While the American Express Platinum cards are the standard for providing travel benefits, you’re eligible for several of the same perks if you have a premier card from a different bank. Since I canceled my Platinum card, I’ve been looking to keep as many of the benefits I had previously with the cards I still have. The Citi Prestige card provides some of the same benefits and some that AMEX doesn’t.
With the Citi Prestige, you get extra benefits with several rental car companies. Here’s a list of the benefits and how to sign up for them.
To find the benefits for your card, sign into your Citi account. Under the Rewards & Benefits tab, click on the Card Benefits on the drop down tab.
Make sure you’re under the Citi Prestige benefits, if you have more than one card, and look for the World Elite Car Rental Program U.S.
The Citi Prestige card provides the following benefits
- Sixt Car Rental – Sixt Platinum
- National Car Rental – Emerald Executive Club
- Avis – Avis Preferred Plus
While the following directions will include links to sign up for the programs, you could just check out our page with links to all the major rental car companies.
Sixt Car Rental
Sixt is a rental car company that falls below the radar for many renters in the U.S. Based in Germany, Sixt now has a large presence at U.S. airports, but many of their locations are off-airport. I’ve written about our first experience renting with them as a Platinum member.
Sixt (Sixt Platinum)
In order to obtain elite status, please click on the link http://www.sixt.com/cwt-platinum, complete the enrollment form and submit the application. Sixt will send your identification number to the email address provided. Once received, please provide the number to your Travel Advisor when you make a booking. You will also receive a membership card in the post approximately 3-4 weeks after you submit your enrollment form.
Please note that the Cardmember must complete this enrolment for data privacy reasons.
Cardmembers who enroll in the Sixt program will receive the following amenities:
• Free upgrade to the next higher car group at Sixt rent a car worldwide upon availability*
• Up to 15% discount on rentals with Sixt – your worldwide car rental company
• 150 km additional mileage for Sixt luxury cars
• Preferred reservation priority and special Sixt Platinum counters/parking lots at select airports/stations
*Upgrades are subject to availability at time of rental. Additional terms and conditions may apply, please speak to your Travel Advisor for further information.
National Car Rental
National is one of the car rental companies I’ve dealt with for the longest. Just by signing up for their Emerald Club, you get to skip the counter and pick any car in the aisle as long as you reserve a mid-size.
If you’re an Emerald Executive Club member, you get to pick your car from the Executive Aisle. While these are nicer cars, don’t expect too much of an upgrade beyond the next level sedan.
National Car Rental (Emerald Executive Club)
National is pleased to provide Citi Prestige Cardmembers savings of up to 25%. Certain terms, conditions and dates may apply. Cardmembers can also take advantage of complimentary Emerald Club Executive membership. Executive members can choose their car from the Executive Selection area at participating U.S. and Canada locations. You will have your choice of any full-size or higher class car while always paying the reserved midsize car rate. As an Executive member, you can enjoy guaranteed upgrades – you’ll always pay one car class less when you reserve a full-size or luxury car. Also enjoy rental credit benefits – with six rental credits, receive one complimentary rental day or opt to receive airline miles or hotel points from one of National’s many partners.
How to enroll for Executive Club status
In order to receive elite status, please click on the link www.nationalcar.com/offer/mastercardelite, complete the enrollment form and submit the application. Please note that the Cardmember must complete this enrolment for data privacy reasons.
Avis Preferred Plus
Avis Preferred Plus is one step above normal Avis status and provides discounts and upgraded to members.
Avis (Avis Preferred Plus)
World Elite Mastercard benefits include complimentary access to Avis Preferred Plus for one year and up to 20% savings on each rental. Avis Preferred Plus also includes benefits such as a free upgrade, weekend and weekday discounts and a free weekend day. Complimentary upgrades are subject to availability. In order to receive Avis Preferred Plus status, cardmembers should ensure they are enrolled in Avis Preferred by clicking on the link to enroll: https://www.avis.com/car-rental/profile/register.ac?APPLICATION_TYPE=PREFERRED&ICID=Redirect&IID=preferred&MID=avis.com_preferred. After completing the Avis Preferred enrollment form, contact a travel advisor and ask them to complete your enrollment for Avis Preferred Plus. You will need your Preferred status / Wizard number, which you will receive by enrolling in Avis Preferred. Avis will then send you your Avis Preferred Plus service account number within 7 – 10 business days. You will receive a notification to activate your account to confirm your status as Avis Preferred Plus. Avis Preferred Plus® is valid only for US cardholders and only at US rental locations. Cardmembers must be at least 25 years of age to participate in Avis Preferred Plus.
Final Thoughts
Getting rental car benefits through the Citi Prestige can be a confusing process. For Sixt, you have to enroll with the program and then call in for Citi to contact Sixt to upgrade your status. They say it can take up to 4-6 weeks but my enrollment was upgraded within 7 days. For National, I tried the link on the website but I kept being sent to the National main page. If you already have an account, I’d just call the number on the back of your card and ask to talk to a travel concierge. The link in the Avis section seems to be the most accurate as you’re able to sign up for a new account or link your status to an existing account on the website.
If you have a Citi Prestige and don’t have status with these car rental companies, it can’t hurt to sign up. I find that once you’ve upgraded, the companies are slow to update accounts. The only company who’s ever downgraded me was National but a quick phone call fixed that problem and boosted me back up to Executive status.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love if you decided to hang around and clicked the button on the top (if you’re on your computer) or the bottom (if you’re on your phone/tablet) of this page to follow our blog and get emailed notifications of when we post (it’s usually just two or three times a day). Or maybe you’d like to join our Facebook group, where we talk and ask questions about travel (including Disney parks), creative ways to earn frequent flyer miles and hotel points, how to save money on or for your trips, get access to travel articles you may not see otherwise, etc. Whether you’ve read our posts before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
