Enterprise Plus program: How to earn and redeem points, elite status and more

Benji Stawski is a former reporter for the site, covering all things points, miles, credit cards, travel and aviation.

Rachel Craft is an associate points & miles writer at TPG. She's excited about introducing more people to the world of points & miles and helping fellow travel newbies make the most of their points.

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Car rental loyalty programs are often overlooked, but they can be a valuable asset in the points and miles game, especially for travelers who rent frequently. As the world's largest rental car company, it comes as no surprise that Enterprise Rent-A-Car offers a loyalty program. The Enterprise Plus program allows members to earn rewards on their car rentals and unlock special privileges through elite status.

Continue reading to learn all of the ins and outs of the Enterprise Plus program.

Enterprise Plus program overview

Enterprise operates nearly 10,000 offices in almost 100 countries, so chances are you've come across this car rental giant in your travels. The company introduced its Enterprise Plus loyalty program in 2012. Unfortunately, the program hasn't evolved much since then.

Enterprise Plus is free and easy to join. However, you can only reap its benefits when you book directly with Enterprise; you can't use an online travel agency like Priceline. There's one exception to this, but it's a good one: Because Enterprise owns National Car Rental, you can earn Enterprise Plus credits toward free rental days and elite status when renting from National. However, note that some Enterprise and National locations don't participate in the Enterprise Plus program, including those in Africa and the Middle East.

How to earn Enterprise Plus points

When renting cars from Enterprise, you can choose to earn Enterprise Plus points or hotel points or airline miles with one of Enterprise's partners. If you choose Plus points, you'll earn 1 Plus point per qualifying dollar spent (excluding taxes, surcharges and fuel) as a basic member. You'll earn 10% to 20% bonus points if you hold elite status.

You must attach your Enterprise Plus member number to your reservations to earn points. If you don't, you'll have six months from your return date to request missing points.

It's worth noting that your Enterprise Plus points will never expire as long as you remain an active member with at least one qualifying rental or points-earning event every 36 months.

What is a qualifying Enterprise rental?

Only some Enterprise rentals qualify to earn rewards. Based on the Enterprise Plus terms and conditions, here's how to tell if you're booking a qualifying rental.

First off, "qualifying rentals" must meet at least one of the following conditions:

1. A paid Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand rental at participating locations in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, the European Union, Latin America, the Caribbean or Asia Pacific.
2. A paid rental at a National Car Rental location in the U.S. or Canada using an Emerald Club number that has the member's Enterprise Plus member number listed as the frequent travel program preference on the Emerald Club profile.

"Qualifying rental days" are paid rental days associated with a qualifying rental. A rental with one or more free rental days will count as a qualified rental as long as there is a minimum of one paid rental day.

Qualifying rentals and qualifying rental days do not include the following types of rentals:

• Rentals when an insurance, dealer, body shop or fleet replacement rate is applied, regardless of who pays for the rental.
• Rentals included as part of a tour or travel package.
• Prepaid rentals booked through a third party, including but not limited to third-party online travel agents.
• Rentals at Enterprise Truck Rental locations using a commercial or government account number or contracted rates.
• Rentals at Exotic Car Collection by Enterprise locations or Enterprise CarShare locations.
• Discounted rentals by Enterprise Holdings, Inc. employees and their family members or friends who are eligible to receive an employee discount.

Stretch your earnings

There are several ways you can potentially double or triple dip on rewards with Enterprise car rentals. First, you can go to Enterprise's website through an online shopping portal to earn bonus cash back or points. I recommend using a shopping portal aggregator like TopCashback to determine which portal is offering the best deal. You'll book directly with Enterprise when going through the portal, so you'll still qualify for Enterprise Plus points.

Another way to save is by paying for your rental with a card that provides primary car rental insurance and earns bonus points on travel spending. The Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card are all great options.

These cards offer primary car rental coverage, so you'll be able to decline Enterprise's collision insurance (and the extra cost that comes with it) and still be covered if anything goes wrong. You'll also earn bonus points on your Enterprise rental, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred paying out 3 points per dollar and 2 points per dollar spent on travel, respectively.

The Venture X offers 10 miles per dollar on car rentals, but only if you book through the Capital One Travel portal (which doesn't earn Enterprise Plus credit). If you book directly with Enterprise, you'll earn 2 miles per dollar spent.

As with most rental car companies, you'll get a much better rate when using a discount code. These codes are available to employees of many major companies and members of large organizations, and you can find some of them on Enterprise's deals page. It's also worth checking AutoSlash for discounts. You typically won't be able to earn Enterprise Plus rewards if you opt to "Pay now" through AutoSlash, but you'll usually get loyalty perks and earnings if you choose to pay later and enter your Enterprise Plus information when booking.

Redeeming Enterprise Plus points

Enterprise Plus points can be redeemed for free rentals on any available car on any day, with no blackout dates. Free rental days cover the base rate (time and mileage) only. You're still responsible for paying any applicable taxes, fees and surcharges.

How many Enterprise points do I need for a free rental?

Free rental redemptions start at 400 Plus points. Enterprise uses dynamic pricing, so the number of points required will vary based on your rental details. You must be signed in to your Enterprise Plus account to determine how many points a reward requires, but points are generally worth about 5 cents apiece.

While there are no blackout dates, there are some restrictions to be aware of. Most of them overlap with the "qualifying rental" restrictions. One important restriction to note is that you cannot redeem points for one-way rentals outside of the U.S. and Canada.

Enterprise Plus elite status

All Enterprise Plus members start with Plus status, with the ability to earn Silver, Gold and Platinum status.

Here are the details of the status levels:

As you can see, the benefits of Enterprise Plus elite status are relatively limited. Still, if you regularly rent from Enterprise, the bonus points and upgrade certificates can be valuable.

Enterprise also offers a status match program. You can get automatic Enterprise Plus elite status if you have comparable status at one of 40-plus travel loyalty programs, including car rental companies, hotels and airlines. And several credit cards offer automatic elite status for car rentals.

Bottom line

The Enterprise Plus program is a great way to make your Enterprise rentals more rewarding. That said, if you rent cars frequently enough to earn status, you may be able to get more value with another company that offers elite members more benefits. Or, if you often rent for short periods, it could make more sense to join National Emerald Club and credit your Enterprise rentals to that program instead.

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.