Hertz $50 certificates with Marriott $250 gift cards

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The Rapid Traveler needed a a minivan to ferry family over the potholes of New Jersey to a wedding this weekend. Daily rates including taxes and fees from Newark (EWR) were all over $100 and off-airport locations were no cheaper but mostly are closed Sundays, resulting in an additional day charge.

Reader RCalistan, guru of points and miles, personal finance, and IT came to the rescue. Until the end of year Marriott Gift Cards gives a $50 Hertz certificate with every $250 Marriott gift certificate purchase. Each gift card must be ordered separately and there is a small shipping charge per card. The terms are lengthy, but the important points are:

Can be used with any vehicle class
Up to three vouchers can be used on a reservation
No other offers can be combined
Cannot be used with prepaid rates
Booking is with the Marriott rates, which are generally good
No minimum rental length or days of week restrictions

Overall, not bad if you are a regular Marriott customer and can make use of the gift cards. That $140 day for a minivan suddenly became $0 (extra amount is forfeited).