After a slow start this year, the car rental companies have finally started to roll out some pretty decent discounts and AAdvantage bonus offers.

Avis is the leader in the clubhouse: whether you’re renting one day or a week they have the offer that will earn you the most miles.  But that doesn’t mean that the other offers aren’t worth examining.

If you’re not on an expense account or if you like to minimize your cost per mile, then it doesn’t hurt to price some of the other offers; even with a smaller bonus, depending upon the discount, the market, and when you’re renting, they may yield a lower CPM.

I actually put together a spreadsheet so that I could compare them at a glance (here’s a link if you’re interested).

Here’s how they compare with a 1 to 4 day rental:

And this is how they compare with a 5 to 7 day rental period:

Here’s a summary of the latest offers:

Save Up To 30% And Earn 150 Miles Per Rental Day With Alamo

Award: 100 bonus miles per day

Dates: Now through December 31, 2013

Offer: 150 miles per day and up to 30% off

Save up to 30% and earn triple American Airlines AAdvantage miles every day (100 bonus miles plus 50 base miles) with no minimum rental on a Compact or larger vehicle at participating Alamo locations in the United States and Canada. Offer valid through December 31, 2013. Be sure to provide your American Airlines AAdvantage number at the time of rental.

Go here for complete details.

Save Up To 30% And Earn 1,000 AAdvantage Miles With Alamo

Award: 1,000 miles

Award: Now through December 31, 2013

Offer: Save up to 30% and earn 1,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles with a three-day minimum rental on any size vehicle at participating Alamo locations in the United States and Canada. Offer valid through December 31, 2013. Be sure to provide your AAdvantage number at the time of rental.

Go here for complete details.

Avis: Save On The Rental – Spend On The Fun

Award: Up to 3,000 bonus miles

Dates: February 27, 2013 – May 31, 2013

Offer: You deserve an extended vacation. So, no matter where in the world you’re headed, add a few days to your stay – more days means more AAdvantage miles.

2 day rental: earn 750 bonus miles
3 or 4-day rental: earn 1,500 bonus miles
5 day rental or more: 3,000 bonus miles
Book today and use AWD # K817165 and coupon # MUAA128 with your AAdvantage number.

Go here for complete details.

Don’t Miss A Mile With Budget

Award: Up to 2,000 bonus miles

Dates: February 27, 2013 – May 31, 2013

Offer: Take that vacation you’ve been dreaming of. Because right now, the longer you get away – the more AAdvantage miles you’ll earn.

2 day rental: earn 500 bonus miles
3 or 4-day rental: earn 1,000 bonus miles
5 day rental or more: 2,000 bonus miles
And it’s easy. Just use BCD # U072411, coupon # MUAZ063 and your AAdvantage number when reserving.

Go here for complete details.

200 Miles Per Day At Dollar Rent A Car

Award: Quadruple miles per day (200 miles vs 50 miles per day)

Dates: October 15, 2012 – June 30, 2013

Offer: Rent a Compact car or larger vehicle for 3 days or longer from Dollar Rent A Car and earn 200 miles per day. Use promo code AAWT.

Valid at participating locations. Valid from October 15, 2012 through June 30, 2013. 24-hour advance reservations required. Renter must meet minimum age, driver and credit requirements. You must present your AAdvantage number & promo code AAWT.

Go here for complete details.

Hertz – Earn 4X Miles And Save Up To 35 Percent

Award: 4x Miles

Dates: Now through October 31, 2013

Offer: Earn f times the miles per $1 spent (instead of the usual 1 mile per $1 spent) plus, save up to 35% when you rent any vehicle for one of more days in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom through October 31, 2013.

Your discount CDP# 217692, PC# 169676, and your AAdvantage number is required at reservation. Advanced reservation is required.

Go here for complete details.

Earn 1,000 AAdvantage Miles And $15 Off With National Rental Cars

Award: 1000 miles

Dates: Now through December 31, 2013

Offer: Members earn 1,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles plus receive $15 off with National.

Rent any size car for a minimum of three days at any participating National location in the United States and earn 1,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles plus receive $15 off with National.

To receive this great offer, simply book online or call 1-800-CAR-RENT (800-227-7368). Please request ID Number 5030080 and Coupon ID ND4892JDR at time of reservation. Offer valid now through December 31, 2013. Be sure to present your AAdvantage number at time of rental.

Go here for complete details.

Earn 200 Miles Per Day At Thrifty Car Rental

Dates: October 12, 2012 – June 30, 2013

Offer: Quadruple Miles

Valid at participating locations. Valid from October 15, 2012 through June 30, 2013. 24-hour advance reservations required. Renter must meet minimum age, driver and credit requirements. You must present your AAdvantage number & promo code AAWT

Go here for complete details.

Budget has a new promotion that can earn you up to 3,000 bonus AAdvantage miles depending upon the length of your rental. Here are the details:

Save up to 30% on Budget rentals PLUS earn up to 3,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles

Offer valid for rentals between February 21, 2013 and April 30, 2013.
Rent 2 days and earn 750 AAdvantage bonus miles.
Rent 3-4 days and earn 1,500 AAdvantage bonus miles
Rent 5 days or more earn 3,000 AAdvantage bonus miles

Use coupon number MUAZ062 and your American Airlines AAdvantage number to earn AAdvantage miles.

Also, receive savings of up to 30% off your rentals when you use your Budget Worldwide Discount (BCD) #U072422.

These are a few of the terms and conditions:

750 AAdvantage bonus miles offer valid on a qualifying rental of consecutive two days at participating Budget airport locations in the U.S. and Canada. Use coupon MUAZ062 to get this offer.
1500 AAdvantage bonus miles offer valid on a qualifying rental of minimum 3 consecutive days and a maximum of 4 consecutive days at participating Budget airport locations in the U.S. and Canada, Canada. Use coupon MUAZ062 to get this offer.
3000 AAdvantage bonus miles offer valid on a qualifying rental of 5 consecutive days at participating Budget airport locations in the U.S. and Canada. Use coupon MUAZ062 to get this offer.
Offer valid for rentals between February 21, 2013 and April 30, 2013.
AAdvantage number must be used at the time of reservation or at the rental counter to earn AAdvantage bonus miles.
AAdvantage miles offer valid on all car groups.
Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for AAdvantage bonus miles to post to the AAdvantage member’s account.
An advance reservation is required.
Offer may not be used with any other coupon, promotion or offer except your BCD discount.
The savings of up to 30% applies to the time-and-mileage charges only. Must use BCD U072422.

Go here to see the complete terms of this offer.

Here’s a new offer from Avis that doesn’t show up (yet) on AA.com:

Earn 1,500 American Airlines AAdvantage Miles, Plus Save Up To 25% From Avis

Now through May 31, 2013, American Airlines AAdvantage members can earn 1,500 AAdvantage bonus miles from Avis on qualifying rentals of 3 or more days at participating airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Use coupon # MUAA070 and provide your AAdvantage number at the time of reservation or at the rental counter to earn your AAdvantage bonus miles. This offer is in addition to your everyday savings of up to 25% when you use AWD # K817156

I was able to use the coupon and discount codes this weekend without a problem, so I know that the promo is live.

An advance reservation is required, go here for the complete terms and conditions.

Win 2,500 AAdvantage Miles

Don’t forget that The Frugal Travel Guy’s Monday Deal of the Day is sponsored by AAdvantage, so stop by his site today and share your best AA or AAdvantage related travel or mileage tip for a chance to win 2,500 AAdvantage Miles!

Photo: Avis Rent-a-Car System Ford Contour 60s
Credit: 1950sUnlimited on Flickr

Today’s post is a round up of all the current car rental bonus offer that will earn you some extra AAdvantage Miles. But first, I want to mention how you can earn one free rental day with just one rental.

National is sponsoring a promotion and reader giveaway over at Hack My Trip.  Everyone that enters will qualify for the rent one, get one free promo, and one reader will win a Victorinox Swiss Army wheeled tote, a Victorinox garment sleeve, and one $100 AMEX Gift Card. The giveaway ends Sunday evening. Go here to enter.

The car rental companies have rolled out several new bonus AAdvantage Miles offers and discounts. Here’s a breakdown of all the current offers:

Alamo

Save Up To 30% And Earn 1,000 American Airlines AAdvantage Miles

Award: Earn 1,000 miles

Dates: Now – December 31, 2012

Offer: Save up to 30% and earn 1000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles with a three day minimum rental on any size vehicle at participating Alamo locations in the United States and Canada. Offer valid through December 31, 2012.

Please request I.D. Number 7015732. Be sure to provide your American Airlines AAdvantage number at the time of rental.

Thanks to Murtuza for spotting this problem and letting me know about it “Just for folks doing the alamo 1000 points deal make sure after you click “Book Now” you enter the code 7015732, otherwise the code gets “automagically” changed to 7016014.”  Don’t forget to follow his advice and confirm that the offer code is the correct one.  Thanks Murtuza!

Link

Avis

Earn Up To 750 Miles And Save Up To 35 Percent

Award: Earn Up to 750 miles
Dates: September 11, 2012 through November 30, 2012

Offer: Earn 500 AAdvantage bonus miles on 1-2 day rentals and 750 bonus miles for rentals of 3+ consecutive days at participating airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Middle East, Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Mention coupon MUAA055 to get this offer.
Use AWD K817165 to receive this discount.

Link

Budget

Earn Up To 500 Miles And Save Up To 35 Percent

Award: Earn Up to 500 miles

Dates: September 11, 2012 through Novermber 30, 2012

Offer: Earn 500 AAdvantage bonus miles on 1-2 day rentals and 750 bonus miles for rentals of 3+ consecutive days at participating airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Middle East, Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Mention coupon MUAZ034 to get the 250 miles offer.
Mention coupon MUAZ034 to get the 500 miles offer.
Discount offer use BCD U07241

Link

Dollar Rent a Car

200 Miles Per Day At Dollar Rent A Car

Award: Quadruple miles per day (200 miles vs 50 miles per day)

Dates: October 15, 2012 – January 31, 2013

Offer: Rent a Compact car or larger vehicle for 3 days or longer from Dollar Rent A Car and earn 200 miles per day. Use promo code AAWT.

Link

Hertz

Hertz – Earn Quadruple Miles And Save Up To 35 Percent

Award: 4x Miles

Dates: Now through November 30, 2012

Offer: Earn 4x the miles per $1 spent (instead of the usual 1 mile per $1 spent) plus, save up to 35% when you rent any vehicle for one of more days in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom through November 30, 2012.

Your discount CDP# 217692, PC# 169676, and your AAdvantage number is required at reservation. Advanced reservation is required.

Link

National

Save 25% And Earn 500 Bonus Miles, Plus Receive One Free Weekend Day With National

Award: Earn 500 miles

Dates: Valid now through December 31, 2012

Offer: Rent a compact through full-size car for a minimum of 3 days at any participating National locations in the United States. Save up to 25% and earn 500 AAdvantage bonus miles. Plus, receive One Free Weekend Day with National. Saturday overnight keep required.

Contract ID: 5026041
Coupon ID: NF3361JDP

Link

Thrifty Car Rental

200 Miles Per Day At Thrifty Car Rental

Award: Quadruple miles per day (200 miles vs 50 miles per day)

Dates: October 15, 2012 – January 31, 2013

Offer: Rent a Compact car or larger for 3 days or longer from Thrifty and earn 200 miles per day. Use promo code AAWT.

Link

Trying to decide who’s offering the best deal depends upon how long you’re renting the car, the cost, and whether you’re looking to minimize your cost per mile, or just earn the maximize the number of miles. I like to compare offers by the number of miles I earn based of the length of time I rent a car. I actually keep a spreadsheet so I can compare them at a glance (here’s a link if you’re interested).

Avis and Budget offer the most miles for a one or two day rental.

Alamo looks to be the leader in the clubhouse on any rental of 3 – 6 days.  Dollar and Thrifty offer the most miles if you’re renting for 7 or more days.

Anyway, don’t forget to enter Hack My Trip’s reader giveaway.  Good luck and have a great weekend!

Photo: Car Rental counters Barcelona
Credit: Alquiler de Coches on Flickr

Just a quick post this morning to let you know about this big bonus offer from Budget:

Earn up to 20 Times the AAdvantage Miles & Save with Budget!

Plan your fall travel now to save up to 30% and earn up to 20 times the American Airlines AAdvantage miles on your Budget car rental – up to 10,000 miles!

Simply rent a Budget vehicle for 2 or more consecutive days at participating airport locations in the U.S. and Canada and use coupon number MUAZ013.

Plus, save up to 30% off your rental when you use BCD #U072421.

Terms and conditions apply, go here for complete details.

Something else to tell you about:  travel blogger and man of many jumps, Michael W of Michael W Travels is giving away a SCOTTEVEST SeV Travel Vest. It’s a vest with 24 pockets and can even store an iPad – it’s like a laptop bag you can wear!  Go here to enter.

Photo: Large Japanese 10,000 Yen Note, Macro Photo
Credit: i a walsh on Flickr

Update:  This offer has been extended through September 15, 2012.  The other day I wrote a post detailing all of the current AAdvantage Miles bonus offers from the car rental companies, and the best deal Avis had was 4X AA miles on a three day rental, which isn’t anything to get too excited about.  Which kind of surprised me.

Last year I earned from Avis at least enough bonus AAdvantage Miles for a domestic MileSAAver award. They offered both the greatest number and the most generous promotions in 2011.

Well, it looks like the big bonus offers are back (hat tip to Google Alerts and FlyerTalk member drzoidberg for spotting this promotion)!

Avis Award: Save up to 35% with every Avis rental plus earn up to 5,000 AAdvantage bonus miles.

Dates: July 18, 2012 through August 31, 2012.

Save up to 35% on rentals at Avis airport locations worldwide when you use your American Airlines Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) number K817165.

• Earn 3,000 AAdvantage bonus miles on rentals of 1-2 days.
• Earn 5,000 AAdvantage bonus miles on rentals of 3 days or more.

Use coupon number MUAA035 and provide your AAdvantage number to earn your AAdvantage miles.

Budget has a bonus offer of 1,000 to 3,000 AAdvantage Miles with a slightly less generous discount. They usually have lower prices, so for some it might be the better deal:

Budget Award: Save up to 30% on Budget rentals plus earn up to 3,000 AAdvantage bonus miles

Dates: July 18, 2012 through August 31, 2012.

Use your American Airlines Budget Customer Discount (BCD) number U072411 to saveup to 30% on Budget rentals.

Plus, earn even more with up to 3,000 AAdvantage bonus miles on qualifying rentals!.

• Rent a Budget car for 1-2 days and earn 1,000 AAdvantage bonus miles at participating Budget airport locations.

• Rent a Budget car for 3 days or more and earn 3,000 AAdvantage bonus miles at participating Budget airport locations.

Use coupon number MUAZ025 and provide your AAdvantage number to earn your AAdvantage miles.

An advance reservation is required with both offers, and terms and conditions apply.  Go here for complete details.

Photo: 5.000 réis – coroa – 1936
Credit: Elio Capelati Junior via Flickr

Here’s another offer that I found in the American Way magazine that’s not published at AA.com.  This one is from Budget car rental:

Save up to 30% plus Earn Triple American Airlines AAdvantage Miles.

Budget is a preferred partner of American Airlines, which means you can enjoy great AAdvantage members-only offers on every rental. Save up to 30% when you use your Budget Customer Discount (BCD) #U072415. Must use coupon #MUAZ021 with your AAdvantage number to earn triple AAdvantage miles!

The rental has to begin by July 31, 2012.   Some of the other terms and conditions:

• Triple AAdvantage miles valid on a qualifying rental of one or more consecutive days at participating Budget airport locations in the U.S. and Canada.
• An advance 24-hour reservation is required.
• Triple AAdvantage miles equal 150 AAdvantage miles per rental day.
• AAdvantage bonus miles offer valid on all car groups.
• An advance 24-hour reservation is required.

Go here for the full details.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Just a reminder, it’s MondAAy over at The Frugal Travel Guy so look for today’s Deal of the Day which is sponsored by AAdvantage.  Share you favorite AAdvantage Mile tip or strategy for chance to win 2,500 AAdvantage Miles.

Photo: Budget @ Hakata Station
Credit: Tzuhsun Hsu on Flickr

I was at the Admirals Club the other day and noticed a countertop advertising stand with a 4X AAdvantage Miles offer from Avis.  You won’t find mention of it on AA’s website or at Avis.com, and it’s marketed as an “Exclusive Offer for Admirals Club Members” but nowhere in the terms and conditions does it mention that a membership is required.  

Here are the details:

• Now through August 31, 2012, American Airlines AAdvantage members can earn quadruple AAdvantage miles on rentals of 1 or more days at participating airport locations in the U.S. and Canada.

• Use coupon # MUAA063 and provide your AAdvantage number at the time of reservation or at the rental counter to earn your AAdvantage bonus miles. Quadruple AAdvantage miles are calculated using your AAdvantage base miles multiplied by four for every day you rent with Avis.

• This offer is in addition to your everyday savings of up to 25% when you use AWD # K817170.

The standard Avis earning rate is 50 AAdvantage Miles per day, so with this promotion you’ll earn 200 miles each rental day.  From the terms and conditions:

• Quadruple American Airlines AAdvantage miles valid on a qualifying rental of one or more consecutive days at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S. and Canada.
• Offer of quadruple AAdvantage miles is valid on daily and weekend rentals.
• Mention coupon MUAA063 to get this offer.
• Quadruple AAdvantage miles equal 200 AAdvantage miles per rental day.
• Offer valid on all car groups.
• An advance reservation is required.
• Offer may not be used with any other coupon, promotion or offer except your AWD discount.
• The savings of up to 25% applies to the time-and-mileage charges only.
• Use AWD K817170 to receive this discount.
• Taxes, concession recovery fees, vehicle license recovery fee, customer facility charges ($10/contract in CA) and fuel charges are extra.
• Optional items such as LDW ($35.99/day or less) and other surcharges may apply and are extra.
• Offer is subject to vehicle availability at the time of rental and may not be available on some rates at some times, including some online rates at Avis.com.
• Car rental return restrictions may apply.
• Offer subject to change without notice.
• Holiday and other blackout periods may apply.
• Renter must meet Avis age, driver and credit requirements. Minimum rental age may vary by location. An additional daily surcharge may apply for renters under 25 years old.
• Rental must begin by August 31, 2012.

There’s another offer from Avis of 1,500 AAdvantage Miles for a 3 day rental, which is a better deal if you’re renting for 3 to 7 days.  Single, 2 day, and 8 day rentals will be better off with the 4X miles.

Go here for complete details.

In case you missed it, a shameless plug from yesterday’s post:

Earlier this month, American launched a new Facebook promotion: share your favorite AAdvantage tip for a chance to win 5,000 miles. If you haven’t entered yet, hurry – the deadline to submit your entry is approaching:

Want the scoop on the best ways to maximize your AAdvantage membership? Read these top tips submitted by AAdvantage members like you! Got a tip to share?  Submit your tip now through 5/1 and you’ll be entered for a chance to win 5,000 AAdvantage miles. On or around 5/23, we’ll select our 10 favorite tips to win.

There’s even a blogger component to the promotion: five bloggers (including me) were asked to offer their favorite AAdvantage tip.

Here are the details: the blogger with the tip that gets the most votes will win 5,000 AAdvantage Miles for themselves and 5,000 AAdvantage miles to give away in a reader contest of some kind (for the record, if I win I’ll donate my 5,000 miles to AA’s Miles for Kids program).

I’m flattered that I was asked to take part in a promotion with The Frugal Travel Guy, The Weekly Flyer from Points, Miles & Martinis, Mommy Points, and Matt Long at Landlopers, so this is pretty exciting to me.

There are lots of good suggestions on the AAdvantage Facebook pages, so go read them, submit your own AAdvantage tip, and vote for your favorite expert advice (look for the “Expert Tips” tab)!

Hertz hasn’t had many bonus AAdvantage promotions this year, but the few that they have offered have been pretty generous. Now they’ve just introduced a new bonus that’s better than anything they offered last year:

Hertz – Earn Quadruple Miles and Save Up To 35 Percent

Award: 4x Miles

Dates: Now through September 30, 2012

Discount/CDP/Club Code: 217692
Promotional Coupon (PC): 169676

Offer: Earn 4x the miles per $1 spent (instead of the usual 1 mile per $1 spent) plus, save up to 35% when you rent any vehicle for one of more days in the US, Puerto Rico, Canada, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, and United Kingdom through September 30, 2012.

Go here for complete details of this promotion.

I’ve always been a big fan of Hertz, they usually have the best rental and return locations, their customer service people are friendly and helpful, and if you have Hertz Gold Plus status, they make it easy and quick to go from being dropped off by the shuttle bus to driving yourself through exit gate.

If you don’t have Hertz Gold Status, here’s your chance to get it for at not cost:

Go Gold for Free — No $60 Membership Fee Through June 30, 2012!

Stop waiting in lines and filling out paperwork and start earning points for free rentals. With our Hertz Gold service and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, booking a car has never been easier or more rewarding.

Speedier Service: No more waiting at the counter. Just pick up your keys and go!

More Value: Get special offers and more value. Your spouse will no longer pay an additional driver fee and you will enjoy discounts on child seats and more

More rewarding: Earn one Hertz Gold Plus Rewards™ point for every qualifying dollar* spent plus bonuses.

Quicker pickup: See your name in lights! Find your name on the Gold Board and locate your car in a snap

Faster return: Just fill out a slip. Leave the car, and you’re off. It’s that easy.

Mobile Gold Alerts: Know which car you’ll be driving and where it’s parked the minute it’s assigned.

Offer expires June 30. Go here to sign up for Hertz Gold Plus Status or to review the complete terms and conditions.

Photo credit: San Diego Hertz Airport Shuttle – view from the floor

Credit: (Guerrilla Futures | Jason Tester) on Flickr

The other day I wrote about a new bonus miles offer from Alamo, and a reader, Mark, shared this in the comments section:

Not sure why all the bloggers like the 1,000 or 1,500 mile bonus offers on a 3 day rental. Most rental car agencies offer a free day on a 3 day rental. So, unless you are on a VERY cheap rental, the free day is going to be worth more than 1,000 or so miles.

He makes a very good point.

There are several ways to evaluate these offers. And one way is to consider this: if you decided to use some AAdvantage Miles for a car rental, you’d likely need to redeem at least 5,000 miles for a single day. So if you compare a free day rental (pardon the oxymoron) to 1,500 miles, the free day provides a better value.

Of course, some may find the miles more useful than the free day rental, it’s really just a matter of preference, but Mark’s got some very solid advice, so I thought of him when I came across this offer from National Car Rental:

Save up to 25% and earn 500 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles, plus receive One Free Weekend Day with National!

Rent a compact through full-size car for a minimum of 3 days at any participating National location in the United States. Save up to 25% and earn 500 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles plus receive One Free Weekend Day with National. Saturday overnight keep required.

One FREE Weekend Day

• Reserve a compact through full-size car in the United States.
• Requires a 3-day minimum (5-day maximum) rental with a Saturday overnight keep.
• Valid through 12/31/2012.
• 24-hour reservation required.

To qualify for this offer, you’ll need to use Contract ID 5026041 and Coupon ID NF3361JDP at the time of your reservation.

Go here for complete details and the terms and conditions.

Also, National Car Rental is celebrating 25 of their Emerald Club loyalty program., and to celebrate they’ve teamed up with The Weekly Flyer to give away two $25 gift cards to Points, Miles & Martinis readers.  All you have to do is share how you traveled 25 years ago.  

Twenty five years ago, AAdvantage Geek was traveling on Spring Break while waering a Spuds MacKenzie t-shirt!   Go here to enter!  

Photo: National Rental Car Counter
Credit: Michael Gray on Flickr