If I had to describe my relationship with the American Express Platinum card, “it’s complicated” would be an understatement. For all its standout features—like unequaled lounge access and valuable travel credits—it’s not without its quirks. Some benefits, like the Saks Fifth Avenue or Airline Fee Credit, can feel unnecessarily complex to maximize.
Yet, every so often, the card surprises me with a hidden perk that makes me reconsider its hefty $695 annual fee. One of those surprises? A little-known Hertz car rental benefit that saved me $70 on a recent trip—and might be the reason this hunk of metal stays in my wallet for another year.
A Hidden AMEX Platinum Benefit: The Hertz Rental Discount
If you rent cars frequently, the American Express Platinum card offers an under-the-radar advantage with Hertz: a 4-hour grace period when returning your rental. This simple benefit can mean the difference between paying for two rental days instead of three—and it’s something most people might not even realize they have.
I had a flight to Philadelphia that arrived around 10 AM on Friday, with my return flight scheduled for 2 PM on Sunday. To save on my rental, I checked Autoslash and found a great rate with Hertz.
During times of high demand, I’ve been able to find lower car rental prices by using my corporate rate, so I logged into my Hertz account to check prices. Surprisingly, Autoslash’s price was significantly lower, but I couldn’t determine why.
Autoslash usually directs you to Priceline for most bookings, and while I’m happy to let them earn a referral fee for saving me time, I wanted to understand the reason for the price discrepancy.
How I Saved $70 on a Weekend Car Rental
Here’s the breakdown of my Autoslash rate:
Here’s my corporate rate for the same rental.
The big difference? One rental was for 2 days, while the other was for 3 days. The key difference between the two prices was that the Autoslash rate used my American Express Platinum card discount, and the corporate rate used my corporate discount.
So why does this matter? When you use the AMEX Platinum code with Hertz, you get a 4-hour grace period for returning your car. In my case, there was a 2-hour gap between the rental and return time, which would typically trigger an extra day’s rental fee under my corporate rate. However, with the AMEX Platinum discount, I only paid for two days instead of three, saving me $70.
The AMEX Platinum Hertz Benefits You Might Not Know About
I’ve written about how you can plan your flights to save on rental car expenses, but that’s not an option on this short trip. While most rental car companies only offer a 30-minute grace period, the AMEX Platinum code with Hertz unlocks several significant benefits:
- Complimentary one-car class upgrade (subject to availability)
- Up to 20% discount on standard cars
- Up to 25% discount on Prestige Collections
- Up to 4-hour grace period for returns
In my case, returning the car 90 minutes after I picked it up would normally trigger an additional day’s rental charge. However, thanks to the AMEX Platinum discount, I only had to pay for two rental days instead of three, saving me $70.
I have President’s Circle status from my Capital One Venture X card attached to my Hertz account, so I got an upgrade and skipped the line at the counter.
The Bottom Line
While I’m always happy to save $70, what impressed me was that Autoslash “found” this rental hack simply by asking me about my credit card. It’s a reminder that some of the best perks aren’t always obvious at first glance—and this one is worth knowing about if you’re considering keeping the AMEX Platinum in your wallet.
So, while the AMEX Platinum card has its complexities, perks like these make it worth the cost for those who travel frequently and are savvy enough to take full advantage.
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