Hertz 15% or 20% Discount for Amex Platinum cardholders

[Ken1]

Yesterday I saw mention in a thread on the Virgin Australia Velocity board that Hertz gives a 15% discount for Amex Platinum Charge cardholders, something I was not aware of.

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....locity/europcar-or-hertz-us-rental-52989.html

I've posted on that thread but I'll post here on the Amex board as it may help other Amex cardholders who don't notice the discussion on the Virgin board.

A quick check of Hertz from Jan 11 for 4 weeks shows the cheapest SUV is ~AUD2,200 for a rAV4, prepaid., incl all insurance. Depending on what CDP's or other discounts you have access to, you might be able to get 10-20% off. Eg Amex Plat Charge Card usually gives 15% off.

After reading that I couldn't see anything on the Amex website so I phoned Amex last night and was told that you only get the discount if you book through Amex Travel, something I now know is incorrect. I asked them for a quote for two upcoming rentals I have booked for the USA and one for Canada and the prices I already have for next month, booked last November, are a lot cheaper than Amex quoted. When I tried the hertz.com.au website the prices are close to what I already have booked so I'm not sure why the Amex prices were so much higher.

I called Hertz this morning and they adjusted my three bookings from the 5% Virgin discount I had already used to 20% discount with my Amex Platinum Charge card so that's a good saving

I hadn't thought to ask for the CDP code on that call so I called Hertz back and they have given me the CDP for the Amex Platinum discount - 109530 . It gives a 20% discount for USA and Canada, and I asked about the discount for other parts of the world and the lady I spoke to did a couple of dummy bookings for Australia, UK and France and all of those give a 15% discount.

I asked if the discount is only for the Amex Platinum Charge card and she said it just says "Amex Platinum Card AU" so it will probably work with any Amex Platinum card.

This is from my booking confirmation:
Corporate/Association (CDP) Plan: AMEX PLATINUM CARD AU
THE RATE HAS BEEN DISCOUNTED BY 20 %

Thanks to everyone who posts on AFF, we can all learn so much from each other - I'm grateful for all the information posted and advice I've received over the years.

 

[equus]

It will probably work, but it would pay to be a little careful. The "Platinum Card" in Amex speak normally refers to the Platinum Charge, and not the Reserve, Virgin etc., let alone any of the bank issued variety.

Whilst the CDP might work, you may need to consider your position if you are not actually entitled to use it? In the event of an accident, is use of a CDP that you are not entitled to, a breach of contract sufficient to void the insurance? Risk may be low, but potential consequences may be very expensive.

 

[AdMEL]

It will probably work, but it would pay to be a little careful. The "Platinum Card" in Amex speak normally refers to the Platinum Charge, and not the Reserve, Virgin etc., let alone any of the bank issued variety.

Whilst the CDP might work, you may need to consider your position if you are not actually entitled to use it? In the event of an accident, is use of a CDP that you are not entitled to, a breach of contract sufficient to void the insurance? Risk may be low, but potential consequences may be very expensive.

Agree entirely - was going to post something similar.

The CDP I was referring to actually says PLATINUM CARD FROM AMEX in my Hertz profile, which definitely refers to the Platinum Charge Card, as far as I am aware. It seems this is a different CDP.

On the other hand, the Virgin CDP I have saved in my Hertz profile says VIRGIN GUEST RATE PH, rather than VELOCITY and I use it all the time, even when I haven't flown Virgin.

 

[Ken1]

It will probably work, but it would pay to be a little careful. The "Platinum Card" in Amex speak normally refers to the Platinum Charge, and not the Reserve, Virgin etc., let alone any of the bank issued variety.

Whilst the CDP might work, you may need to consider your position if you are not actually entitled to use it? In the event of an accident, is use of a CDP that you are not entitled to, a breach of contract sufficient to void the insurance? Risk may be low, but potential consequences may be very expensive.

I do have the Platinum Charge card and was pleased to find out about another benefit I wasn't aware of. I just asked the question about which Platinum cards were valid when I saw it says: "AMEX PLATINUM CARD AU" on my confirmation and the lady at Hertz didn't seem to know the difference between Platinum cards - she just repeated that it says "AMEX PLATINUM CARD AU".

 

[equus]

All good then. You had implied that you had the appropriate card, but I thought it worth warning other potential users, as just because one Hertz CSR doesn't know differences between cards, it doesn't mean that any differences won't be checked.

I too have the Platinum Charge card, so many thanks for posing this - I just change my next booking, and reduced the rate.

 

[lovestotravel]

It will probably work, but it would pay to be a little careful. The "Platinum Card" in Amex speak normally refers to the Platinum Charge, and not the Reserve, Virgin etc., let alone any of the bank issued variety.

Whilst the CDP might work, you may need to consider your position if you are not actually entitled to use it? In the event of an accident, is use of a CDP that you are not entitled to, a breach of contract sufficient to void the insurance? Risk may be low, but potential consequences may be very expensive.

This 100%%%%%%%%%%%%%

 

[Ken1]

Agree entirely - was going to post something similar.

The CDP I was referring to actually says PLATINUM CARD FROM AMEX in my Hertz profile, which definitely refers to the Platinum Charge Card, as far as I am aware. It seems this is a different CDP.

On the other hand, the Virgin CDP I have saved in my Hertz profile says VIRGIN GUEST RATE PH, rather than VELOCITY and I use it all the time, even when I haven't flown Virgin.

I didn't have the CDPs in my Hertz profile before now, I always added the Virgin one manually. I've just added the Amex Platinum CDP I was given by Hertz today (109530) to my Hertz profile and it's displaying as AMEX PLATINUM CARD AU and I've also added the CDP I had for Virgin (1878136) and it too shows VIRGIN GUEST RATE PH. I have the Amex CDP marked as "Currently Preferred".

 

[JohnK]

All good then. You had implied that you had the appropriate card, but I thought it worth warning other potential users, as just because one Hertz CSR doesn't know differences between cards, it doesn't mean that any differences won't be checked.

I dont know the differences either. I have an Amex Platinum card but not a charge card.

Should I stop using the SES Avis AWD number and forego the wonderful discounted rate?

 

[AdMEL]

I dont know the differences either. I have an Amex Platinum card but not a charge card.

Should I stop using the SES Avis AWD number and forego the wonderful discounted rate?

With any discount code, use when you are not entitled to, leaves you open to being in breach of the rental agreement, which may result in you being without cover in the event of damaging the vehicle - not something I would want to risk to save a few dollars!

 

[JohnPhelan]

The issue is what AMEX PLATINUM CARD AU is defined to mean. If Hertz don't specifically define it, then it's absolutely valid to read it as "an Australian-issued Platinum Amex card".

It would be a very difficult legal argument for anyone to claim that it had to be one specific type of card, or issued directly by Amex - if it was meant to say that, then it should have been defined as such.

 

[JohnK]

With any discount code, use when you are not entitled to, leaves you open to being in breach of the rental agreement, which may result in you being without cover in the event of damaging the vehicle - not something I would want to risk to save a few dollars!

It is not just a few dollars.

The excess is reduced to ~$500 where as without it the excess is ~$3500. So am I also in breach of my annual travel insurance policy which covers for up to $4500 rental vehicle access?

 

[lovestotravel]

Well firstly the code is not really meant to be on a public forum
Secondly the code is meant for Platinum CHARGE card customers

Use it at your own risk, but don't come crying when/if Hertz pick it up and ask you to show the card and/or if you crash the car and you have NO insurance coverage with Hertz

 

[JohnPhelan]

Well firstly the code is not really meant to be on a public forum
Secondly the code is meant for Platinum CHARGE card customers

Use it at your own risk, but don't come crying when/if Hertz pick it up and ask you to show the card and/or if you crash the car and you have NO insurance coverage with Hertz

The issue is for Hertz to define. Saying "it was meant for someone else" carries no weight - they need to define exactly for whom it is meant!

As it stands, the words mean what they say; if the intention is for them to have a more restricted or specific meaning, that needs to be explicitly stated.

 

[JohnK]

Use it at your own risk, but don't come crying when/if Hertz pick it up and ask you to show the card and/or if you crash the car and you have NO insurance coverage with Hertz

So if you have znnual travel insurance it should make no differece what CDP you used or did not use? Correct? If your annual travel insurance covers up to $4500 and you need to pay the excess that is what they will pay.

Using a CDP I am not entitled to use means I have saved some money on the rental until I have an accident. They cant ask you to pay back the money you have saved using a CDP you were not entitled to use. Correct?

Win, win for all involved.

 

[equus]

The problem with basing decisions, including who is eligible to use, on the description is that it is only the short form which shows in the profile. Somewhere else (where you obtain the CDP), the full eligibility will be defined.

Everyone needs to make their own evaluation of the risks involved in using a discount code, including where it came from, what the eligibility is, and what it actually does (it may alter things other than the rate).

For all I know (and I have no direct knowledge) a CDP aimed at Platinum Charge card holders may be offering a good rate discount because it is also changing the included CDW excess upward by a large amount because of the insurance component offered by the Platinum Charge card.

Even if there was no issue of breach of rental agreement raised, someone who didn't have the right card (or use it for the rental) might be a little shocked to discover after an accident that the "good deal" CDP they used which saved them 15% on the base rate also (in the fine print that they probably didn't read before they drove away) changed the insurance excess from the normal $5,500 to $55,000!

 

[lovestotravel]

So if you have znnual travel insurance it should make no differece what CDP you used or did not use? Correct? If your annual travel insurance covers up to $4500 and you need to pay the excess that is what they will pay.

Using a CDP I am not entitled to use means I have saved some money on the rental until I have an accident. They cant ask you to pay back the money you have saved using a CDP you were not entitled to use. Correct?

Win, win for all involved.

It means you are in breach of your rental agreement, and would be FULLY liable for all repair/liability costs which could be tens of thousands of hundreds of $

Being in breach of your rental agreement would also LIKELY mean your travel insurance wouldn't cover you

Again use at your own risk, but I wouldn't!

 

[equus]

So if you have znnual travel insurance it should make no differece what CDP you used or did not use? Correct? If your annual travel insurance covers up to $4500 and you need to pay the excess that is what they will pay.

It may not help you, of instead of deciding that you need to pay the "normal" excess (that would have applied without the CDP having reduced it), they decide you have no insurance at all (by being technical about rental agreement conditions). You may then find that your annual travel insurance only covers you for an excess payment, and without any CDW coverage, there is no excess for them to cover, and you end up totally uninsured.

If you have an annual policy which covers the higher excess anyway, why is a CDP which lowers the excess of value? Assuming that it is the lower daily rate, you need to look at any risks.

Insurance is something you don't want to be worrying about grey areas when you need it, and insurance companies are very good at protecting their profits by being pedantic about shades of grey.

 

[lovestotravel]

Even if there was no issue of breach of rental agreement raised, someone who didn't have the right card (or use it for the rental) might be a little shocked to discover after an accident that the "good deal" CDP they used which saved them 15% on the base rate also (in the fine print that they probably didn't read before they drove away) changed the insurance excess from the normal $5,500 to $55,000!

Yep, fully agree and it's not a position I would want to be in!

 

[AdMEL]

It may not help you, of instead of deciding that you need to pay the "normal" excess (that would have applied without the CDP having reduced it), they decide you have no insurance at all (by being technical about rental agreement conditions). You may then find that your annual travel insurance only covers you for an excess payment, and without any CDW coverage, there is no excess for them to cover, and you end up totally uninsured.

If you have an annual policy which covers the higher excess anyway, why is a CDP which lowers the excess of value? Assuming that it is the lower daily rate, you need to look at any risks.

Insurance is something you don't want to be worrying about grey areas when you need it, and insurance companies are very good at protecting their profits by being pedantic about shades of grey.

Well put!

Further to this, there is usually a clause in all rental car excess cover (whether through travel insurance or credit card) that states you are not covered if you breach the rental agreement.

In my view, there are at least these two ways that rental car excess cover insurer could have to refuse to cover you in the event you use a CDP you are not entitled to use.

 

[equus]

Yep, fully agree and it's not a position I would want to be in!

Me neither. I am the retentive type that actually reads the PDS and the rental agreement terms so that I know where I stand, and do not get any nasty surprises after the event.

I can't understand why people aren't more suspicious of "really good deals" and don't check out potential pitfalls more carefully.

I am not against taking risks to save money, but I really want to know how big the risk is, an evaluate whether I think the gain justifies the risk (and I am prepared to accept the consequences if it all goes pear shaped).