Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle is the company’s top elite status, which can be easily earned by simply signing up with the Amex Platinum card (LINK). It is also offered for free to members with a Delta Platinum & Diamond Medallion status. President’s Circle offers several useful benefits like guaranteed vehicle upgrades, the ability to add a free additional driver and a dedicated customer service line (1-888-444-8600).
How Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle is different from National Emerald Club Executive Elite status
Amex Platinum also gives you free access to National Emerald Club Executive Elite status that gives you free upgrades and the ability to bypass the counter and choose any rental car you’d like from the Emerald Isle.
Emerald Club Executive Elite Status Benefits:
- Executive Area Access — Choose any car (Full-size and above) in the Executive Area and only pay the Midsize rate (in US and Canada).
- No Second Driver Fees — Never pay extra when family members and business associates do the driving.
- Guaranteed Upgrades — You’re always guaranteed a free upgrade when you reserve a full-size through luxury vehicle (in the US and Canada).
- Upgrades in Europe — Enjoy a free one car class upgrade (subject to availability at time of rental) at participating locations in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain and Germany.
While Emerald Club Executive Elite Status limits these upgrades to the U.S., Canada and Europe only, Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle offers vehicle upgrades worldwide.
Are Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle auto rental prices competitive?
If you are looking for the lowest auto rental prices several months ahead of time, it is hard to beat the 3rd party rental company prices (https://awardcracker.com/the-easiest-way-to-compare-car-rental-prices/). However, I find Hertz prices to be competitive if you look closer to your trip (e.g., 2-4 weeks). I am also willing to pay a little extra for the added convenience of a guaranteed vehicle upgrade and shorter lines at the pick up counter.
My Recent Auto Rentals with Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle
I usually choose the lowest priced rental car on the Hertz website and every single time I was upgraded to premium vehicles in Europe (see the table below). I was able to add my wife as a second driver free of charge in most places without any issues.
Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President's Circle
| Auto Rental Location | Upgraded Car | Comments |
| Saariselkä, Finland | Toyota Prius Automatic with remote engine start feature | Remote engine start was very useful to warm up the car and melt the snow before heading out to see northern lights. |
| Lyon, France | Volvo XC60 Automatic | The first time ever renting Volvo XC60 as a rental car and we enjoyed the premium cabin and ride. |
| Olbia, Italy | Jeep Automatic Hybrid | Spacious and had excellent mileage due to being a hybrid. |
| Salzburg, Austria | BMW Automatic | Powerful and luxurious experience for a rental car. It was a blast driving through hairpin turns of Austria and Dolomites. |
| Harstad-Narvik, Norway | Toyota RAV4 Automatic Hybrid (picked up from an automatic kiosk) | Perfect 4WD during the snowstorm when driving from Narvik to Abisko; I wish it had a remote engine start which would have been awesome. |
| Bariloche, Argentina | Toyota Etios manual | No upgrade offered |
I reserved all the vehicles using Chase Sapphire Preferred card and never paid for any excess CDW coverage. There have been no accidents so far and I never had to call Chase for any auto rental coverage issues.
Summary
I have heard a lot of horror stories about Hertz (post- COVID) customer service and issues with auto rentals. However, my experience with Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle has been phenomenal and I have received several premium vehicle upgrades, which make me continue to book Hertz rentals for all my upcoming trips. I highly recommend Amex Platinum holders to take advantage of Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President’s Circle.
How did you get on with Argentina? If you go on the hertz.com.ar website there is no way to log in and claim the Gold benefits. I called them and found out they don’t have the rewards program in Argentina, so unlikely your upgrade will work there, or any of the other benefits. Also, I found out booking using the .com.ar website instead of the international one charges you in Pesos instead of USD (or GBP in my case) and it works out £200 cheaper.
I used Hertz.com to book a rental car in Bariloche, but did not get an upgrade. I assumed that they were fully booked, but now it makes more sense. Thank you for your comments.