National Emerald Club: Guide to earning, redeeming and elite status with the car rental loyalty program

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with the latest information.

Finding the best rental car company to suit your needs as a traveler is more important than ever. Like many companies, National Car Rental offers a loyalty program that rewards members when they rent vehicles. National Emerald Club members earn rental credits toward free rental days, with elite status tiers that can help you get to your next free rental faster.

Here’s what you need to know about National’s Emerald Club.

National Emerald Club program overview

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The first thing you need to know is that, unlike other rental agencies like Hertz and Avis, National does not have a points program. Instead, National allows customers to earn credits to use for free rental days.

National Emerald Club members earn credits based on qualifying rentals and the number of days you rent your vehicle. The credits you earn will equal your total rental days divided by four. Broken down, it looks like this:

Rentals of one to seven days earn one rental credit.
Rentals of eight or more days earn one credit per four days. So, you would earn two credits for a rental of eight to 11 days or three credits for a rental of 12 to 15 days.

As you can see, this program rewards members who frequently rent for short periods more than those who opt for less frequent, extended rentals. When you reach seven credits, you get a free rental day for (up to) a midsize car.

National offers users a mobile app for contactless checkout, which can be particularly useful for airports with no Emerald Aisle. Through the app, you can select a vehicle based on its year, make, model, color and mileage ahead of time. Then, National will hold the car for you for 15 minutes.

Since National is owned by Enterprise Holdings, you can also book cars from any Enterprise location through National’s website. You’ll even earn credits toward free rental days and elite status at participating Enterprise locations when you enter your Emerald Club membership number on your reservation. However, you won’t get Emerald Club elite status benefits when you rent from Enterprise.

Elite status with National Emerald Club

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As soon as you join Emerald Club, you’ll get perks, but you’ll get more if you reach elite status with National. Here’s what you need to know about the entry-level Emerald Club status, as well as the higher Executive and Executive Elite status tiers.

Emerald Club entry-level status

Emerald Club offers some benefits even to entry-level members, including:

Earn rental credits on each rental, or choose to earn airline miles or hotel points at one of National’s partner programs instead.
Free rental days start at seven credits.
Emerald Aisle access: When you reserve a midsize car at any Emerald Aisle location, you can bypass the counter and head straight to the Emerald Aisle. Then, choose any car (midsize and above) in the Emerald Aisle and only pay the midsize rate in the U.S. and Canada.
Enjoy a free one-car-class upgrade (subject to availability) at participating locations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Spain and Germany.
There are no second driver fees.
Take advantage of Drop & Go service, which enables you to drop off your car and get an emailed receipt.
Members can benefit from having access to Priority Service, which provides members with expedited service at participating airport locations in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Emerald Club Executive status

You’ll earn National Emerald Club Executive status once you complete 12 paid rentals or 40 paid rental days in one calendar year. You can also snag Executive status as a perk of several premium travel rewards cards, including The Platinum Card® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and the Chase Sapphire Reserve®. (Enrollment is required.)

On top of the basic member benefits, Executive members enjoy the following perks:

Free rental days cost only six credits.
Executive Area access: Choose any car (full-size and above) in the Executive Area at select rental locations in the U.S. and Canada and only pay the midsize rate.
Enjoy a guaranteed free upgrade when you reserve a full-size through luxury vehicle in the U.S. and Canada.
Take advantage of discounted pricing when you upgrade to Premier Selection vehicles at rental lots in the U.S. and Canada. Premier Selection vehicles typically include upscale, luxury vehicles, such as the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator and Lexus IS 250.

Emerald Club Executive Elite status

National Emerald Club’s highest status tier is Executive Elite, which you can reach after 25 paid rentals or 85 paid rental days in a calendar year. Executive Elite includes all the perks of the lower tiers, but there are some additional benefits, including:

Free rental days cost only five credits (any car class except trucks and exotic vehicles, with no blackout dates).
Get a guaranteed vehicle (up to full-size) when you reserve using the midsize rate at least 24 hours in advance in the U.S. or Canada.
Enjoy free delivery to most private airports in the U.S. or Canada that are within 50 miles of a National rental location.

Earn points and miles with Emerald Club

Emerald Club members can opt to earn points or miles at one of National’s 14 partners instead of rental credits on their rentals. See the complete list of partners here, but here’s a quick look at what you could earn in some of the most popular programs:

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan: 50 miles per day
American Airlines AAdvantage: 50 miles per day
Delta SkyMiles: 2 miles per dollar spent
Hilton Honors: 500 points per rental
Southwest Rapid Rewards: 600 points per rental

To change your earning preference, log in to your Emerald Club account, navigate to your profile, click on “Rewards” and select “Modify” next to “Rewards Preferences.”

Keep in mind that National charges a “frequent traveler surcharge” on reservations that earn points or miles in partner programs. This fee varies by program but is typically between 50 cents and $2 per rental day. Always consider whether it makes more sense to earn credit toward a free rental or pay extra to earn points or miles.

Tips for maximizing Emerald Club car rentals

Women in a rental car — THOMAS BARWICK/GETTY IMAGES

Here at TPG, we often write about saving money on rental cars and using points and miles for road trips. Here are some more tips for maximizing your car rentals with National Emerald Club:

Use coupon codes: As with most rental car companies, you’ll get a much better rate when using a coupon code or corporate code. These codes are available to employees of many major companies and members of large organizations in addition to deals listed on National’s Specials page.
Rent from locations with an Emerald Aisle: Book an eligible midsize rate and rent from a location where you’ll be able to select your vehicle. You may be able to snag a larger or better car for the same price.
Consider Premier Selection vehicles: For an additional fee, you can book unusual cars like Corvettes and Maseratis in National’s Premier Selection fleet. Remember that luxury vehicles tend to be excluded from credit card rental car insurance, but the optional American Express Premium Car Rental Protection plan may provide coverage.
Try AutoSlash: Even though you must book an eligible rate to get Emerald Club perks and rental credits, you can often find better rates with AutoSlash. You can use this handy tool to compare rates before booking and to look for better rates after booking.

Finally, regardless of which rental car company you use, it’s worth paying with one of the best credit cards for rental car coverage. By doing so, you may be able to decline the additional coverage options offered by the rental company and save money.

Bottom line

National Emerald Club is a beneficial program, especially for travelers who rent midsize or higher vehicles frequently and for short periods. With more than 1,500 locations across the globe to choose from, you’ll find a rental location to fit your needs on most trips.