Every Spring we see the return of Daily Getaways, a multi-week period of various travel deals that run for either a single day or until they sell out. A wide variety deals, points and packages available are offered. But there are some repeats you can usually count on, including one I now regret not purchasing (SEE: Daily Getaways 4/19: Save 75% on Hertz points).
Why I wish I would have purchased Hertz points
Hertz has been my biggest travel wish lately. If there was only a way to quickly and easily accrue points with them, such as a credit card that doesn’t exist (but should). I would be all over it.
Using Hertz points for one-way rental to or from the Bay Area is an awesome deal for us. We have a single vehicle, so flying out of a non-local airport involves a trek of several hours. This necessitates renting a car and paying for parking, or renting a car each way, which quickly adds up.
While I have been able to score rental car deals, including one as cheap as $66 one-way from San Jose back to Humboldt County, I can’t count on those. I’ve often had to get creative to save money (SEE: 4 tips from my experience renting 4 cars in 4 days).
So having a stash of points I could use for one-way rentals would be phenomenal. When could I have acquired said stash? During Daily Getaways. I’m kicking myself now for not pulling the trigger.
That darn up front cost
During Daily Getaways there were three packages available for Hertz points, and they were in extremely limited quantities. I knew I’d be racing the clock trying to get one. I also considered the cost of each. The following were offered in 2018:
- 5,500 Hertz points for $280 (45 packages) – 5.1 cents per point
- 13,200 Hertz points for $560 (35 packages) – 4.2 cents per point
- 16,500 Hertz points for $698 (50 packages) – 4.2 cents per point
These packages are all excellent value (SEE: Getting 13 cents per point on a car rental!). The smallest package is enough points for 5 one-day, one-way weekend rentals. Dividing $280 by 5, this is a mere $56 per day/rental, which is outstanding. I’ve never been able to rent a car one-way for this cheap. Almost, but not quite. The additional taxes and fees are also very reasonable. I’ve not been charged more than $2 so far when redeeming my Hertz points, as the drop fee is included in the rate and is covered by the points.
But it is still $280 out of pocket. And I didn’t have $280 that I wanted to drop on some points at the time. But now I’m regretting it. They would have already come in handy for at least two trips, for which we’ve spent ~80% of what it would have cost to buy the points this past Spring. By pre-purchasing, we would have essentially gotten almost 3 one-way rentals for “free”, based on what we’ve already spent this year.
It is a rare instance where buying points in a truly good deal. But this is one time I wish I would have.
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Excellent advice. We are on the same boat. One way rentals are an expensive option also in our case. Our only problem is lack of local rental locations. How do you work around that?
We fortunately have an Enterprise location and a Hertz location within 25 minutes of where we live. There are a couple more options about 45 minutes away at the local airport. Are yours a lot farther than that? They won’t pick us up here, but a drive of no more than half an hour isn’t bad.
What are the ways for avoiding one way drop off charge? Does the drop off at different airport qualify for a no fee drop off?
Always depends on the specific situation. I’ve driven a cheap one-way without a drop fee. I’ve also paid drop fees of $100. Depends where the company needs the car. If they need it where you’re going, the drop fee could be less, or ever removed altogether.
In Hertz’s case, the drop fee appears to be rolled into the rate, so you won’t actually pay it if you use points. You’ll only pay the minimal taxes. When using Enterprise points, you’re still on the hook for the drop fee.