Link is no longer showing emerald club executive status, despite this the deal actually still works and the Emerald Club executive status will display after signing up.
The Offer
- National car rental is offering free emerald club executive status for Visa infinite cardholders
The Fine Print
- None
Our Verdict
This is their mid tier status. It provides the following benefits and usually requires 12 paid rentals or 40 paid rental days within a calendar year:
They don’t actually require any proof that you’re a Visa Infinite cardholder. Keep in mind you can use this status to leverage status with other car rental agencies as well, according to reports at Status Matcher the following should be possible:
- Enterprise. Use the online status match tool. Unknown what you will receive
- Hertz. Send an e-mail to [email protected]. More information here. You should receive Hertz Five Star
- Avis. Send an e-mail to [email protected]. You should receive Avis Preferred Plus Premium status.
- Europcar Privilege. Send an e-mail to [email protected]. Unknown what you will receive.
Not as good as the free Hertz Gold Plus Rewards President Circle Status we’ve previously posted about, but free is free.
Hat tip to Loyalty Lobby
It depends on the location and of course cars availability. I rent cars in average about 20 times a year. I love LOVE my Executive status with National.
With my Executive status, I received ranges of vehicles from BMW 4 series, Ford Explorer, Nissan Pathfinder, Nissan Maxima, multiple Dodge Durango GT’s, GMC Acadia, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata.
So 99% of the time, I received a MUCH better cars than the midsize cars I reserved.
Since National usually share the same lot with Alamo, the way it works usually that National get the newer cars and low miles and after certain miles the cars would then be put in the Alamo lot. In fact, the Alamo in SFO would close after certain time at night and you’re then directed to the National lot to pick from the Executive selection anyway. Good for Alamo customers but not so good for National.
And if you’re unhappy with the selection, you can always talk to the customer service desk at the airport and depending on your status, they may find you nicer cars. YMMV though.
I do rent from Alamo (booked thru CostcoTravel) if the prices are much cheaper than National. And they usually are.
The answer is Yes, you must book thru National website to get the status benefit and you usually are not allowed to choose from the Executive aisle if you booked using points (Chase/Citi portal, Priceline, Hotwire, etc). However, your Executive status is tied to your Driver License number so as long as you give that number to the gate attendant, you should be fine. But again, YMMV. I had asked this question multiple times at different rental locations and their answer have always been the same, you don’t get to choose from Executive aisle if you booked thru third party website or with miles/points, etc. Only if you use National Free Days certificate.
If you have a Hilton Gold status, you may status-match to Executive Elite status with National. You still get to choose from the same Executive aisle but you get your free rental days after 5 qualified rentals instead of 6. Also, you may use your Rental Days Certificate for cars up to Luxury SUV (Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, etc). I have a Luxury SUV rental coming up in Orange County that I paid only $6 bucks for two days!
In my opinion, National is 100X better than Hertz. I’m a Hertz Gold Five Star member and my options are usually limited to Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata and if I’m lucky, maybe a Nissan Rogue in the aisle. And every time I asked the gate attendant to see if I can get nicer cars, they would just point me to the row of cars based on my status. Every single time.
I’ve been a happy camper since I’m with National.
PS: No, I don’t work for National! I just love them lol
I did this earlier in the year by actually having CSR. TBH, there isn’t that much of a benefit for this status — it seems like the cars are officially the same for both lots; they don’t really offer any upgrades, either.
They do seem to have slightly better cars in the executive lot, but not by much and highly dependant on the actual location.
Still works for me! Thanks Doc!
Just signed up. When logged into my account it’s showing “EC Executive” status in my profile.
Thanks DoC!
I could see only emerald club but not executive after signing up. Will it take time to upgrade?
Yeah maybe a day or so
do you have to book directly with national to get these benfefits?
Do i have to book directly with National to use the executive benefits? Can I reserve a midsize from Priceline and select a bigger car in the executive area for free?
UPDATE: I received a “Emerald Club Executive” welcome email, even though the original link only stated Emerald Club. Thank you!!
Worked for me! I now have emerald club status. I just sent an email to Hertz(my preferred rental car company for a million reasons). This is awesome for me as I rent numerous cars per year but not 15 times as is needed for 5 star Hertz status.
Thanks DOC!!!!!!
This deal is still alive as of 9:07 AM ET on 5/9/2018. The link does not state anything about Executive Club, but once you sign up, you will receive the “EC Executive” status in your account.