- Prices
- Locations
- Official National Car Rental discounts
- National Car Rental corporate codes
What Is A National Car Rental Account Number?
When you’re looking for National Car Rental coupon codes, you’re really looking for one of two things. One is an account number and the other are coupon codes.
In naming, it’s intuitive to think that it’s the coupon codes you want to look for but in National’s case, what’s going to give you the biggest discount is the account number.
Account numbers are essentially corporate account IDs that are assigned to companies and meant for employees or members of a particular association or program.
Coupon codes on the other hand are more general codes that typically offer smaller bonus-type savings such as a free upgrade, $20 off, $50 off, etc.
The best part about these codes is that you can use them anywhere around the world. For instance, these codes would be great to use for an 8 day Iceland itinerary, or perhaps a photography trip to Utah and Arizona?
If you’d rather not use coupon codes, make sure to try Discover Cars or RentalCars.com. These are search engines similar to Kayak and Skyscanner but for car rentals. They look at all car rental companies and provide the best rates so you don’t have to look at each one, one at a time.
Insight About National Car Rental Prices And Locations
Prices
Something I’ve noticed about National’s pricing strategy is that without codes, their pricing is quite high compared to say Budget which starts off really low even when you don’t use a BCD code.
However, when you plug in an account number, the prices fall dramatically to 1/3 of the original price or more.
CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE Best Tips For Your Day Trips From Riga - Why Going Outdoors Is Awesome In LatviaLocations
One thing that you’ll notice about National locations is that they are primarily only at airports. They do have local offices but they are few and far between. As a result, National is great for car rentals straight from the airport but if you’re looking for a pick up or drop off in the city, you might be hard-pressed to do so.
National’s footprint is very strong in North America but you’d be surprised to hear that they also have many outlets in South America, Europe, and Japan.
Since National is partnered with Enterprise, all locations outside of the airport are serviced by them instead of National.
One thing you’ll also notice with National counters is that they’re normally next to Alalmo and/or Enterprise. In some locations, they actually share the same staff.
National Rental Car Discount Codes
The below are a list of all of the National car rental discount codes. Each offers a different level of discount and we’ve also provided extra columns to make it clear which ones are beneficial for underage drivers and one-way rentals.
We’ve combed through massive lists of account numbers and you’ll notice that even on my list, many are similar. There are also some other rental car discount codes that actually give you worse discounts than if you weren’t to use one so we haven’t included those. Extra redundant codes with exact same offers have also been cleaned out.
Making it easy: To use the codes, simply click on the button on the right side of the table. This immediately copies the code on your computer so you can paste it into the appropriate box when searching for your car.
Official National Car Rental discounts
These are the official set of car rental deals created by National. They change roughly every quarter or half year.
Some of their deals are good if you’re looking for one of the destinations they’re promoting.
| Offer | Good for? | Expiry | See the Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last minute deals | Looking for a good last minute deal but no preference on location | N/A | Get the deal |
| Free single upgrade | Get a free single upgrade, if available. | 30-Apr-22 | Get deal |
| $20 off weekly base rate Available on an Economy through Fullsize car. | Rentals 7 days or more | N/A | Get deal |
| $20 off weekend base rate Available on a Compact through Fullsize car, Minivan, SUV or Convertible. | Weekend rentals | N/A | Get deal |
National Car Rental corporate codes
We’ve had to remove these codes at the request of National.
Which National Discount Code Will Save You The Most Money?
For those wanting the best deal, the truth is that “it depends” because it’ll depend on whether you’re an underage driver, doing a one-way rental, country, and overall length of rental. That said, if you take a look at the tables below, it’s pretty clear how big the discounts can potentially be.
CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE The Comprehensive New Zealand Travel Guide - Read Before You GoI’ve ranked the above by discount so it’s easy to decide which one of the best for you.
I recommend that you pick a selection of them to try on your own because your trip requirements may affect the actual savings offered by each discount code.
Don’t forget parking at the airport
Something that’s easy to forget in trip planning is how you’re going to get to the airport and if you’re driving your own car, where you’re going to leave it behind.
That’s where booking platforms like Airport Parking Reservations and Park Sleep Fly come into play. Whether you need to get a hotel package that includes parking or just parking itself, they have you covered.
Use the code AWESOME7 to save up to $7 off of your booking.
How To Apply National Account Numbers And Coupon Codes
On the full list of car rental coupon codes, a common question was how to actually enter in these codes. I will admit that National’s is the most confusing because of their own terminology which we explained near the top.
The key to know is that when you’re thinking about corporate codes or discount codes, you’re really thinking about account number. Small discounts that don’t yield large savings are coupon codes and they’re specifically identified in the tables above.
Once you head to the National car rental home page, the first step is to reveal the entry of account numbers and coupons which is labelled. Click on this first to open up the text fields to enter the account number or coupon.
One of the sweet things you’ll notice about the National reservation system is that it allows the stacking of coupons. So if you end up finding a few, it doesn’t hurt to add them all in to see if you can get the benefit of all of them. There are likely restrictions though so don’t be too disappointed if some of them don’t work.
Additional Tips On Saving Money With National Car Rental
Here are a couple of basic tips on car rental savings with National.
- Register for Emerald Club – This is National’s loyalty program. I personally think it’s one of the best ones in the market. You accrue points that give you rewards such as free rentals or you can have them go into another loyalty program such as a hotel or airline. Right off the bat when you register a new account, you get access to Emerald Aisle which allows you to walk right to the garage and pick whatever car you want in the special Emerald Aisle section even if it’s not the class you book.
- Skip the counter – Again, it’s through Emerald Club where you can go straight to the aisle to pick your car. Many locations have specific Emerald Club sections where you can pick any car you like no matter the class you’ve booked. This allows you to checkout at the exit gate.
- Book mid-sized: As an addition to the above, we always recommend booking the Midsize class because you will often full-size in the Emerald Club aisle of cars which means you automatically get a free upgrade.
- Stacking – Remember to try combinations coupon codes so you can get the benefit of multiple codes instead of just one.
- Last minute reservations – National offers last minute specials so make sure to check that page.
- If possible, rent from in the city – This might be harder to do with National since most of their locations are at airports exclusively. For cities where it’s possible, those airport fees add up. They sneakily call it something ambiguous which is why you’ll see Concession Recoupment Fee (11.11%) , FL Waste Tire/Battery Fee ($0.02/day), Rental Facility Charge ($4.85/day), SC REC/FL Surcharge Recovery ($2/day), VLC REC ($0.80/day). In parenthesis are examples of the fees at MIA airport. In this example you’re looking at $96.79 vs $19.74 in extra fees for a one week rental. That’s massive!
- Weekly rentals sometimes cheaper than 5 or 6 days – Discounts often kick in when you hit a full week so if you’re close to that, try getting a quote for 7 days.
- Use credit card for car rental insurance – Instead of purchasing LDW, leverage your credit card for insurance. Make sure you read your policy beforehand to know what and how you’re covered.
- Their fuel program is never a good idea – Unless you think you’re going to be in a crazy time crunch, always fill up the tank before you return the car. Even if they offer you a temping fuel plan, it’ll always be more expensive than you filling it up by yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you do one-way rentals with National?One-way rentals are allowed with National Rental Car. Prices increase when booking one-way and they come in the form of either 1) a rate increase or 2) the elimination of any included miles.
Does National offer any AAA discounts?No, National Rental Car does not have any discounts for AAA members.
Does National offer any CAA discounts?Yes, National offers CAA accounts if you head to this page.
Does Costco offer savings with National?No, Costco does not offer savings with National Rental Car.
Does National offer discounts for AARP members?No, National Rental Car does not have a partnership with AARP. They only have arrangements with Avis, Budget, and Payless Car Rental.
Does National Car Rental have last minute specials?Yes, participating locations have last minute specials. Daily rate specials require a 1-day minimum and have a 4-day maximum. Weekly rate specials require a minimum of 5 days and must include a Saturday.
How To Find The Best Travel Deals
- Full compilation of car rental coupon codes in the market
- Avis Coupon Codes and AWD codes
- All the Budget BCD codes you need to save money
- Best Canadian credit cards for travel hacking
- Avis rental car coupons
- Travel hacking guide
How To Save On Hotels
- For the best prices on hotels and flexibility, we’ve been a huge fan of Booking.com. Through their Genius program which most people don’t know about, we can get 15% off many properties in their inventory.
Travel Resources For Your Next Trip
If you’re in the process of planning your trip and putting together your itinerary, these are genuinely the best resources that the Going Awesome Places team stands by 100%.
Credit cards: Don’t get burned by hidden fees on top of terrible exchange rates. When we travel now, we use the Wise Card. Simply load it with the currency you need before you go and use it as a regular VISA or their digital wallet card. Use their free app to track how much you have and top up when you need to.
Flights: Of all the booking search engines, Skyscanner is the most helpful and easy to use thanks to their Everywhere feature. Kayak is also another that’s we will often check as well.
Car Rental: If you’re looking to save money, these car rental coupon codes will be a true game-changer. Otherwise, DiscoverCars and RentalCars are great places to start.
Airport Parking: You’ll need a spot to leave your car at the airport so why not book a spot at a discount. Use code AWESOME7 to get at least $5 off at Airport Parking Reservations or Park Sleep Fly packages.
Wifi Hotspot: We’ve been a huge fan of wifi hotspot devices such as PokeFi (use code GAP24300) because their rates are are hard to beat and it works globally. Solis is another that we recommend. Pros are that you can share the wifi with your whole group but cons are that you have to invest in a device and you have to charge it every night.
eSIM: Lately, we’ve really loved using eSIMs. The one we find using the most is Airalo. Save money by getting region-specific eSIMs and use referral code WILLIA9500 to get $3 USD credit on your first purchase. Ubigi is another one that we’ve had success with where they uniquely offer 5G coverage. Use code AWESOME10 to save 10% on your first order. The newest eSIM we’ve tried is KnowRoaming that sneakily has great rates on unlimited plans. We’ve partnered with them to give you a custom code GAP10 to save you 10%.
Hotels: Our go-to is Booking.com because they have the best inventory of properties including hotels and B&Bs plus they have their Genius tier discounts. Expedia is also worth using especially with their One Key rewards program which is basically like cash. The exception is Asia where Agoda always has the best prices. Always do a quick check on TripAdvisor as well.
Vacation Rentals: Your first instinct will be to check Airbnb but we always recommend checking VRBO as well if you’re looking for a vacation rental (now eligible for One Key).
Tours: When planning our trips, we always check both Viator and GetYourGuide to at least see what’s out there in the destination that we’re going to. They often have different offerings and prices so check both.
Travel Insurance: Learn how to buy the best travel insurance for you. This isn’t something you want to travel without.
- HeyMondo – Popular insurance provider for frequent travelers and comes with great coverage and special perks.
- RATESDOTCA – Search engine Canadians looking for the cheapest insurance including multi-trip annual policies.
- SafetyWing – A perfect fit for long-term nomads.
- Medjet – Global air medical transportation.
- InsureMyTrip – Best for seniors, families, and those with pre-existing conditions.
If you need more help planning your trip, make sure to check out our Travel Toolbox where we highlight all of the gear, resources, and tools we use when traveling.
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About William Tang
William Tang is the Chief of Awesome behind the award-winning Going Awesome Places which is focused on outdoor adventure, and experiential travel. His true passion lies in telling stories, inspiring photography and videos, and writing detailed itineraries and travel guides. He is a member of Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC), Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), and Travel Massive. He has also been featured in publications such as Reader's Digest, Entrepreneur, Men's Journal, and Haute Living. Make sure to learn more about William Tang to find out his story and how Going Awesome Places started.
Hey, my name is William Tang and I'm here to help you travel to awesome places around the world through our insanely detailed itineraries, videos, travel guides, and packing lists.
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