A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a note that IHG has quietly changed the number of points that you earn for Hertz rentals, and mostly not for the better (unsurprising).
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You can access IHG’s page for Trip Extras here.
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Reader’s Comment:
I just wanted to give you a heads up that IHG has changed their Hertz partnership quietly in the background.
Previous Structure: 1,500 IHG points for initiating a rental + 500 IHG points per day for elite IHG members (100 for non-elite members)
New Structure: 10 IHG points per 1$ spent on on Hertz rental “base fare” (appears to be base daily rate before location fees, any additions like insurance, and taxes)
Sadly this is a significant cut back, unless you are renting expensive vehicles.
There is no documented proof yet of the IHG points earned through the revised Hertz partnership remaining status-qualifying. However, the Hertz partnership is still explicitly included in the IHG T&Cs as of today.
The terms still state:
**Members earn Elite Qualifying Points on Hertz car rentals, OpenTable reservations, and Viator experiences. Members earn Non-Elite Qualifying Points with IHG Dine & Earn.
The IHG page for Trip Extras discloses the new earnings structure.
But here is the issue of booking these rentals through these airline/hotel portals or even directly:
You can see the Hertz quotes through IHG for a weekend rental in Tallinn for this coming December.
Most of my car rentals this year have been through Trip.com, as their prices are mostly unbeatable, although Orbitz and perhaps Booking.com both have got one or two rentals.
Their pricing is 50% less than booking through IHG.
Conclusion
You are likely better off, unless you are after elite qualifying points, to book through a service that offers the lowest price, and if you need IHG points, you can always buy them during the frequent sales at 0.5 US cents each.
I recently pointed out to a friend, who frequently books from Hertz in Greece through Aegean to get some miles and a possible le upgrade, that you can get the same rentals 30 to 50% less elsewhere.
I have rented more in the past 18 months than in the previous 10 years combined, although I rented a lot in the US back in the 2000s (and made a killing with some GOOD airline-related promotions and National’s free days).
It is a bit sneaky for IHG to push through this rental points devaluation with no notice.