Hertz

Hertz is the founding US car rental brand, part of Hertz Global Holdings, which also owns Dollar and Thrifty. It operates rentals at more than 12,000 corporate and franchise locations across 160+ countries, with a US network spanning virtually every major airport, downtown, and neighborhood location. Fleet includes economy, SUV, luxury (through the Hertz Adrenaline and Prestige Collections), and EV (a rebuilt Tesla and Polestar programme in 2025-26). Book via hertz.com or the Hertz app and activate ShopBack via the ShopBack Hertz merchant page to earn cashback on eligible bookings at the current published rate.

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards has three tiers: Gold (base signup, free), Five Star, and President's Circle. Effective January 1, 2026, Hertz lowered Five Star thresholds significantly to 3 qualifying rentals or $1,000 in qualified spend per calendar year (down from 10 rentals or $2,000). President's Circle requires 15 qualifying rentals or $3,000 in qualified spend per calendar year. Gold members skip the counter with Gold Choice at 40+ US locations. Five Star adds 25% bonus points, as-available upgrades, and access to a wider vehicle selection. President's Circle adds guaranteed complimentary car-class upgrades (up to full-size) and the highest earn rate (1.5 points per dollar).

Hertz runs seasonal promotions aligned to spring break (March), summer road trip (June to August), fall/leaf peeping (September to October), holiday travel (Thanksgiving through New Year), plus Black Friday (November 27, 2026) and Cyber Monday (November 30, 2026) deals. Frequent codes discount weekend rentals 20 to 30% off with 3-day-plus bookings; verify eligible dates and locations on hertz.com. Cashback via ShopBack tracks on eligible rentals at the current published rate.

The minimum age to rent a car from Hertz in most US states is 20 (25 for premium and specialty vehicles, and select specialty locations). Renters ages 20 to 24 are charged a Young Driver Fee that typically ranges from about $25 to $60 per day depending on location and vehicle class. This fee applies to Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty. In New York and Michigan, the under-25 fee is capped by state law. In a handful of US corporate rentals (typically for university, government, or specific business contract accounts), the fee may be waived; verify at booking.

Both are US-founded and roughly equivalent on US airport and downtown coverage. Hertz Gold Plus Rewards has more aggressive 2026 threshold reductions (Five Star at 3 rentals) versus Avis Preferred Plus (10 rentals or $4,000). Avis President's Club (20 rentals or $6,000) gives an automatic two-class upgrade at check-in versus Hertz President's Circle's guaranteed one-class upgrade up to full-size. For casual US travellers hitting 3 to 5 rentals per year, Hertz Five Star typically wins. For heavy business rental users, Avis President's Club can pull ahead on guaranteed two-class upgrades. Both cashback-eligible via ShopBack.

Enterprise (which also owns Alamo and National) dominates US neighborhood-location coverage with free pickup/dropoff and typically has newer, better-maintained fleets on average. Hertz dominates airport counter presence, has stronger business-travel elite recognition, and a deeper Prestige/luxury fleet. For a downtown or suburban rental where you don't want to hail a ride to an airport counter, Enterprise typically wins. For airport pickup or premium vehicle access, Hertz often wins. Both cashback-eligible via ShopBack via their own merchant pages.

Hertz Loss Damage Waiver (LDW, US market equivalent of CDW) is optional and typically runs about $20 to $45 per day depending on vehicle class and location. Before adding LDW, check three sources: (1) your personal auto insurance may extend rental coverage; (2) many US credit cards (Chase Sapphire Reserve, Amex Platinum) offer primary or secondary rental car collision coverage when the rental is charged to the card; (3) programmes like Amex Premium Car Rental Protection (about $19.95 per rental, not per day) provide primary coverage. Adding Hertz LDW on top of credit-card coverage is often duplicative for personal rentals.

Hertz has staffed counters at every major US airport including Orlando MCO, Las Vegas LAS, Denver DEN, Los Angeles LAX, San Francisco SFO, Dallas Fort Worth DFW, Miami MIA, Atlanta ATL, Newark EWR, JFK New York, and Chicago ORD. Peak rental times align with spring break (March), summer road trip (June to August), leaf-peeping (September to October Northeast), and Thanksgiving through New Year. Book 3 to 4 weeks ahead for holiday windows since airport inventory tightens fast. Gold members skip the counter at 40+ US locations via Gold Choice.

Empty any pending Hertz cart, then click through fresh from the ShopBack Hertz merchant page to hertz.com. Complete the booking in the same browser session using a personal credit card, then confirm the reservation email. Avoid pasting unofficial third-party promo codes at checkout since they can break cashback tracking. Cashback tracks on eligible car rentals at the current published rate on the ShopBack Hertz merchant page. Corporate rate codes, government rates, and third-party OTA bookings (Costco Travel, AAA) typically do not qualify.

Yes. Any cancelled or no-show portion of your Hertz booking is removed from the ShopBack cashback total, since Hertz only pays commission on completed rentals. Pay Now (prepaid) rate cancellations within the free-cancellation window typically issue a refund; the pending cashback will not confirm. Pay Later rate cancellations before pickup have no fee but also earn no cashback.