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Deals for Rental Cars: How Pricing and Discounts Really Work at Enterprise, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Sixt and More

Merchants: Enterprise, National, Alamo, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Thrifty, Sixt and Turo · What this page covers: each company’s own deals and loyalty programs, military and teacher discounts, under-25 fees, AAA/USAA/AARP rates as the rental companies publish them, and prepay, weekly and airport pricing · Sources: each company’s own pages, listed under Offer provenance.

Most real deals for rental cars need no coupon code. The big rental companies publish their largest discounts on their own sites: a prepay (“Pay Now”) discount of up to 25% at Hertz and up to 35% at Budget and Avis, length-of-rental deals at Enterprise and National, neighborhood-location discounts at Avis and Budget, and free loyalty programs. Nearly every discount applies to the base rate only (time and mileage), so taxes, airport fees and under-25 surcharges stay at full price, and you generally get one discount per rental. The skill is picking the right one.

Every code below comes from the company’s own page. A site listing dozens of rental “promo codes” with no link back to the company deserves suspicion; see how to spot fake coupon sites.

Deals for rental cars at a glance

Offer Code needed? Status Expiration Source
Enterprise: up to 15% off the base rate on 3–27 day rentals (10% on economy through full-size) No, booked via the deals page, email link or app merchant_direct Pick up by December 15, 2026; return by December 29, 2026 enterprise.com offer terms
National: up to 20% off the base rate on 5–27 day rentals (15% on economy through full-size) No, booked via the specials page, email link or app merchant_direct Pick up by 12/15/2026; return by 12/29/2026 nationalcar.com offer terms
Alamo: $15 off the base rate (headline says $175+ base; terms say $225+) No, booked via the deals page, email link or app merchant_direct Pick up by December 15, 2026; return by December 29, 2026 alamo.com offer terms
Hertz: up to 25% off base rates when you book and pay now No merchant_direct Pickups through 12/31/2026 hertz.com offer page
Hertz: 1 free day on a rental of 7+ days Promo code 210751 merchant_direct Pickups through 12/31/2026 hertz.com offer page
Avis: up to 10% off at local (non-airport) locations AWD K348200 merchant_direct Rental must begin by 12/31/2026 avis.com offer page
Avis: up to 35% off Pay Now time and mileage charges No merchant-listed · last seen active Not stated avis.com offer page
Budget: up to 35% off Pay Now rates No merchant_direct Rental must begin by 12/31/2026 budget.com offer page
Dollar: 5% off retail rates for government and military leisure travel, plus a one-class upgrade CDP 3031396 (pre-filled on Dollar’s form) merchant_direct Not stated dollar.com government leisure page
Thrifty: 5% off for Veterans Advantage members Not stated (membership required) merchant-listed · last seen active Not stated thrifty.com Veterans Advantage page
Sixt: up to 15% off for teachers No, applied when booked from the offer page merchant_direct Not stated sixt.com teacher offer page
Sixt: up to 15% off for active military and veterans No (eligibility checked through a linked form) merchant_direct Not stated sixt.com military page
Turo: host-set weekly, monthly and early bird discounts No merchant_direct Standing program turo.com How Turo works page
Avis Weekly Rental Deal: up to 25% off 5+ day rentals AWD S018500 expired Checked out by 09/30/2026 avis.com offer page

Each company’s own deals and loyalty program

Enterprise. The up-to-15% deal needs a reservation 24 hours ahead and cannot be combined with other discounts. Enterprise Plus is free and earns 1 point per qualifying dollar; points expire after 36 months without a rental. Enterprise says it has no AAA or AARP agreement. Details are in our Enterprise rental car discount guide.

National. Besides the weekly offer, National lists up to 20% off weekend rentals and Last Minute Specials. Emerald Club gives 1 credit per qualified rental; 7 credits make a free day (up to midsize). Its Emerald Aisle lets you reserve a midsize, choose any midsize or larger car on the aisle, and pay the midsize rate.

Alamo. The free Alamo Insiders program takes 5% off base rates on Pay Later reservations, useful because the $15 offer excludes prepay rates.

Hertz. Gold+ is free, earns 1 point per base-rate dollar, and free days start at 950 points. Points expire five years after they are earned and are forfeited after twelve months with no rental. Example (our math): on the 7+ day free-day offer, 7 days at a placeholder $50 is $350; paying for six makes it $300, about 14% off the base. Convertibles, minivans and large SUVs are excluded.

Avis. Avis Preferred members can use a free-day coupon on a 3+ day intermediate through full-size rental beginning on or before 12/31/26, at contiguous U.S. locations outside the New York metro, not one-way.

Budget. Budget splits codes into BCD numbers (the rate) and coupons (perks such as upgrades). Our Budget car rental coupons guide lists every code Budget prints.

Dollar and Thrifty. Dollar Express Rewards earns 1 point per qualified dollar, and points stay alive with account activity in the prior 24 months. Several Dollar and Thrifty deal pages would not load for us.

Sixt. Sixt lists up to 15% off week-start and luxury rentals and up to 20% through SIXT ONE, its rewards program, but showed no terms for them.

Turo (peer-to-peer). Hosts set prices and any weekly, monthly or early bird discount. Turo sends occasional codes to people who opt in to notifications and gives a bonus-day code after trips totaling 10 days in 90 days. See our Turo coupon codes guide.

Rent a car military discount: what each company publishes

Leisure-travel military rates we found:

  • Enterprise: 5% off base rates for federal employees, active duty, retirees and veterans, age 21+.
  • Alamo: a leisure discount for the same groups; no amount stated.
  • Hertz: a leisure rate (CDP 1572999, applied by Hertz’s booking link) with space-available upgrades and free Gold+; no amount stated.
  • Avis and Budget: up to 35% off Pay Now rates for veterans, active duty, Guard, Reserve and family who subscribe to WeSalute+.
  • Dollar: 5% off with CDP 3031396; its Veterans Advantage page adds 5% off the pay-later base rate and says VetRewards waives underage fees.
  • Thrifty: 5% off for Veterans Advantage members.
  • Sixt: up to 15% off with an active military or veterans ID, no code needed.

For official travel, Hertz lists CDP 1910993, Enterprise lists customer number GUSDTGV, and National runs a government frequent renter program with no underage fee. Enterprise, Hertz, Avis and Dollar rent at 18 with orders. Example (our math): on a $300 base, 5% saves $15; 35% on a Pay Now rate saves $105, if your plans are firm and you subscribe to WeSalute+. Compare categories on our military discounts master list.

Teacher discount car rental: only Sixt publishes one

Of the ten companies, Sixt alone publishes a teacher discount: up to 15% off the daily base rate at participating locations, applied when you reserve from its teacher page. It cannot be combined with other promotions or corporate rates, and the page does not define who qualifies or how eligibility is checked. We found no educator program on the deals and partner pages of the other nine. See our teacher discounts master list for other categories.

Under-25 fees and AAA, USAA and AARP rates

  • Hertz: minimum age 20 (18 in New York and Michigan); fee varies and is charged once per rental. AAA members 20–24 have it waived.
  • Enterprise: minimum 21 in most states; about $25 a day on average outside Michigan and New York.
  • Budget: $27 a day for ages 21–24; its USAA upgrade terms waive it for members 18–24.
  • Avis: New York $84 (18–20) and $35 (21–24) a day; Michigan $41 and $28.
  • National: waived for USAA insurance-eligible members 21–24.
  • Sixt: minimum 21 in most states; luxury cars require 25. Turo: 18+ in the U.S.

Hertz is the clearest AAA partner: up to 20% off the base rate, free additional drivers who are AAA members, and one free child seat, subject to availability. Avis lists an AARP discount without an amount; Budget lists 15% off weekly rates for AARP members. We found no Costco member rate on any rental company’s own site; see our Costco savings guide for how its membership savings work.

Example (our math): a 22-year-old renting five days at Enterprise pays about $125 in young renter fees, while 15% off a $250 base saves $37.50 at most. A fee waiver can beat any percentage.

Prepay vs pay later, weekly vs daily, airport vs neighborhood

Prepay. Budget charges $50 to cancel a prepaid rental, or $150 inside 24 hours, with nothing back for no-shows. Enterprise charges $50, or $100 within 24 hours; pay-later bookings cancel free. Example (our math): 35% off a $300 base saves $105; one late Budget cancellation costs $150.

Weekly. Avis and Budget weekly rates need five days, and weekend rates run Thursday noon to Monday 11:59 p.m. A four-day booking can cost more than five, so price both. Example (our math): five days at $55 is $275; National’s 15% makes it $233.75.

Airport. Concession recovery fees and customer facility charges sit outside every discount we read. Avis (AWD K348200) and Budget (BCD B112100) publish up to 10% off at local locations; quote both.

How to save on a rental car without a coupon

  • Join the free loyalty program and book direct.
  • Prepay only when dates are firm.
  • Stretch to five or seven days if it unlocks weekly pricing or Hertz’s free day.
  • Use a fee waiver (AAA at Hertz, USAA at National or Budget) if you are under 25.
  • Price direct before a travel site; our Priceline guide covers the trade-offs. Moving? See our U-Haul discounts guide.

The best deals for car rentals usually come from one well-chosen discount plus loyalty points; see how to stack coupons, cashback and rewards.

What we could not verify

  • Thrifty’s current deals: its deals page shows offers ending 2/28/22 and 12/31/2022 (expired) and untermed prepay and email offers; Blue Chip pages would not load.
  • Dollar’s prepay, AAA and 15%-off pages would not load; its 15% Express member offer showed no terms.
  • Alamo’s $15 threshold ($175 vs $225) and Avis Pay Now (35% vs a “30” page address; no end date or cancellation fee).
  • The amounts of the Hertz, Alamo and National military or USAA rates, and Avis’s AARP rate.
  • Terms for Sixt’s week-start, luxury and SIXT ONE offers, and how Sixt verifies teachers.
  • Turo’s young driver fee.

FAQ

Which rental car companies offer a military discount?

Eight publish a leisure rate, from 5% (Enterprise, Dollar, Thrifty) to up to 35% on Pay Now (Avis, Budget with WeSalute+). National’s program is for official travel; Turo lists none.

Is there a teacher discount for car rentals?

Sixt publishes up to 15% off for teachers. We found none at the other nine.

Do discounts lower taxes and airport fees?

No. Every offer we read covers the base rate only.

Offer provenance

No checkout test was performed. No code on this page was invented, and nothing was sourced from coupon sites. Read how we verify deals and our editorial policy. If something here has changed, please tell us through our contact page.

Related: Enterprise rental car discounts · Budget car rental coupons · Turo coupon codes · Priceline coupon codes · U-Haul discounts · Military discounts master list · Teacher discounts master list

Affiliate disclosure: CheezyDeals has no affiliate relationship with Enterprise, National, Alamo, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Thrifty, Sixt or Turo and earns nothing if you book with them. See our affiliate disclosure.

Enterprise, National, Alamo, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Thrifty, Sixt, Turo and their program names are trademarks of their owners. CheezyDeals is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of these companies, and uses their names only to identify the businesses these offers apply to.

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