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National Car Rental is part of Enterprise Holdings, alongside Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Alamo. Headquartered in Clayton, Missouri, National operates more than 1,500 locations worldwide and caters to frequent travelers through its Emerald Club loyalty program.
Emerald Club members earn Rental Credits, which can be redeemed for Free Days — but the expiration rules are surprisingly tricky. Here’s how long your credits and Free Days last, and how to make sure you don’t lose out.
When Do National Rental Credits Expire?
National Rental Credits don’t expire. However, once you earn enough credits for a Free Day, that Free Day has a hard expiration date. Per the National FAQs page:
“Rental credits do not expire.”
“Once you earn enough credits for a free day, the free day is valid through December 31st of the following year.”
So while your unused credits remain valid indefinitely, the Free Day you earn from them expires at the end of the next calendar year. Once that Free Day hits its expiration date, it’s gone for good — there’s no way to reinstate it.
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How Many Credits Do I Need for a Free Day?
The number of credits required depends on your Emerald Club status level:
- Emerald Club Member: 7 credits per Free Day
- Executive: 6 credits per Free Day
- Executive Elite: 5 credits per Free Day
How National Credits Are Earned — and Why Rental Length Matters
National’s credit-earning structure is a bit unusual:
- Rentals of seven days or less earn 1 credit per rental.
- Rentals longer than seven days earn 1 credit for every four days (e.g., 8 days = 2 credits, 12 days = 3 credits).
That means shorter, more frequent rentals earn credits faster than one long rental. For instance, four separate 3-day rentals earn four credits, while a single 12-day rental only earns three. It’s not always practical to split rentals, but if you’re chasing status or Free Days, the math matters.
Plan Your Rentals Carefully
This combination of non-expiring credits and expiring Free Days means timing is important.
If you’re close to earning a Free Day but don’t plan to rent again soon, it may actually make sense to wait to earn that final credit. Your credits won’t expire, but once converted into a Free Day, the clock starts ticking toward December 31 of the following year.
By keeping your balance in credits instead of Free Days, you effectively preserve their value for future trips.
Related: How To Get Rental Car Elite Status for Free
Track Your National Car Rental Credits and Free Days with AwardWallet
When you consider that National Car Rental Credits don’t expire but Free Days do, keeping track of your National Car Rental account is more important than ever. The best way to achieve this is by using AwardWallet. That way, you'll receive a timely reminder if you have Free Days about to expire. Then, you can take action to prevent the loss of your hard-earned Free Days.
To add National Car Rental to your AwardWallet account, all you need to do is log in and then link your National Car Rental account.
Related: How To Track Your Rewards Using AwardWallet
Our Take
With unusual earning and expiration policies, the National Car Rental Emerald Club is a unique program. To get the most out of your rentals, keep them as short as possible (one or two days). To maximize the lifespan of your credits, you should time your rentals to maintain your balance as credits for as long as possible. This allows you to leverage the rule that National Car Rental credits do not expire, whereas Free Days do.
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