Check out our Top Rewards Cards to boost your points earning and travel more!
United already had extended the united.com Hertz 1,500 mile booking bonus to January 31, 2018. Now the great targeted rental offers are going out that are sweeter.
Check your email for sender “MileagePlus Partner” with a subject along the lines of “Limited time offer: Earn up to 5,500 miles per car rental and save up to 40% on base rates.” Also good to January 31, 2018
These targeted offers most likely to go to those with United elite status or United credit cardholders. Miles differ based on your status and offer. No registration required.
Triple Dipping – Here’s How it Works:
1. 500-1,250 base miles for a Hertz rental.
You earn these miles on eligible rentals regardless of booking through United or not.
You must opt in with Hertz to earn United miles and generally will be charged a $0.75 per day frequent flyer fee on your rental.
You do not need to have a targeted offer.
You do not need to use the United CDP. Other CDP discount codes such as corporate rates earn miles, too.
2. United.com 1,500 mile booking bonus.
If you book through united.com you can get a 1,500 booking bonus. Rental must be mid-size or larger.
You do not need to have a targeted offer. Anyone can book through united.com and earn this bonus.
Booking this way uses the United CDP which may be competitive or not. Comparison shop.
The united.com search only supports major airports as pick-up and drop off locations. I have had minimal success booking here, then on the Hertz site or by calling Hertz changing either/both the pick-up and drop-off to nearby neighborhood locations.
3. Targeted 3,000 mile bonus.
If you received the email offer, you will get 3,000 miles on top of the above.
You do not need to use the United CDP to earn the bonus.
Let me repeat that: you do not need to use the United CDP to earn the bonus.
You can book any competitive, eligible rate for any participating Hertz location including neighborhood locations, and still earn the 3,000 miles on top of base earnings.
Here’s how it looks on two of my rentals as a United Gold, one booked United.com for airport and one booked direct wiith Hertz for neighborhood. Excuse the MileagePlus Dining activity in there.
We don’t have a car yet in Seattle and I have been renting a lot. Admittedly, I don’t always have a great justification to rent and still do. Now that United MileagePlus has gone revenue-based earn for flights, this is my main source of United miles, my most valued airline miles currency.
Q&A:
Miles not posting? Be patient. The various bonuses post at different times. Your base miles should post within a few days of rental. Your United elite/card bonus, the united.com bonus, and the targeted bonus will appear in batches at different times over a couple weeks. United backdates activity to the date of rental, regardless of when they post the miles, so it is easy to track things in the end.
Missing miles? Contacting United for help on missing miles goes nowhere. Appealing to Hertz can be a tough fight. I have had most success on the contact form, not then missing miles for, because the missing miles form does not have a comment field to explain, say, if you earn based miles but not the other bonuses. Over 30+ Hertz rentals this year I have only had two where the miles did not post properly. Both were resolved in my favor.
Back to back rentals? Yes, if you return a car and pick up a new one at the same location, each rental earns miles. This sounds fun until you realize the amount of time involved.
Multiple same-day rentals at the same location? I have not personally tried this. From reports, this does not work.
Multiple same-day rentals at different locations? Also have not tried this, though reports that it may work. Hertz does include in its terms that they may audit and claw back on irregular activity, though I do not know what triggers a review.
Check Out Our: Top Rewards Cards ¦ Newsletter ¦ Twitter ¦ Facebook ¦ Instagram
Stefan: I’ve been banking nice miles since the summer thanks to the targeted 3k bonus miles promo. It’s set to end tomorrow, 1/31. Any idea if this promo is being extended? I know they typically extend the 1.5k united.com bonus promo, though that one is un-targeted.
Stefan: I’ve been banking nice miles since the summer thanks to the targeted 3k bonus miles promo. It’s set to end tomorrow, 1/31. Any idea if this promo is being extended? I know they typically extend the 1.5k united.com bonus promo, though that one is un-targeted.
I’ve been waiting and hoping for an extension. On 1/21 I got an email that they were only extending the 1.5k united.com booking bonus. 2/1 is almost here, I have my last rental pickup tomorrow.
Hi Stefan. I am not targeted for the 3k but would like to use the 1500 bonus along with my 750 United Card bonus. Do you think it would work if I used (CDP) 62455, PC#305023 going through the Hertz web site as opposed to United.com. I am trying to book a non-airport location. Thanks
I have not gotten that to work, though have had occasional success with booking on united.com for the airport location then online or calling Hertz to change one of pick-up or drop-off, though not in changing both.
Thanks Stefan. The Hertz site allows me to use the codes and book a car. I guess United crediting me the miles is another story.
Which side I should contact to in order to get missing points?
Hertz, no matter what you do to contact United they will push you back to Hertz. Don’t use the Hertz claim missing points form because it just submits with no comment field you can enter, use their general contact form. Please note that the various bonuses post at different times over several weeks post-rental. I do not contact Hertz unless it has been more than a month and still not posted.
Using this promo, I just reserved cars for 90 cents per day in MEX and MTY on the 20th and 21st. I’m now actually thinking about another trip to Mexico for the purpose of manufacturing United miles. I might do it in January, so that I can stay at some Category 1 SPG hotels and start work on requalifying for Platinum.
That can be lucrative, heads up though if you have not rented in Mexico before, you do need to buy the 3rd-party liability to rentals there that will add about $13/day, it is often not disclosed up front or buried in the fine print, until you get to the rental counter than they have a big sign on the desk stating this. Applies to all rental agencies.
Yes, I was expecting something like that. The rentals this month are organic, as I was traveling anyway and need transportation, and I’d be renting even without the bonus miles. But the Monterrey area has three Category 1 SPG hotels, and SPG gives stay credit for three rooms for the same night, so a long weekend in MTY can go a long way toward requalifying for SPG Plat at the cost of a very few SPG points. It just makes sense to go ahead and do it so that I can pick up some cheap United miles at the same… Read more »
I love this post. I had not even considered trying different combinations of CDP/PC. I read in one of your comments that you got the 3000 bonus without either the CDP or PC? Did I read that right?
PS: I also love the tip about Amex OPEN
Yes, the 3,000 plus the standard 500 plus the 500 for UA Gold, several dozen rentals so far without the CDP or PC (am using other CDPs with better rates). Airport and neighborhood locations.
Thanks for the very helpful post. Two quick clarification questions. First, under “1. 500-1,250 base miles for a Hertz rental” you stated “Rental must be mid-size or larger.” Was that a typo or am I missing something (as I don’t see anywhere in the terms that midsize or larger is required to earn the 500-1,250 base miles)? Second, does “3. Targeted 3,000 mile bonus” require PC 305023 to be used (e.g., this code is not accepted when I tested one day rentals using AAA rates at NYC non-airport locations)?
You do not need to use any PC for the targeted bonus, only to get the United.com booking bonus which would populate that anyway. That PC only works with United’s CDP, I have tried others.
For the base miles I thought I saw that somewhere but cannot find it, so must be my mistake and I am updating the post.
Do you have to use the United Mileage Plus to make the purchase?
No, you can use any card. I use an Amex business card since Hertz participates in OPEN, you can get a 5% cashback statement credit or 2 extra Membership Rewards points, which Membership Rewards-earning cards you need to choose in your Amex account which one you want, with others like Delta or SPG you can only get the 5% cashback. https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/opensavings/opensavings.do
I’m United Silver and received the above offer as well. I too took part of this during the summer as well and glad that it came back just in time for the trips (all close to one another) that I have coming up. One considers that of taking advantage of Hertz’ 1-way FL rental (2 wks for $233 from the NE).
I always use my CSP b/c of the 1st Primary Car Insurance reasons. My question is: can I change cc’s (from CSP to SPG Bus/Blue Bus Plus) when returning the rental and receive the 5% cashback?
Yes, I do exactly that, at airports they need to grab a card reader as not all return agents have one, off-airport locations have the regular card reader at the desk, it can take a bit more time to wait if there is a line. You can also call in to Hertz later to rebill to a different card.
I finally had this go through for once. My question now is, what if I found marks on the car but forgot to write them down (signed my name & dated it but somehow forgot to circle everything), I switched up my cc (from CSP to AMEX Blue Bus+) and the car rental tries to blame me for those marks?
I think AMEX Blue Bus+ covers both personal and business rentals in their CDW terms. If renting in the US, Hertz usually only focuses on pretty big stuff.
Are you saying that it covers it as the primary insurance?
Since you mentioned switching from a personal card to a business card, I thought you meant that you were concerned Amex would not cover the damage for a personal rental. My reading of the Amex CDW terms is that personal is acceptable for coverage, unlike some like Chase. Amex coverage included with cards is secondary.
Exactly, it becomes secondary coverage. And after the switch you’re vulnerable at their discretion, even if you made the necessary show of damage proof beforehand.
I have booked three one-day Hertz rentals at the airport using the two codes from my targeted offer and have received 5,250 points for each. I recently had a Thrifty rental and did not even try; I’m interested to know the answer to that.
Ditto my reply to H, I have not tried, if circumstances work out, I will.
Do you know if you still earn the same bonus miles if you enter the code on the United website, but select the cars offered by Dollar or Thrifty instead? Their language states “you can earn miles with Dollar and Thrifty” but wanted to know if anyone has experience with getting these bonus miles as well. I’ve only tried the Hertz option before and it works well, but for the dates I am looking at, Hertz is double the cost of Dollar for an SUV
I have not tried Dollar/Thrifty since their rates/locations have not worked out me, if they do, I’ll give it a whirl.
[…] state you must use promotion code (PC) 305023 and discount code (CDP) 62455, though according to Rapid Travel Chai, you do not need to use that CDP […]
Yep, I got the email. Reservation at BWI for three days at $100 total in October. I could have rented at Alamo for about $70, but it’s worth the $30 more for the 5500 miles I will get. And, yes, it does take awhile to post – I did this in June and wondered why it came piecemeal, but it did post within a week or so….