What Hertz unlocks

Most of what Hertz status unlocks keys off your top tier, President's Circle; the National match is the outlier, running off the lower Gold Plus Rewards tier instead. Send proof of President's Circle status to Avis and you're matched into President's Club immediately, a free swap that isn't scoped to one region. The same top-tier status also gets you into Enterprise Plus at Platinum, though that one's limited to the US and Canada.

Gold Plus Rewards, a tier below President's Circle, is what gets you National Emerald Club's Executive Elite — another US-and-Canada match, and proof of the lower tier is enough. Hertz Five Star, a separate mid-tier rung, matches into Sixt Platinum globally, and that status doesn't expire, unlike the other three.

None of these four matches cost anything to request, but holding onto them takes upkeep. Avis matched status lasts about a year, after which keeping President's Club takes 20 rentals or $6,000 in US spend. Enterprise Plus Platinum renews on 24 rentals or 85 rental days a year, and National's Executive Elite needs 25-plus rentals or 85-plus rental days annually. Sixt is the one match here you don't have to actively defend.