Hertz Ultimate Choice is a benefit that allows Hertz Gold Plus loyalty members to choose any car at the aisle at select airport locations when booking an intermediate car or higher.
However, options will still vary depending on your Hertz Status, which means President’s Circle, Five Star, and Gold members can only pick cars within their own lot sections.
The Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program introduced Ultimate Choice as a way to compete with National Car Rentals’ Emerald Aisle service.
This post will cover everything you need to know about Hertz Ultimate Choice, including how to book, its locations, benefits, and how to easily get elite status for a better Ultimate Choice.
Eligibility for Hertz Ultimate Choice
To be eligible for Hertz Ultimate Choice you need to
- Make a reservation with your Hertz Gold account; and
- Book a midsize/intermediate class car or higher.
Hertz sometimes calls a midsize a “Medium Sedan,” but just look for a Group “C” car.
You can also opt-out of Ultimate Choice by booking a Minivan, Truck, SUV, Luxury, Prestige, or Adrenaline car. These options will be much more expensive, but you can guarantee you will have that type of car when you arrive.
If you book something lower than a midsize or a “Manger Special,” Hertz will automatically assign you a car that won’t be located in the President’s Circle, Five Star, or Gold Plus areas.
If you book a midsize or higher, you should see your name an electronic board of names telling you to go to the Aisle associated with your elite status. Or an email telling you to head to a certain aisle.
You can then pick any car in that section, or a car in a lower status aisle. For example, if you were President’s Circle status, you could also pick a car in the Five Star section. That could be helpful if you wanted an SUV or Minivan and there were none in the President’s Circle section.
Hertz Ultimate Choice Airport Locations
Hertz Ultimate Choice is available at 60 airports in the United States, and in Toronto, Canada, including:
- Albuquerque
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Baltimore
- Boston
- Burbank
- Charlotte
- Chicago O’Hare
- Chicago Midway
- Cincinnati
- Cleveland
- Dallas/Fort Worth
- Dallas Love
- Denver
- Detroit
- El Paso
- Fort Lauderdale
- Fort Myers
- Hartford
- Houston Hobby
- Houston Intercontinental
- Indianapolis
- Kansas City
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Louisville
- Maui
- Memphis
- Miami
- Milwaukee
- Minneapolis-St. Paul
- Nashville
- New Orleans
- Newark
- New York JFK
- New York LaGuardia
- Oakland
- Oklahoma City
- Ontario, CA
- Orlando
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Pittsburgh
- Portland
- Providence
- Raleigh-Durham
- Richmond
- Sacramento
- Salt Lake City
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- Seattle-Tacoma
- St. Louis
- Tampa
- Washington Dulles
- Washington Reagan
- West Palm Beach
- Toronto
Cars in the Ultimate Choice Aisles
The cars available in the Ultimate Choice aisles will heavily depend on your status level with Hertz.
Hertz places the best cars in the President’s Circle aisle, followed by the 5-Star Aisle.
It also depends on the airport location. Some airports are much better than others. I’ve had the best luck with morning pickups, and airports in Florida, California, Arizona, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.
You can find the best and most recent information on each airport on FlyerTalk’s individual Hertz airport locations threads.
Premium Upgrades
If you don’t like the cars in your Ultimate Choice aisle, you can do a Premium Upgrade for $25 per day as a President’s Circle member and $35 per day as a Five Star or Gold member.
The cars in the Premium Upgrade section are typically $40,000+ cars and SUVs including Mercedes Benz, Range Rovers, and luxury convertibles.
Pro Tip: Easily Obtain President's Circle Status
Having a President’s Circle status gives you exclusive access to the Hertz Ultimate Choice premium car section, guaranteed upgrades, 50% bonus points, free additional driver, and a dedicate hotline.
However, earning President’s Circle status that traditional way is a lot of work because you’re required to complete 20 rentals or spend at least $4,000.
But you can skip those methods and automatically get complimentary status through the following cards below.
The Verdict
Hertz Ultimate Choice is a valuable benefit for loyalty members because it allows you to choose specific vehicles that you like to rent.
However, your options will still vary depending on your elite status. President’s Circle status members can select premium options, as well as options on the lower tiers.
