Using Your Rewards Points For Car Rentals

Airline miles are some of the most popular uses of credit card rewards.  In fact, I know a few people who use their points exclusively for getting airline tickets, since it often allows for the best value.

Rewards points, of course, can be used for other travel items, including car rentals.  All credit card rewards programs I know offer some of car rental usage for your points.  Make sure you review them before embarking on your trip.  A number of the offerings can save you a bundle.

Amex, for instance, has partnerships with three major rental companies, namely Avis, Hertz and Enterprise Rent A Car.  Some of their cards even include auto-enrollment into premium memberships with those rental providers, making the experience of booking a ride an even more positive experience.

Chase, on the other hand, allows you to exchange your points for gift cards to either Avis or Hertz.  If you have at least 15,000 points, you can also book your rentals directly using you card, using the points to pay for it.

If you own a cash back card from Discover, you can exchange rebate earnings into gift cards for Alamo, Enterprise Rent A Car and National.  To make the option more enticing, they’ll even double the value of your rebates, if you choose to redeem it from car rental companies.  If you have a card from Capital One, redeeming in the form of car rental gift cards (Avis) is usually not the best idea, as they don’t offer very good value for your points (they cost double of the same value in other programs).