Hertz is very savvy, because it recognizes the importance of frequent customers. If you are a frequent car renter, you probably use Hertz. If not, you should give them a try.

I have rented from Hertz for over 3 years, and have been extremely satisfied with the Hertz service.

Hertz has a frequent renter's program, called "Hertz #1 Gold Club". This program normally costs $50 per year, but is sometimes free to certain groups of customers, such as Marriott's elite customers. The benefits of this program is that your rental preferences as well as payment information is stored at Hertz's computers, and every time you rent from Hertz your preferences are automatically noted, unless you request otherwise.

In addition, with the Hertz #1 Gold Club you needn't go to the counter before a rental at most locations. Instead, your name and rental car stall # is displayed at a lighted board in a special Gold area, and all you do is walk to the stall, throw in your luggage, start the car, drive to the exit checkpoint, show your ID and then drive off. This is very efficient and a great time saver.

You also have your own reservations # with the #1 Gold Club. I have been amazed at the efficiency of the #1 Gold Club reservation number. No matter what time of the day or month or year I call, I usually get a live customer representative in under 30 seconds, sometimes no more than 10 seconds. The Hertz representatives are usually very courteous and helpful.

In the last year, Hertz introduced different levels of #1 Gold customers. Besides the standard #1 Gold level, there is a Five Star level. You have to rent at least 10 times a year to qualify. Then there is the ultimate level, President's Circle level. You have to rent at least 40 times per year to qualify.

I don't know about the perks for the Five Star level, because I have always had the President's Circle status ever since the levels were introduced. With the President's Circle level, I have my own resevation # that is exclusive from the standard #1 Gold Club number. I also have free rental day coupons that I get quarterly. I also have free upgrades on all rentals. Finally, I also get bonus award points for all rentals. What this adds up to is a high level of personalized service with a lot of rewards for loyalty.

As a normal #1 Gold Club member, I have always been satisfied with the efficiency of Hertz's level of service. The cars have always been clean, reliable, and the rental process easy to live with. As a President's Club member, the level service has been "kicked up a notch", as Emeril would say. Every time I pick up my car, it is always among the closest vehicles to walk to. I also have been frequently upgraded to Hertz's new Prestige vehicles. Hertz's new Prestige vehicles are basically premium vehicles like the Land Rover Discovery, Lincoln Navigator, Jaguar S-Type, and Volvo S80's. I have been pleasantly surprised (and spoiled) by being upgraded to these vehicles, especially when I have reserved a vehicle like Mazda 626.

Also, some people have mentioned that Hertz is very expensive. I have found that it doesn't have to be this way. I get discounts with my AAA membership, credit card, and other frequent renter coupons. As a result, I am able to rent a high quality car at economy car rental prices.

To be fair, I have not rented from Hertz exclusively. At the Phoenix Skyharbor airport, for instance, I tend to rent from Alamo or Budget. This is because Hertz is located off airport due to its large fleet size. To skip the shuttle ride, I just walk over to Alamo and pick up my keys for car sitting in the garage next door.

Overall, compared to all the car rental agencies out there, Hertz really is #1 in my book.

Recommended: Yes