I’ve been a member of National Car Rental’s Emerald Club for more than 25 years. (Ugh. Really? 25 years?)
Note from Joe’s wife, Sharon: When did I marry such an old man? LOLOL!
In all that time, and through plenty of National rentals, I’ve never earned a single Emerald Club rental credit.
That’s because I’ve always chosen to earn frequent flyer miles instead.
National gives you the choice between earning credits toward free rental days or earning miles or points with one of its travel partners. For someone who rents from National regularly, the free rental days can be quite valuable.
But that’s not us.
We don’t rent from National often enough for me to want credits sitting in my account for years while I slowly work toward a free day. I’d rather have whatever airline miles I can get added to an account we’re already using.
Here’s how the two options compare.
How National’s Rental Credit System Works
Emerald Club members normally earn one rental credit for rentals lasting between one and seven days.
Once a rental reaches eight days, National starts awarding additional credits based on the length of the rental. In practical terms:
- 1–7 days: 1 rental credit
- 8 days: 2 rental credits
- 12 days: 3 rental credits
That’s one thing I’ve never particularly liked about the system. You can rent a car for an entire week and still earn the same single credit as someone renting for one day.
That’s the same face I make when I find out I’m only getting one stinkin’ rental credit for a seven-day rental.
The number of credits you need for a free rental day depends on your Emerald Club status:
- Emerald Club: 7 credits
- Executive: 6 credits
- Executive Elite: 5 credits
Rental credits don’t expire, which is certainly helpful for occasional renters. Once you convert those credits into a free rental day, however, that free day is valid through December 31 of the following year.
National has also expanded the usefulness of Emerald Club credits because qualifying Enterprise Rent-A-Car rentals can earn National credits when you provide your Emerald Club number.
You can find the current details on National’s website.
Why Rental Credits Can Be A Good Deal
If you rent from National frequently, the rental-credit option can make plenty of sense.
Say you’re an Emerald Club member who regularly takes short business trips. After seven qualifying rentals, you’ll have enough credits for a free rental day. Executive and Executive Elite members get there even faster.
Depending on what a rental costs when you’re ready to redeem, that free day could easily be worth much more than the airline miles you’d otherwise have earned.
That’s why I wouldn’t say airline miles are automatically the better option.
They’re just the better option for us.
You Can Earn Airline Miles Instead
National allows Emerald Club members to choose miles or points with several airline programs instead of rental credits.
Some of the major U.S. options currently include:
- Alaska Airlines: 50 Mileage Plan miles per rental day
- American Airlines: 2 AAdvantage miles per $1 spent on qualifying time-and-mileage charges
- Delta Air Lines: 2 SkyMiles per $1 spent on qualifying time-and-mileage charges
- Frontier Airlines: 50 miles for one day, increasing to 500 miles for rentals of five days or longer
- Southwest Airlines: 600 Rapid Rewards points per rental
National has additional airline partners as well, including several international programs. You can see the complete list of National partner rewards here.
National Charges A Fee To Earn Airline Miles
Choosing airline miles isn’t entirely free.
Rental car companies generally charge what’s known as a frequent traveler surcharge when you elect to earn airline miles. The amount depends on the airline partner.
For example, National currently charges:
- Alaska: $0.75 per rental day
- Delta: $0.63 per rental day
- Frontier: $0.75 per rental day, with a maximum charge of $7.50
- Southwest: $1.50 per rental day, with a maximum charge of $7.50
That means you’re effectively paying a small amount to earn those miles.
If you’re only looking at the mathematical value of the rewards, National credits could easily come out ahead. A free rental day might be worth $75, $100 or even more, while the miles earned from several rentals could be worth considerably less.
But there’s more to the decision than the theoretical value of the rewards.
Why I Still Choose Airline Miles
For years, the reason I’ve chosen airline miles has been simple:
We don’t rent from National enough.
If we were renting from National five, six or seven times every year, I’d probably feel differently. We’d accumulate credits quickly enough that free rental days would become a regular part of our travel plans.
That’s not our rental pattern.
We might rent from National, then use another company on the next trip because of price, location or whatever deal happens to make sense. At that pace, it could take us years to earn enough National credits for a free day.
Yes, the credits don’t expire, so there’s no danger of losing them while we wait.
But I’d still rather take the airline miles.
The miles from one rental aren’t going to send us to Europe in business class. However, they’re added to balances we’re already earning and redeeming. There isn’t another separate pot of rewards that I have to remember exists and eventually figure out how to use.
For me, that’s more useful.
Which Option Should You Choose?
This really comes down to how you rent cars.
If National is your primary rental company and you rent several times a year, I’d seriously consider earning Emerald Club credits. The potential value of the free rental days can be very good, particularly if you have Executive or Executive Elite status and need fewer credits for each award.
If you’re an occasional National customer, airline miles may be more practical.
That’s where we fall.
I’ve chosen airline miles instead of National rental credits for more than 25 years. After going back and looking at how the program works today, I still don’t see a reason for us to change.
Someone who rents from National every month could look at exactly the same numbers and make the opposite decision.
And that’s pretty much the definition of Your Mileage May Vary.
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