Hertz President’s Circle is the headline rental perk on The Platinum Card from American Express. We’ve held President’s Circle for more than eight years and already wrote a full guide to the status and every way to get it. This post sticks to the Amex angle: how to enroll (and re-enroll before December 31, 2026), what the Amex discount code actually saves, and what Marriott Bonvoy status adds on top. Everything here is as of October 2026.
What President’s Circle is
Hertz Gold Plus Rewards is free to join. President’s Circle is its top publicly available tier, which One Mile at a Time says normally takes 15 rentals or $3,000 in spending a year. The perks that matter most: a guaranteed upgrade of at least one class at participating locations, picking your own car from the President’s Circle area, no extra-driver fee for a spouse or domestic partner in the U.S., bonus Gold Plus points and skipping the counter at major airports.
We love President’s Circle, and the reason is the lot, not the fine print. At the airports we rent from most often, including LAX, Milwaukee (MKE), O’Hare (ORD), Kona (KOA) and Austin (AUS), we book an intermediate car (Hertz class C, code ICAR) or higher, since that is the floor for the President’s Circle area, and walk in to find a row of small and full-size luxury SUVs waiting, and more often than you would expect, a dual-cab pickup parked next to them. We take whichever fits the trip, at no extra charge. In Kona that meant a fully loaded Ford Expedition for the Saddle Road; in Milwaukee in January it means something with all-wheel drive. Once in a blue moon the area has no SUVs at all, which is our preference, and we simply wait a few minutes for the next batch of returns to be cleaned and pulled in rather than settle for a sedan. The guaranteed upgrade is the written benefit; the free choice of a nicer vehicle is what it feels like in practice.
The status you get, and how to enroll
- Status: President’s Circle. Frequent Miler lists the eligible cards as the Platinum Card (including the Schwab and Morgan Stanley versions), The Business Platinum Card and the personal and business Delta SkyMiles Reserve cards.
- How to enroll: join Gold Plus Rewards first. Then log in to your Amex account, open Benefits, choose Car Rental Privileges, select Enroll Now and enter your Hertz number. Frequent Miler reports processing can take up to 72 hours.
- The re-enrollment deadline: in July 2026 Amex emailed cardholders that “re-enrollment in the status benefit is requested by December 31, 2026,” citing a revised enrollment system, as reported by Traveling for Miles, Frequent Miler and InsideFlyer. If you skip it, Frequent Miler says Hertz may remove the Amex discount program from your profile and you may lose President’s Circle.
One fix worth knowing: Frequent Miler readers said enrollment failed when the email addresses on their Hertz and Amex accounts didn’t match, and matching them solved it for some.
The discounts: what CDP 211762 really does
Hertz’s Amex Platinum page says the Amex Corporate Discount Program number, CDP 211762, must be on the reservation and the rental paid with the Platinum Card. In return it promises:
- “Special savings” on rates at participating locations worldwide. Hertz publishes no fixed percentage and says savings vary by location and timing, so we can’t give you a number.
- A one-class upgrade on compact through full-size cars, subject to availability.
- A 4-hour grace period on U.S. returns before an extra day is charged. It covers time and mileage only, not add-ons like car seats or coverage products.
- A 10% Gold Plus points bonus and special weekend rates on Prestige Collection cars.
Add the President’s Circle perks, especially the guaranteed upgrade and the free spouse or partner driver, and the savings come more from perks than from the rate itself.
What Marriott Bonvoy status adds at Hertz
Hertz is Marriott’s main car rental partner, so this is the one rental company where Bonvoy status helps a little:
- Bonvoy points: Hertz says Bonvoy members earn 500 points per qualifying rental when they add their Bonvoy number. Marriott’s car rental page says elite members earn 200 more, up to 700. The Platinum Card includes Marriott Gold Elite, so cardholders who enroll in that benefit qualify as elites.
- Rate discount: Marriott says members save on Hertz base rates when booking through its car rental page. You’d book under one discount program or the other, so price both against CDP 211762.
- Status match: AwardWallet and AutoSlash report Titanium matching to Hertz Five Star and Ambassador to President’s Circle, with Platinum previously getting a fast track to Five Star. In March 2026 AwardWallet said Hertz no longer publishes which tiers qualify and suggested emailing Digitalmarketing@hertz.com. Silver and Gold get no Hertz status.
Bottom line: if you have the Platinum Card, the match adds nothing, since you already have President’s Circle. It only matters if you drop the card, and then only Ambassador is reported to reach President’s Circle. For our part, the Hertz status we’ve held for 8+ years is unrelated to our Marriott lifetime status. And on the points question, we skip the Bonvoy number and let the rental earn Hertz Gold Plus Rewards points instead. We get more value from Hertz points than from a few hundred Bonvoy points, because we save them for one-way rentals, where cash rates are often inflated by drop fees and a points redemption sidesteps all of it. If you rarely rent one-way, the Bonvoy points may suit you better; just know you are choosing one or the other.
Hertz status at a glance (as of October 2026)
| Route | Hertz tier | Rate discount | Key perks | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amex Platinum or Business Platinum | President’s Circle | CDP 211762 (no published %) | Guaranteed upgrade, 4-hour U.S. grace period, free spouse driver | Enroll in Amex Benefits; re-enroll by Dec. 31, 2026 |
| Marriott Silver or Gold | None | Marriott-linked base-rate savings | 500-700 Bonvoy points per rental | Add Bonvoy number |
| Marriott Platinum | Unclear (formerly fast track to Five Star) | Same | Up to 700 Bonvoy points | Email Hertz |
| Marriott Titanium | Five Star (reported) | Same | Up to 700 Bonvoy points | Email Hertz |
| Marriott Ambassador | President’s Circle (reported) | Same | Up to 700 Bonvoy points | Email Hertz |
Beyond Hertz: the rest of our rental status stack
Hertz is the one we use most, but it is not the only rental status in our wallet, and none of the others cost us a rental to earn. Here is how the rest of the stack fits together, so you can pick the right counter at any airport:
- National Emerald Club Executive, also from the Platinum Card. Hertz gets the attention, but the same Car Rental Privileges benefit enrolls you in National’s Executive tier and Avis Preferred Plus at the same time. Executive is the one that lets you book a midsize and pick anything from the Executive Area, which at busy airports is often the better upgrade than Hertz’s. We cover the enrollment, the missing discount code and the Marriott overlap in our Amex Platinum National status guide.
- Avis Preferred Plus, also from the Platinum Card. The third status in the same enrollment. It is Avis’s mid-tier, which mostly means a faster pickup and bonus points rather than a guaranteed upgrade. Details, including the AWD discount code that comes with it, are in our Amex Platinum Avis status guide.
- Avis discounts from FoundersCard. The Avis code we actually book with comes from FoundersCard, the paid membership for business owners, which we are on through a free one-year trial. FoundersCard’s rental benefits are the strongest part of its package: Prince of Travel reports Elite members get Avis President’s Club, SIXT Platinum, Hertz President’s Circle and up to 35% off at Budget, and Hertz’s own FoundersCard page confirms trial members get Five Star while Elite members get President’s Circle. The Avis discount code is the piece we use most, since it stacks with whatever Avis status you already hold. If you own a business, even a small one, the trial is worth a look before you pay for anything.
- SIXT Diamond from Marriott Titanium. This is the one Marriott status match that actually matters for rentals. SIXT’s partner page says Marriott Bonvoy Titanium and Ambassador members are matched to SIXT Diamond, the invitation-only top tier, and Head for Points reports Diamond comes with up to 20% off and had never been available through a Marriott match before 2024. Platinum and Gold Elites get SIXT Platinum instead. Our lifetime Titanium status got us Diamond with a single form; the full walkthrough is in our Marriott Titanium and SIXT status guide.
Who benefits, and our tips
- Anyone who rents more than once or twice a year, and couples who share driving.
- Re-enroll now rather than in late December.
- Before adding your Bonvoy number, check whether it changes the Hertz points you earn on that rental.
- Military members can read our premium cards and military fee waiver guide.
Want rental car status from the Amex Platinum? You can see current offers and apply with our American Express referral link. Referral offers can differ from the public offer, so compare both before you apply.
Disclosure: This is our personal American Express referral link. If you’re approved through it, we may earn referral rewards, at no extra cost to you. You can always apply directly on American Express’s website. See our Advertising & Referral Disclosure.
Our take
President’s Circle is, for us, the most useful rental perk on the Platinum Card, and the guaranteed upgrade is the reason. But be realistic: the CDP “savings” aren’t a fixed discount and can lose to a public sale, upgrade choices at busy airports vary, and the re-enrollment requirement is exactly the kind of chore people miss. The Marriott side is modest, a few hundred Bonvoy points per rental, and the status match is murky. Enroll, re-enroll before December 31, and compare prices every time.
Related on Points Capital: Amex Platinum’s $600 hotel credit becomes a lodging credit with a two-night minimum in 2027; Hertz turns Rent2Buy into TestDrive+; National ranks No. 2 in J.D. Power’s 2026 rental car study.
Sources: American Express Platinum Card benefits; Hertz Amex Platinum page; Hertz Marriott Bonvoy partner page; Marriott Bonvoy reward partners; Marriott Bonvoy car rental; Frequent Miler; Traveling for Miles; InsideFlyer; One Mile at a Time; AwardWallet (status match); AwardWallet (Marriott car partners); AutoSlash; The Points Guy; Hertz FoundersCard page; Prince of Travel: Is FoundersCard worth it?; SIXT Marriott Bonvoy status match; Head for Points: Marriott and SIXT status match.
Card offers and terms change frequently; confirm current terms with the issuer before applying. Points Capital is not a financial advisor.
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