I’m going to a wedding tomorrow in Auburn, Alabama, and I’m flying into Atlanta & doing the rental car thing to make the drive. I’ll be the first to admit that I have no loyalty to car rental programs – it’s all about getting the best deal for me.
Using AutoSlash, I was able to get a last-minute rental with Hertz for $30 and change. I logged into my Hertz account and saw that I had some points (who knows how), and I somehow even have top-tier status with them. Fantastic. I better get a nice upgrade, ha.
Anyway, who really cares about Hertz points? I certainly didn’t. Until I came across Dia’s (The Deal Mommy) post this morning.
Are Hertz points a hidden gem? I say so. No I’m not talking about redeeming 550 points for a free weekend-day rental. The real value is when you click on “exchange points” and come to this page:
Do you see what I see? 600 Hertz points = 1,200 Southwest Points.
The value of Southwest points is variable, with an average value of 1.7 cents per point, so in this case, 1,200 Southwest Points gets you about $20.40 in Southwest flights.
Transfers from Hertz points to Southwest points can take up to 8 weeks (!!), but I’ll go ahead and make the move for experimental purposes.
For me, Hertz points are the kind of points that just sit there collecting dust, so at least I know that I can transfer them to a place I know will get a lot of attention.
What’s even better is that you can combine Hertz points with family (instantly), so you can clear out those accounts that might never see the light of day.
Oh, and here’s the easiest way you can earn 25 free Hertz points (family of 4=100)… hey, the little points do add up as you can see!
What are your thoughts? Has anyone transferred Hertz points to Southwest Rapid Rewards?
I transferred 30k Hertz to SW beggining of January. Points were debited immediately, and showed up in my SW account 3-4 days later, even though they said usually 4-6 weeks
@ Angelina — Maybe they just became more valuable to YOU, but I generally use mine for rental cars when the prices are high and get about 10 – 15 cents per point in value. I surely wouldn’t consider 3.4 cents to be very valuable to ME. (Plus I hate Southwest… :) )
Sorry this time, Angelina. Poor exchange rate. Save those Hertz pts to use at expensive locations (ex, Martha’s Vineyard & DEN in summer) or one-way rentals.
REALLY bad advice unless you have points that are going to expire. I often get .10+ CPP.
I use my Hertz points generally for 1 week rentals at expensive locations like New York or Boston. You can choose up to a premier car so it is a 10 cent plus redemption. Also one-way rentals are great redemptions since those can cost $150 plus from San Diego to Los Angeles for a standard car or even more if we need more luggage space or have more people.
That’s terrible transfer! 550 points for $20 in south west? You can do a one way rental that will get you over $150 in value!
Beware, I participated in many Hertz promotions, and never got their promised bonus points. Their rewards department is incompetent and unhelpful, contacting them is useless too, as they promise to get back to you, but that never happens.
I agree with the other comments. There is much better value staying with car rentals here. If you’re interested in seeing some valuations, here is a comparison: http://www.thorpetravelsite.com/travel-blog/2016/3/hackinghertzpointsforexponentialvalue
terrible value. hertz points are worth at least $.10 /point. Don’t blow them on SWA