Why Hertz Five Star Status Is One of the Best New Amex Gold Benefits

We’ve all been there. You finally arrive at your destination after a long flight, excited to start the vacation you’ve been anticipating for months. After you collect your bags at the airport, you make your way to the rental car counter, only to find a line stretching out the door of the building.

There are few worse feelings for a traveler than this, and most people are simply forced to deal with it and wait their turn, even though lines can last several hours in some cases.

However, there is a way to avoid all this dreaded waiting entirely — and that’s to have elite status with a rental car agency (or, even better, multiple companies). As part of the latest refresh on the American Express^® Gold Card, Hertz Five Star^® status is now an included perk on a mid-tier card.

At first, I didn’t read too much into this new inclusion for the Amex Gold card, but as I thought it over, I realized it is a pretty neat perk, especially since its $325 annual fee (rates & fees) didn’t go up.

What Is Hertz Five Star Status?

Hertz has a loyalty program called Gold+ Rewards, with just 2 elite tiers: Five Star and President’s Circle. The Five Star level typically requires $1,000 in eligible spend or 3 Hertz rentals during the calendar year, and includes the following benefits:

• 1-class upgrade to a full-size vehicle, applicable at participating locations and subject to availability.
• 25% bonus Gold Plus Rewards points on all eligible rentals.
• Expedited pickup at more than 1,000 locations around the world.
• Choose a different vehicle on the spot at no extra charge with Hertz Ultimate Choice.

Now, Amex Gold cardmembers can enroll in complimentary Hertz Five Star status, which is especially nice given the issuer didn’t change the card’s annual fee.

Why I Enjoy Having Hertz Five Star Status

Despite not being a top-tier elite status, Hertz Five Star is well-designed to deliver practical, real-world benefits that provide genuine value in several ways.

The most valuable to me is access to expedited vehicle pickups. I pick up the vast majority of my car rentals at airport locations, and these can have incredibly long lines — especially at popular vacation destinations — and I run out of fingers before I’m finished counting the times I’ve had to wait in line for well over an hour to finally get my car.

However, the ability to go directly to the front of the line at participating Hertz locations changes the game entirely — it lets you start your vacation sooner and with far less stress. There are few things that cause more travel stress than waiting in a long, barely-moving line after getting off a long flight and desperately wanting to get on with the last step of your journey.

Scoring access to a perk like this by way of a mid-tier travel rewards card is an incredibly valuable and somewhat rare perk, as car rental elite status is more commonly reserved for only the most premium travel rewards cards.

Next, better upgrade chances can take your vacation to the next level. Think of arriving in a place like Hawaii, where you’ve rented a standard mid-size SUV, for example. Having Hertz Five Star status makes you eligible to receive upgrades (and increases your chances of doing so when compared to those with no status).

Now imagine getting to the counter — without waiting in an hourslong line — and hearing you’ve been upgraded to a Jeep Wrangler. That can add real value to your vacation, as a car like that in a place like Hawaii really enhances the experience and makes it that much more memorable.

It may seem like a minor, maybe even inconsequential perk, but taking advantage of what Hertz Five Star has to offer can provide real-world benefits for an often-overlooked, often-annoying part of traveling.

Is the Amex Gold Card Worth It?

The Amex Gold card remains one of our top picks for an everyday travel rewards card, and it got a few new perks without a higher annual fee. Beyond Hertz Five Star status, its earning potential got stronger with the enhanced 5x bonus category for prepaid hotels booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App™ (iOS, Android), up from 2x points.

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American Express^® Gold Card

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This is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!

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American Express^® Gold Card

This is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!

Welcome Offer

You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

As High As 100,000 Points. Find Out Your Offer.

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $2,200

Annual Fee

$325

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Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

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Why We Like This Card

The American Express^® Gold Card is a game-changer.

With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants, up to $50,000 per calendar year, and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1x.

There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are several other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x points per dollar on prepaid hotels via AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App
• 4x points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, up to $50,000 per calendar year; then 1x thereafter
• 4x points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year; then 1x thereafter

Cons

• $325 annual fee (rates and fees)
• No lounge access

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Card Highlights

• You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards^® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards^® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
• New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards^® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards^® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
• Earn 2X Membership Rewards^® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
• Earn 1X Membership Rewards^® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
• Pay It^® lets you tap in the American Express^® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It^® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
• Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
• $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express^® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express^® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
• New! As an American Express^® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star^® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
• Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
• Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express^® service and support. Only for American Express^® Card Members.
• Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $325.
• Terms Apply.

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• APR: See Pay Over Time APR
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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It also updated its dining partner portfolio for its annual dining credit, removing some of the less useful partners in favor of new options that are more ubiquitous and therefore easier to use.

In addition to those new perks, here’s what you can expect with the Amex Gold card (enrollment is required for some benefits):

• Earn 4 points per $1 at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 per year, then 1x points) and at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per year, then 1x points).
• Earn 3 points per $1 on flights booked directly with an airline or through AmexTravel.com and 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.
• Receive up to $100 in Resy statement credits annually, split into 2 $50 credits per half of the year (enrollment required)
• Receive up to $7 in Dunkin’ statement credits each month, up to $84 annually (enrollment required)
• Receive up to $10 monthly (up to $120 annually) in Uber Cash that can be used for rides or food in the U.S. (just add your card to your Uber account and pay for the transaction with an Amex card).

Final Thoughts

If you have an Amex Gold card, it just got more valuable without an increase in its annual fee. Don’t forget to enroll in the benefit online so you can access your perks right away.

It may not grab the headlines like some of the other perks offered on the Amex Gold card, but the included Hertz Gold Plus Five Star status is actually a benefit packed with value. It can make a big difference when you rent a car by saving time and increasing your chances of scoring an upgrade.