Percent Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Free Weekly Rental | 3,750 | 4,750 | 26.67 percent | 7,500 | 9,500 | 26.67 percent |
| 2 Free Weeks of 8-14 Days | 7,500 | 9,500 | 26.67 percent | 15,000 | 19,000 | 26.67 percent |
| Specialty Vehicles Free Weekly Rental | 7,500 | 9,500 | 26.67 percent | 15,000 | 19,000 | 26.67 percent |
| Specialty Vehicles 2 Free Weeks of 8-14 Days | 15,000 | 19,000 | 26.67 percent | 30,000 | 38,000 | 26.67 percent |
| 1 Free Weekly Rental – Hertz Prestige Collection Vehicles | 12,500 | 15,833 | 26.67 percent | 25,000 | 31,667 | 26.67 percent |
| 2 Free Weeks of 8-14 Days – Hertz Prestige Collection Vehicles | 25,000 | 31,667 | 26.67 percent | 50,000 | 63,333 | 26.67 percent |
| 1 Free Weekly Rental – Hertz Adrenaline Collection Vehicles | 11,000 | 13,933 | 26.67 percent | 22,000 | 27,867 | 26.67 percent |
| 2 Free Weeks of 8-14 Days – Hertz Adrenaline Vehicles | 12,000 | 27,867 | 26.67 percent | 44,000 | 55,733 | 26.67 percent |
The following rewards have been eliminated from the Weekly Rentals table above:
- 1 Free Weekly Rental – Hertz Green Traveler Collection Vehicles
- 2 Free Weeks of 8-14 Days – Hertz Green Traveler Collection Vehicles
| One Way Rentals | Previous Standard Rewards | New Standard Rewards | Percent Increase | Previous AnyDay Rewards | New AnyDay Rewards | Percent Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Free Rental Day – One-Way | 1,500 | 1,900 | 26.67 percent | 3,000 | 3,800 | 26.67 percent |
| 2 Free Rental Days – One-Way | 3,000 | 3,800 | 26.67 percent | 6,000 | 7,600 | 26.67 percent |
| 3 Free Rental Days – One-Way | 4,500 | 5,700 | 26.67 percent | 9,000 | 11,400 | 26.67 percent |
| 4 Free Rental Days – One-Way | 6,000 | 7,600 | 26.67 percent | 12,000 | 15,200 | 26.67 percent |
| 1 Free Weekly Rental – One Way | 7,500 | 9,500 | 26.67 percent | 15,000 | 19,000 | 26.67 percent |
Apparently no longer available from the options to redeem Hertz Gold Plus Rewards points are:
- Hertz Green Traveler Collection vehicles
- Hertz Dream Collection vehicles
- Using points for discounts
Weekend rewards were eliminated during the most recent major devaluation back in 2019.
Final Boarding Call
This latest devaluation is once again massive — not so much as the percentages, which was as much as 81.82 percent during the most recent devaluation back in 2019; but rather overall. A free rental day required only 675 points 3.5 years ago. Today, 900 points are required for a free rental day reward.
Although technically not illegal, implementing these changes to significantly devalue the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program overall without an advance warning — or any notice at all, for that matter — is downright sneaky and unethical of Hertz in what I consider one of the worst devaluations of a frequent travel loyalty program in recent memory, which includes the aforementioned one in 2019…
…and to only “announce” the “adjustments” only two days prior to their implementation in an e-mail message whose topic is completely unrelated is just as low, in my opinion.
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.
Listed below are the former awards in countries other than the United States, which is currently still a work in progress at this time:
