The Platinum Card from American Express comes with complimentary premium status at three car rental programs: Hertz, National and Avis. None of it switches on by itself. You enroll in Hertz and Avis through your Amex online account and in National with National Car Rental. The Hertz status also has a rule that catches people out: it ends when you close your Platinum, and opening a new eligible card later means enrolling again.

Here's what each program gives you, how to enroll, and the one habit that decides whether you get Hertz's Amex discount at all. Everything below comes from American Express's Platinum Card page and its Hertz and National benefit pages, read on September 30, 2026.

Hertz President's Circle Status

Amex describes the Hertz benefit as complimentary Hertz President's Circle status. The benefits it names are skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no extra cost, and a wider selection of vehicles, with upgrades when available.

Two of those carry conditions in the fine print. The free additional driver has to be your spouse or domestic partner and meet standard rental qualifications; other additional drivers are subject to fees. The upgrade is one car class, up to a full-size vehicle, and it doesn't apply to Manager's Special rentals.

Amex says Basic and Additional Platinum Card Members are both eligible, so an Additional Platinum Card Member on your account can enroll too.

How to Enroll in Hertz President's Circle

You need a Hertz Gold+ number first. If you don't have one, Amex says to register at hertz.com/enroll using the email address associated with your American Express account. Hertz's minimum age to join Gold+ is 21.

Then enter your Gold+ number on the benefit page in your Amex account, check the acknowledgment box and click Enroll Now. Amex says enrollment may take up to 72 hours to process, and occasionally longer, so do it before the week you rent rather than at the airport.

When You Have to Re-Enroll

It's worth knowing before you change cards. Amex says you keep President's Circle status as long as you remain an eligible Card Member, or until Amex tells you the benefit has ended.

If you close your Platinum Card account, you're no longer enrolled in the Hertz benefit. Opening a new eligible card later doesn't bring it back on its own: Amex says that will require re-enrollment. So if you cancel a Platinum and later open another eligible card, check your Hertz account and enroll again rather than assuming the status carried over.

The Hertz Discount Needs the Code and the Card

Enrolling isn't the only step. How you book decides whether the Amex terms apply at all. Amex's car rental terms say the Platinum Card Member must use the designated Amex Corporate Discount Code (CDP) when reserving and pay for the rental with the Platinum Card to get these benefits:

  • Savings of up to 20% on published base rates. The discount applies to the pay later base rate and not to taxes and fees, and the terms say rates and savings vary by date, location, car class and other factors.
  • A 4-hour grace period in the U.S. for returning the car before an extra day is charged, with no charge for time or mileage in that window. It excludes optional items such as car seats and satellite radio, and optional coverage such as Loss Damage Waiver and Personal Accident Insurance.

The same terms add car-class upgrades on rentals of economy through standard cars with at least a 24-hour advance reservation, and the President's Circle benefits apply on top at participating locations when your Gold+ number is on the reservation. In practice, that means three things on every Hertz booking: the CDP code, your Gold+ number, and paying with the Platinum Card.

National Emerald Club Executive Status

For National, Amex says Platinum Card Members can enroll to receive Emerald Club Executive status without meeting the usual status requirements. Amex marks this one as enrollment required with National Car Rental, and links you to National to do it.

Once you're enrolled, Amex says you can bypass the rental counter by booking through your travel service or online. Executive members choose their own car from the Executive Selection area, which features full-size and longer car classes, and they earn a Free Rental Day after qualifying rentals, or airline miles or hotel points from one of National's partners instead.

The free days come with rules. You reserve up to a full-size car at least 24 hours in advance, the offer is limited to participating U.S. and Canadian locations, you can combine free days up to seven, and each one expires on December 31 of the year after the year you received it.

Avis

Avis is the third program on Amex's Platinum page, which lists car rental privileges at Avis, Hertz and National. Amex says Card Members can see their specific car rental privileges by logging into their American Express account, and that enrollment happens there using the eligible card. Log in and check the Avis benefit before you book with Avis.

Which Status to Use

If you rent often enough to care about the counter, enroll in all three now, while nothing is riding on it. Then pick by the trip: Hertz when you'll book with the CDP code and pay with the Platinum, National when you want to choose your own car from the Executive Selection area. If you're about to close your Platinum and open another eligible card, put a reminder in your calendar to re-enroll in Hertz once the new card arrives.

Our Amex Platinum review covers the card's fee and its other benefits, and our guide to rental car loyalty programs covers how each program earns on its own.

Sources

  1. American Express: Hertz Gold+ President's Circle Status, Platinum Card benefit page and Car Rental Privileges terms (browser read 2026-09-30)
  2. American Express: National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive Status, Platinum Card benefit page (browser read 2026-09-30)
  3. American Express: The Platinum Card page, Car Rental Privileges: Avis, Hertz, National (browser read 2026-09-30)

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