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If you’re planning on renting a car from Hertz and want to save some money, read this article. Hertz is a premium rental car company, and with that comes premium prices. That is, unless you know how to get a much better deal by understanding rental car discount codes and how they work.
Hertz has three primary discount code types you need to understand: Hertz CDP Codes, Hertz PC Codes, and Hertz RQ Codes.
All the major car rental companies offer deals, promotions, and discounts. But they all do it a little different and they don’t make the best discounts publicly available.
Don’t worry, we did a little research to help you out. Here’s your guide to saving a lot of money on your next Hertz Car Rental.
What’s a Hertz CDP Code?
The Hertz CDP code is one of five different types of codes you’ll see with Hertz. They all offer various types of discounts or offers, but the CDP code typically provides the largest discount. As with other rental car discounts, you can often “stack” them to yield the best overall value.
Here is a description of the different Hertz offer codes:
1. CDP Code – Counter Discount Program:
The Hertz CDP code is a contract that has been established in cooperation with a company or organization (a Corporate Discount Code) to provide discounts beyond what is provided to the public. Examples of CDP codes include corporate rate plans and credit card and travel club discount programs. A CDP Number consists of numerical values and is between 1 and 10 digits long.
This number can also be used in conjunction with a PC (Promotion Code), RQ (Rate Code) or CV (Convention Number) if the special offer or promotion requires additional information is included in the reservation.
2. PC Code – Promotional Coupon:
The PC code is a six-digit number that is associated with a special offer or promotion.
This number can also be used in conjunction with a CDP (Discount Program) or RQ (Rate Code) if the special offer or promotion requires additional information be included in the reservation.
3. RQ Code – Rate Code:
The RQ code is a four to six digit code that is used to trigger discounts off of standard leisure rates.
This number is often displayed in a special offer with the text “I was told to ask for”. An RQ can also be used in conjunction with a CDP (Discount Program) or PC (Promotion Code) if the special offer or promotion requires additional information be included in the reservation.
4. CV Code – Convention Number
The CV code is a unique meeting number for a group that will generate pre-negotiated, discounted meeting rates and benefits. Insert the code in the CV field when making a reservation to receive pre-negotiated meeting rates. A CV number can only be used in conjunction with a CDP (Discount Program) or RQ (Rate Code) if the negotiated meeting rate allows additional information be included in the reservation.
5. IT Code – Voucher Code
These codes are less common and are tied to your reward documentation. You don’t need to pay much attention to this code type.
Current Hertz Discount Codes, Deals & Offers
Here are some of the publicly available discounts and offers from Hertz:
| Hertz Discount | Code/Link |
| Current Offers & Deals at Local Destinations | Get Deal |
| Current Offers & Deals at Global Locations | Get Deal |
| AARP members save up to 20% off base rates | 2007815 |
| Discounted rates for Military | 1238193 |
Hertz Corporate Codes
Corporate codes are heavily discounted rates negotiated between a company and Hertz. These are a great way to save on a car rentals, but you need to be very careful when using them.
Specifically, you need to make sure you’re eligible to use a corporate code before applying it to your next car rental. There are a lot of risks associated with using a code that you don’t qualify for. To begin with, you’ll most likely be asked for identification to prove you’re associated with the company whose code you’re using. If you can’t prove you are associated with that organization, there’s a good chance your rental will be denied.
Even more important, if you get into a car accident, you could have a big issue with your insurance claim if the rental is tied to a corporate account and their business insurance. Often times the claim will go back to the company with the negotiated rate, not to you. This could mean huge delays in getting a reimbursement and possible a claim denial.
I used to publish the most popular Hertz CDP corporate codes on this page, but was asked to take them down since people were using them that were not qualified and were getting denied at the rental counter, as well as having other problems.
If you work for a major corporation, especially one that has a lot of travelers (IBM, Deloitte, Accenture, etc..), make sure you contact your Human Resource or Corporate Travel Department as the savings can be huge when using these codes. Please just make sure you are associated with the company and qualified to use them!
If you do have a code from your company, go to the Hertz Booking Page to apply the discount code that applies to you. Detailed instructions for entering the code are below.
Student and Alumni Discount Codes
Another way to get a discounted corporate code with Hertz is to check and see if your College or University has either an alumni deals page or student benefits page that offer car rental discounts. As an Michigan State University alumni, I have access to discounts with Avis, Enterprise, Hertz and National – the discounts can range from 10-30%.
In this case, MSU has a code with Hertz that provides a discount of up to 25%. Do a quick google search on your university and see what discounts you can come up with.
Before using one of these codes, double check and make sure you are allowed to use these University Discount Codes on personal rentals. Some codes are published for business travel only, while others can be used for personal rentals. In some cases, the rental car company provides a separate code for personal use and business use.
How to Apply a Hertz Discount Code
There are two different ways a Hertz discount code can be applied.
- Auto-populated codes from clicking on a discount link, or
- Manually entering the codes when making your reservation.
Option 1: Discount Code is Auto-Populated
Option 2 – Discount Code is manually entered
This one takes a few more steps:
Step 1: Go to the Hertz Booking Page and enter you location and dates. Click Continue.
Step 2: Click on the “Discounts Applied” arrow to reveal the discount code options
Step 3: Enter your Hertz CDP Code or other discount code and click Apply to get the deal.
Other Ways to Save on Your Next Hertz Car Rental
Car Rental Discount Codes are not the only way to save when you rent a car. Here are a couple of other tips to consider when renting your next car.
Join the Loyalty Club
This is a “no-brainer”. Joining the Hertz loyalty program is free and only takes a couple of minutes to sign up. Once you are a member, you can get great perks, free rental days and free upgrades.
Rental with a Premium Credit Card
Premier credit cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve card, have rental car insurance benefits included which will allow you to bypass the added insurance fees the car companies will try to get you to purchase at the rental counter.
Make sure your credit card offers “primary” rental car insurance coverage. My Sapphire Preferred Card saved me when I had an accident in Italy.
Rent Off Airport
I’m not a huge fan of this option, since it can be quite inconvenience. However, you can save quite a bit by rental outside of the airport and avoiding all of the added fees that come with renting at the airport.
Don’t prepay for Gas
It’s easy to get sucked into thinking that the lower priced prepaid gas is a good deal. It isn’t. When you prepay for gas you are paying for a full tank. The odds of you using every last bit of gas before you return is very low. Fill the tank up several miles outside the airport and you will be better off.
Consider booking through an airline portal
Many major airlines have partnerships with rental car companies, offering drivers discounts, the ability to earn miles and more when you book the car rental through their portal.
You can also book a vacation package through your airline. Any time you can package your flight with a car rental and/or hotel stay, there is the opportunity for additional savings.
Hertz Rental Car “Rack Rates” are extremely expensive. Hopefully this article gave you some good ideas to save on your next trip.
Ways to Save with Other Rental Car Companies
If you don’t want to rent from Hertz, here are some ways to save with the other major rental car companies:
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