Last Updated on May 1, 2023 by Michael
Thinking of signing up for the Enterprise Plus loyalty program? While it’s not the most generous program around, we still recommend it, as you can earn points toward free award days—especially during the annual Enterprise Plus Your Points promotion.
But better yet, sign up for both Enterprise Plus and National Emerald Club. National is Enterprise’s sister company and it has a better loyalty program. When renting at participating Enterprise locations, you can use your National Emerald Club membership number on the reservation and receive credit toward points.
Tips When Signing Up for Enterprise Plus
The enrollment process is quick and easy. When you enroll in the program, you will enter your email address and create a password. Then you’ll enter your address and phone number. You’ll also need your driver’s license handy.
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Next, you can opt in or out of Enterprise email special offers.
Membership Tiers for Enterprise Plus
There are four membership tiers in this free program.
Plus: When you first sign up, you’ll be in Enterprise Plus. If you have between zero and five qualifying rentals, you’re in Plus.
Silver: The next level up is Silver, when you have between six and 11 qualifying rentals. At this level, you receive 10 percent bonus points and one free car upgrades per year.
Gold: The next level up is Gold, which you achieve with either 12 qualifying rentals or 40 rental days. At this level, you receive 15 percent bonus points and two free car upgrades per year.
Platinum: The top level is Platinum, which requires either 24 qualifying rentals or 85 rental days. At this level, you receive 20 percent bonus points and four free car upgrades per year.
Finally, know that you can get automatic status matching in the Enterprise Plus program if you have elite status with competitors Avis or National.
How to Earn and Redeem Enterprise Plus Points
How it works
Enterprise Plus members earn one point per dollar spent on their base rental rate.
You can redeem Enterprise Plus points for rentals at Enterprise with a scale starting at 400 points, with no blackout dates. The math is easy; the program requires $400 in spend at eligible Enterprise or National locations to even have a chance at a free rental day.
You accrue points based on how much you spend. The number of points needed for a redemption are based upon the price of the rental car being booked. You can use the points for any available vehicle at Enterprise for a round-trip rental. You cannot, however, use points at National locations or for one-way rentals. Even the most exotic car on the rental car lot is available if you have enough points. More expensive redemption opportunities simply require more points.
How to get the most bang for your buck
Enterprise Plus doesn’t need an award chart. Points are worth close to 5 cents each when the base rental cost is over $20 per day. When the base rental rate is below $20 per day, you need 400 points per day (whether the rate is a $9.99 promotion or a $19.99 sale).
When the base rental rate is more than $20 per day, Enterprise’s algorithms may round the number of points required for the rental up or down to the nearest numbers divisible by 50. Over hundreds of tests, we often see a $31.10 rate converted to 600 points for a free day, while a $30.34 rate required marginally more points (650). These anomalies happen because the server arbitrarily rounds up or down to a nearby amount of points divisible by 50.
We didn’t encounter any anomalies in the points required for rentals until getting into really expensive rental car redemptions. Once the base per-day rate for the rental is over $120 and the required points exceed 2,400 per day, some award redemptions were pricing at 100-150 more points than anticipated. However, those are exceptional edge cases; very few rentals cost over $120 pre-tax, per day (whether paid or an award).
Points never expire as long as you remain an active member with at least one qualifying rental every three years.
Note This Gotcha on International Car Rentals
Enterprise’s terms and conditions state that, for car rentals outside the U.S., the company automatically uses dynamic currency conversion. There is no opportunity during the enrollment process to decline the Currency Conversion Charge on international rentals. This is unfortunate, since it is better to pay in the local currency than in U.S. currency.
Why We’re Lukewarm on Enterprise Plus
In general, we’re not fond of revenue-based programs like Enterprise Plus, since it’s comparatively hard to earn Enterprise Plus points. You’re looking at a minimum spend of $400 in rental cars before earning enough points for a $19.99 rental day. In contrast, National’s Emerald Club program, which is based upon rental credits rather than amount spent, can be far more lucrative for eligible Enterprise and National rentals. In other words, it makes a lot of sense to join National’s program and apply eligible Enterprise rentals.
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The big exception to Enterprise’s generally paltry program is the annual fall and winter Plus Your Points promotion.
We always encourage participation in the loyalty programs. Enterprise Plus isn’t the most rewarding program but a renter effectively receives a 5 percent rebate for future rentals, based upon the Enterprise and National rentals credited to the program.
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