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One of the feel-good milestones of travel is achieving elite status within a loyalty program. It's great to be recognized as a valued client, but the perks of elite status, like upgrades, discounts, and extra points, are a huge incentive. What feels even better is attaining elite status without meeting the high spending requirements — in other words, getting treated as a loyal customer without actually being loyal enough to earn those perks.
Rental car rewards programs generally don't hold the same aspirational value or appeal as their hotel and airline counterparts. However, the idea of coming off a long flight, skipping the lines at the car rental counter, and scoring a free upgrade to a more luxurious vehicle is certainly enticing.
Here's how to achieve elite status within several major rental car rewards programs without the required number of paid rentals.
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Avis Preferred
Avis operates over 5,000 locations in 165 countries worldwide, which makes it a solid option when you need to rent a car. Avis has two tiers of elite status above the free-to-join Avis Preferred level: Avis Preferred Plus and Avis President's Club. It takes a substantial financial investment to reach President's Club status, but there are several shortcuts you can take to receive benefits on your next rental.
Avis elite status benefits
You will earn Avis Preferred Plus status after 10 rentals or $4,000 in annual spending. It comes with a few benefits, including:
- 25% bonus points on rentals.
- Free one-car class upgrade when reserving a midsize or above (subject to availability, excludes large SUVs and Signature Fleet).
If you want the most benefits, you'll need Avis President's Club status, which requires 20 rentals or $6,000 in annual spending. It comes with the following perks:
- 50% bonus points on rentals.
- Free two-car class upgrade when reserving a midsize or above (subject to availability, excludes large SUVs and Signature Fleet).
- Guaranteed car up to a full-size with a confirmed 24-hour advanced reservation.
- Dedicated support phone number.
Earn Avis elite status through credit cards
If you aren't a regular renter, it's not easy to reach $6,000 in annual spending. Luckily, you have a path to Avis elite status through several credit cards.
If you have one of the following cards, you can enroll in Avis Preferred Plus:
- Visa Infinite cards, including (but not limited to):
- American Express Platinum Card®
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- Select World Elite Mastercards
If you have one of these cards, you can enroll in Avis President's Club:
- United Club℠ Card (Rates & Fees)
- United Club℠ Business Card
- United℠ Presidential Plus℠ Card (no longer accepting new applications)
- United℠ Presidential Plus℠ Business Card (no longer accepting new applications)
$895Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- Earn 5X points on Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings.
$695Rates & Fees
- Earn 5 miles per $1 spent on United® purchases*
- Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on all other travel
- Earn 2 miles per $1 spent on dining
- Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
$395
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
Bonus benefits for cardholders
Keep in mind that many of these credit cards offer additional benefits beyond elite status. For instance, cardholders of the United Club receive up to $100 in United Travel Credits each year when renting directly with Avis. Visa Infinite cardholders can enjoy perks like up to 30% off base rates on qualifying rentals, free weekend rentals, and up to 10% off base rates on Select Series rentals.
Similarly, Platinum Card® members can use AWD discount code A756900 for up to 25% off rentals and earn a free two-day weekend rental coupon after two completed qualifying rentals of 2+ days each in a 6-month period.
There are also cards, like the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®, that offer up to $120 in statement credits each year for Avis rentals but don't offer elite status.
Earn Avis elite status through partner loyalty programs
If you have elite status in one of the following airline loyalty programs, you can enroll in Avis Preferred Plus:
- United MileagePlus Premier Silver and Gold
- Air Canada Aeroplan 25K, 35K, and 50K
- Atmos Rewards Silver and Gold
- JetBlue Mosaic 1
You will enjoy Preferred Plus status once you reach 60,000 American Airlines Loyalty Points. If you are a FoundersCard member, you can also enroll in Preferred Plus.
If you have elite status in one of the following airline loyalty programs, you can enroll in Avis President's Club:
- United MileagePlus Premier Platinum and Premier 1K
- Air Canada Aeroplan 75K and Super Elite
- Atmos Rewards Platinum and Titanium
- JetBlue Mosaic 2, 3, and 4
You will also enjoy President's Club status once you reach 100,000 American Airlines Loyalty Points.
Bonus benefits for elites
Just like with credit cards, you receive extra benefits when you rent a car as an elite member. Get up to 35% off base rates as an Alaska Airlines elite member using the AWD discount code K197800 — or A080500 as listed on another page.
Earn Avis elite status through a status match
Although Avis offers a status match, it isn't technically open to residents of the U.S. or Canada. However, there is a workaround: send proof of your elite status with Hertz, Enterprise, Europcar, Sixt, or National to profile.update@avisbudget.com. You should receive a confirmation shortly after submitting your information.
Here's how your status will match:
| Competitor | Avis Preferred | Preferred Plus | President's Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europcar | Privilege Club | Privilege Executive | Privilege Elite and VIP |
| Hertz | Gold Plus Rewards | Five Star | President's Circle |
| Enterprise | Plus | Silver | Gold and Platinum |
| Sixt | Express Card | Gold | Platinum |
| National | Emerald Club | Emerald Club Executive | Emerald Club Executive Elite |
Related: Avis Goes Premium With ‘Avis First' — Here Are the Benefits You Get On These Reservations
Enterprise Plus
You'll find more than 9,000 Enterprise locations in almost 100 countries worldwide. Odds are, Enterprise is an option when you need to rent a car, wherever you are — there are more than 4,000 locations in the U.S. alone. Its loyalty program, Enterprise Plus, is much more robust than Avis's.
There are three elite tiers above the base Enterprise Plus level: Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Unlike some of the other programs on this list, Enterprise tracks qualification for elite status solely based on the number of rentals or rental days, not a minimum spending requirement.
Enterprise elite status benefits
To reach Enterprise Silver, you need to complete at least six qualifying rentals per year. You'll receive perks like 10% bonus points and one free car upgrade per program year. Enterprise Gold requires 12 rentals or 40 days, and you'll receive 15% bonus points and two free car upgrades per program year. Finally, top-tier Enterprise Platinum requires 24 rentals or 85 rental days, and you'll receive 20% bonus points and four free upgrades per program year.
While other programs offer unlimited upgrades, it's interesting that Enterprise limits the number of upgrades elite members can receive per program year. Four upgrades for someone who rents a car more than 24 times a year is a pretty low percentage.
Earn Enterprise elite status through a status match
Unfortunately, there aren't any credit cards that offer automatic Enterprise status as a benefit. However, Enterprise offers a status match program with over 40 different travel loyalty programs, including hotel, airline, and car rental programs. So, you might be able to leverage your current elite status to earn status with Enterprise. That said, the exact matches aren't publicly available. You'll need to fill out a quick form on the status match website with your Enterprise member information and proof of status with another program.
If you hold elite status with several different hotel, airline, and car rental loyalty programs, we recommend submitting proof of your highest tier of status. For instance, if you have mid-tier Marriott Bonvoy status but top-tier AAdvantage status, it's worth submitting the higher tier.
Hertz Gold Plus Rewards
Even if you've never rented a car before, you've likely heard of Hertz. With over 11,000 locations, it's one of the biggest car rental companies in the world, which also makes it one of the most rewarding programs for earning elite status. Hertz Gold Plus Rewards offers two tiers above its free-to-join tier: Hertz Five Star and President's Circle. While Five Star has a handful of benefits, you'll want to enroll in President's Circle to receive the most perks. Luckily, it's very easy to do so.
Hertz elite status benefits
Hertz made it easier to earn Five Star status in early 2026. Now, you only need 3 rentals or $1,000 in annual spending to reach Five Star (down from the previous 10 rentals or $2,000 in spending). However, you still need 15 rentals or $3,000 in spending to reach President's Circle.
Five Star status offers 25% bonus points on rentals, a wider selection of premium vehicles, and free upgrades, as available. President’s Circle offers 50% bonus points, access to the President’s Circle selection where available, a dedicated call center line, and guaranteed one-car-class upgrades up to full-size at participating locations
Earn Hertz elite status through credit cards
President's Circle is very valuable, especially if you're looking to upgrade your next rental. Luckily, you have several different ways to enjoy Hertz elite status.
You can enroll for complimentary Hertz Five Star status with these cards:
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
- Select Visa Infinite cardholders
Alternatively, claim complimentary President's Circle status with these cards:
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
- American Express Platinum Card®
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
$95
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
$350Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- 3X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 3X miles per dollar at hotels
- 2X miles per dollar at U.S. supermarkets
- 2X Miles per dollar at restaurants worldwide, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
- 1 mile on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
$650Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- 3X miles per dollar spent on purchases made directly with Delta
- 1X miles on every eligible dollar spent on purchases.
Additional cardholder benefits
Use the Amex Corporate Discount Code (CDP) 211762 to save up to 20% off published rates on your rental, receive a four-hour grace period on returns within the U.S., and get a one-car-class upgrade (when available). Visa Infinite cardholders can get 15% off the pay-later base rate and a two-hour grace period on returns.
Earn Hertz elite status through partner loyalty programs
Enroll for complimentary Hertz Five star status if you hold elite status in these programs:
- Delta SkyMiles Silver and Gold Medallion members
- IHG One Rewards Gold and Platinum members
You can also enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star status and up to 20% off all daily, weekend, weekly, and monthly rates with the FoundersCard.
If you have a higher tier of status, you can claim complimentary President's Circle status:
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Diamond Medallion members
- IHG One Rewards Diamond members
Marriott Bonvoy elites can also earn Hertz elite status. However, when Hertz changed the qualifications for earning Five Star status, it also made the Marriott status match a bit more challenging. Hertz no longer publicly shares which Marriott elites can match into Hertz. Previously, Marriott Platinum Elite status members got a fast track to Hertz Five Star, Titanium Elite status got Hertz Five Star, and Ambassador Elites got Hertz President's Circle. It could be similar today, but you'll have to submit your request to Digitalmarketing@hertz.com to find out.
Earn Hertz elite status through a status match
If you hold elite status in a competitor program, you can match into Hertz Five Star:
- Avis Preferred Plus
- Enterprise Silver and Gold
- National Executive
- Sixt Gold and Platinum
- Europcar Privilege Executive
If you hold top-tier status with another program, you can match into Hertz President's Circle:
- Avis President's Club
- Enterprise Platinum
- National Executive Elite
- Sixt Diamond
- Europcar Privilege Elite
Related: Should You Earn Points or Miles on Hertz Car Rentals?
National Emerald Club
National Car Rental operates 1,500 locations and is actually owned by Enterprise Holdings. However, it offers its own distinct loyalty program: National Emerald Club. National is known for offering fantastic service, especially at airports, making it a favorite among business travelers. Its high-quality fleet, great customer service, and Emerald Aisle make it stand out from all the other car rental companies, even if prices tend to be a bit higher.
National elite status benefits
You'll earn Executive status after you complete 12 paid rentals or 40 paid rental days in a calendar year. You'll receive the following benefits:
- Choose any car (full-size and above) in the Executive Area and pay only the reserved Midsize rate (in the U.S. and Canada).
- You’re guaranteed a free upgrade when you reserve a full-size through luxury vehicle (in the U.S. and Canada)
You'll earn Executive Elite status after you complete 25 paid rentals or 85 paid rental days in a calendar year. You'll receive the following benefits:
- Redeem Free Days on any available car class with no blackout dates.
- A guaranteed car (up to full-size) with 24-hour notice (in the U.S. and Canada).
National's elite status also offers something no other program on this list does: the number of credits required for a free rental day decreases with each tier of status. You'll earn 1 credit per qualifying rental. Here's how many credits you need for a free rental day:
- Emerald Club: 7 credits
- Executive: 6 credits
- Executive Elite: 5 credits
If your goal is as many free rental days as possible, it's definitely worth climbing the ranks.
Earn National elite status through credit cards
You can enroll for complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive Status with these credit cards:
- Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
- Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
- The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card
- American Express Platinum Card®
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- Select Visa Infinite Cards
Visa Infinite cardholders can also save up to 25% on qualifying National rentals of any size car at participating locations in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Unfortunately, there aren't any cards that allow you to enroll in National Executive Elite status.
$550Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- 14X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your Card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton Portfolio
- 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com, car rentals booked directly through select rental companies, and at U.S. restaurants
- 3X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for all other eligible purchases on your Card
$150Rates & Fees
(Terms Apply)
- 12X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases charged on your card directly with a hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio
- 6X bonus points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your card at U.S. restaurants, U.S. supermarkets, and U.S. gas stations
- 4X bonus points on U.S online retail purchases
- 3X bonus points for all other eligible purchases on your card
$195Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- 12X Hilton Honors points on eligible purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio
- 5X Hilton Honors points on the first $100,000 spent per calendar year on other eligible purchases; 3X thereafter
Related: How to Get National Executive Status for Free With Select Amex Cards
Earn National elite status through a status match
Just like with Enterprise, you can match your status from one of more than 40 car rental, airline, and hotel loyalty programs. However, National doesn't tell you which tiers qualify. National stipulates that matched status will remain valid through February 28 of the second calendar year following your status match approval. If you want to keep your status, you'll need to meet the standard qualifications. This differs from several other programs on this list that allow you to keep your rental car elite status as long as you maintain the status you used for your match.
Related: Earning and Redeeming National Car Rental Credits — And Emerald Club's Tricky Expiration Policy
Sixt
Sixt Rent A Car is headquartered in Germany. Although there are only around 2,000 locations worldwide, Sixt is rapidly expanding its presence in the U.S. There are currently around 100 U.S. branches in 26 states, serving many of the biggest airports. In 2025, Sixt launched a new Sixt One loyalty program in the U.S., with a broader European rollout following in March 2026.
There are now three tiers of elite status above the base level.
Sixt elite status benefits
When you join Sixt One, you are automatically a Silver elite member. You'll have the opportunity to earn rental points, skip the counter, and receive member-only offers.
To earn Gold, you'll need to earn 2,000 status points. Remember, Sixt is headquartered in Europe, so you'll earn 1 status point per 1€ spent, not $1. To reach Gold, you need 2,000 status points, and you'll receive 10% bonus on rentals and a discount of up to 10%. Keep in mind that the bonus points are only on rental points, not status points.
You'll earn Platinum elite status at 4,000 status points, and you'll earn 20% bonus rental points, up to 15% off rentals, and you'll be eligible for free upgrades. Finally, Diamond elites earn 30% more rental points, up to 20% discounts, free upgrades, and access to the Diamond Lounge. However, you'll need 6,000 status points, which is a big investment.
Earn Sixt elite status through credit cards
The only cards that directly grant access to Sixt elite status are Visa Infinite cards. Cardholders enjoy complimentary Sixt Platinum status, up to 15% off car rentals, 10% off Sixt ride chauffeur services, and more.
Although there aren't many cards that offer direct access to Sixt elite status, you can earn Sixt status by holding elite status with several different hotel or airline loyalty programs (more on that below).
The following cards can help you get Sixt elite status via automatic elite status with one of these programs:
- avianca lifemiles American Express® Elite Card: Get Sixt Gold through Avianca LifeMiles Silver status.
- American Express Platinum Card®: Get Sixt Platinum through Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status or Leaders Club Sterling status.
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card: Get Sixt Diamond through Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite status.
$249Rates & Fees
- Earn 3x miles on avianca or lifemiles purchases
- Earn 2x miles on restaurant and other travel purchases
- Earn 1x on all other eligible purchases
$895Rates & Fees
(Terms apply)
- Earn 5X points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year).
- Earn 5X points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®.
- Earn 5X points on Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Hotel Collection bookings.
$650Rates & Fees
(Terms Apply)
- 6X points on purchases at Marriott Properties
- 3X points at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines
- 2X points on all other eligible purchases
Earn Sixt elite status through partner loyalty programs
There are too many partner programs that offer status matching to list them all, but here are some of the most popular. We're mainly listing U.S. programs or programs that you can easily earn elite status in through a co-branded credit card.
Sixt Silver:
- Avianca LifeMiles Red
Sixt Gold:
- Marriott Bonvoy Silver
- Leaders Club Club status
- Avianca LifeMiles Silver
Sixt Platinum:
- Marriott Bonvoy Gold
- Marriott Bonvoy Platinum
- Leaders Club Sterling
- Avianca LifeMiles Gold and Diamond
- Founder's Card members
Sixt Diamond:
- Marriott Bonvoy Titanium*
*Members can email sixtone@sixt.com to match their status. The formal status match request only allows you to match up to Sixt Platinum.
When you complete the match form online, it should be instantaneous. I leveraged my Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for Sixt Platinum status, and the process took about 30 seconds.
Earn Sixt elite status through a status match
The Sixt status match offer is also pretty extensive. If you hold status with any of the following car rental programs, you can enroll in Sixt One Gold:
| SIXT Partner | Partner Status | SIXT Status |
|---|---|---|
| Avis | Avis Preferred | Gold |
| Avis | Avis Preferred Plus | Gold |
| Avis | Avis President's Club | Platinum |
| Emerald | Emerald Club | Gold |
| Emerald | Emerald Club Executive | Platinum |
| Emerald | Emerald Club Executive Elite | Platinum |
| Enterprise | Enterprise Gold | Not reported |
| Enterprise | Enterprise Platinum | Platinum |
| Enterprise | Enterprise Plus | Gold |
| Enterprise | Enterprise Silver | Not reported |
| Europcar | Europcar Privilege Club | Gold |
| Europcar | Europcar Privilege Elite | Platinum |
| Europcar | Europcar Privilege VIP | Platinum |
| Europcar | Europcar Privilege Executive | Platinum |
| Hertz | Hertz Five Star | Platinum |
| Hertz | Hertz Gold | Gold |
| Hertz | Hertz President's Circle | Platinum |
| Thrifty | Thrifty Blue Chip | Not reported |
Related: Best Credit Cards for Rental Car Insurance
Final Thoughts
Earning elite status with car rental rewards programs can provide members with upgraded vehicles, preferential treatment, priority access at the reservations desk, discounts on rentals, and more. Although rental car elite status doesn’t hold the same appeal as an upgrade to a suite at The Ritz-Carlton, it can certainly improve the car rental experience.
And remember — once you hold elite status with one car rental company, leverage it into status with the other car rental companies that offer status matching. With just the American Express Platinum Card®, you can get automatic Hertz President's Circle, National Executive, and Avis Preferred Plus status. It also comes with Marriott Bonvoy Gold status, which can be used to achieve Sixt Platinum status. Finally, use any of those statuses to status match into Enterprise Plus, and you'll hold elite status with five different rental car companies.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Chase Sapphire Reserve® (Rates & Fees), United Club℠ Card (Rates & Fees), American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (Rates & Fees), Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card (Rates & Fees), The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (Rates & Fees), avianca lifemiles American Express® Elite Card (Rates & Fees), and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees)
