Can I get a free upgrade?

Yes, best chances on weekdays, late evening pickups, and with a free loyalty membership.

  • Pick up after 6pm: smaller cars often sold out, midsize or larger assigned at no extra charge
  • Join free loyalty programs (Hertz Gold, National Emerald Club, Sixt loyalty) before booking
  • National Emerald Club: choose your own car from the Emerald aisle, often includes natural upgrades
  • Ask politely at the counter: "Is there anything available in the next class up today?"
  • AutoSlash alerts: tracks price drops and upgrade opportunities on your existing booking

Traveling soon? See our Travel Essentials page.

Want a deeper dive? ↓

Detailed Answer

How It Works

Rental car companies manage fleet inventory the same way airlines manage seat availability. When the vehicle class you booked runs out of stock, they must give you the next class up at no extra charge. This is called an involuntary upgrade and it happens regularly, particularly on busy travel days, at popular airport locations, and in the late evening when fleet turnover is at its peak. Knowing when and how to position yourself for this is the core of the upgrade strategy.

Beyond involuntary upgrades, loyalty programs are the single most reliable path to consistent free upgrades. National Emerald Club membership, which is free to join, allows members to walk to the Emerald Aisle and choose any car parked there for the price they booked. On a good day, this aisle includes SUVs, premium sedans, and minivans when you booked a compact. Hertz Gold Plus Rewards and Sixt loyalty programs offer similar benefits at various membership tiers.

Internationally, the upgrade culture and opportunity vary significantly. The US has the most structured upgrade system due to fierce competition between major chains. European agencies tend to have tighter fleet management and upgrades are less reliably available. In the Middle East, particularly at major UAE and Qatar airport locations, counter agents at luxury-oriented agencies have more discretion to offer upgrades as part of a service culture.

Best Strategies for a Free Upgrade

Timing your pickup

  • Late evening pickup (after 6pm): smaller vehicle classes are most likely to be sold out by this time, the lot has been running all day and compact and economy cars are often the first to run out
  • Weekday pickup (Monday to Wednesday): business travelers dominate these days and tend to book midsize sedans, leaving more premium vehicles available for economy bookers
  • Last-minute booking on a busy day: counterintuitive but sometimes effective, if a lot is over-allocated the agency must upgrade rather than refuse you
  • Avoid Friday afternoon and Sunday evening: these are the highest demand pickup windows, agencies are fully stocked and have no incentive to upgrade

Loyalty programs that deliver upgrades

  • National Emerald Club: the most consistently rewarding free membership for upgrades, Emerald Club members walk directly to the Emerald Aisle and choose any car parked there without speaking to a counter agent, on a well-stocked day this means a genuine upgrade at no extra cost
  • Hertz Gold Plus Rewards: members have their reserved car waiting by name on a board, if the reserved class is unavailable they receive the next class up automatically, Gold members also receive upgrades subject to availability at many locations
  • Sixt loyalty: free membership, upgrades available to higher-tier members at Sixt locations globally
  • Avis Preferred: members sometimes receive complimentary upgrades when their booked class is unavailable
  • Enterprise Plus: loyalty benefits include occasional upgrades at enterprise locations, less systematic than National or Hertz

Asking at the counter

  • Approach this as a polite question, not a negotiation or demand
  • Effective phrasing: "Is there anything available in the next class up today? I am happy to stick with my booking but just wanted to ask."
  • Mention a special occasion: anniversaries, honeymoons, and milestone birthdays are taken seriously at many locations and agents have discretion to upgrade for goodwill
  • Avoid peak check-in hours (Friday 4pm to 7pm, Sunday 3pm to 6pm): agents are too busy and under-resourced during these windows to offer upgrades
  • Arrive well-dressed and personable: agent discretion is real and first impressions matter more than many travelers expect

AutoSlash and rate monitoring

  • AutoSlash tracks price drops on your existing reservation and automatically rebooks at the lower rate when one appears
  • A lower rate for a higher vehicle class sometimes appears due to corporate rate codes or promotional pricing, AutoSlash catches these automatically
  • Free to use, particularly effective for bookings made 3 to 6 weeks out on US routes

By Agency: Upgrade Culture and Reliability

North America

  • National: most reliable upgrade via the Emerald Aisle, walk-up vehicle selection is the most transparent and consistent upgrade mechanism of any major US agency
  • Hertz: Gold Plus Rewards upgrades are systematic, involuntary upgrades well-documented by travelers, active loyalty program with clear upgrade benefits
  • Enterprise: upgrades happen but are less systematic than National or Hertz, manager discretion plays a larger role
  • Avis: upgrades available for Preferred members, less consistent at non-airport locations
  • Sixt: upgrade culture varies by location, premium brands and larger vehicles available when smaller classes run out
  • Dollar and Thrifty: frequent involuntary upgrades due to fleet management, joining free Express Rewards or Blue Chip programs helps

Europe

  • European agencies have tighter fleet management and smaller lots, upgrades are less common than in the US
  • Sixt Europe: loyalty program upgrades available at higher tiers, Sixt One (loyalty) members receive the best access
  • Europcar: occasional upgrades for Privilege Club members, less reliable than US equivalents
  • Hertz Europe: Gold Plus Rewards upgrades apply at European locations on the same basis as US, more systematic than local European agencies
  • UK: independent agencies more likely to upgrade informally than large chains, particularly at smaller regional airports

Middle East

  • UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi): strong service culture at major airport locations, agents have more discretion to upgrade as part of hospitality norms, polite requests more frequently accommodated than in the US or Europe
  • Qatar and Saudi Arabia: similar service culture to UAE at major international airports, upgrades handled graciously when available
  • Luxury vehicles are common in the Middle East fleet, so what counts as an upgrade at a Dubai airport location may be significantly more premium than at an equivalent US airport

Asia and Australia

  • Australia and New Zealand: upgrades follow similar patterns to US, joining loyalty programs and asking politely at quieter times works
  • Japan: fleet management is very precise, involuntary upgrades less common, loyalty membership helps, asking politely is always worth trying
  • Southeast Asia: local agencies more flexible than international chains, upgrades sometimes offered proactively

What You Need to Know

  • An upgrade is never guaranteed at any agency, it is always subject to availability
  • Loyalty programs are free to join and provide the most consistent upgrade access, join before booking not at the counter
  • Booking the lowest available class gives the most room for an upgrade, booking a premium class leaves no room to go up
  • Paid upgrades at the counter are often offered at significant discounts to the published rate, worth asking the price if a free upgrade is not available
  • Vehicle class availability varies by airport, day, and time, no single strategy works every time
  • Corporate rate codes from employers, USAA, AAA, Costco, and AARP sometimes unlock higher classes at standard rates, worth checking before booking at a public rate

Real Traveler Experiences

"Joined National Emerald Club for free before a weekend trip. Walked to the Emerald Aisle and found a full-size SUV waiting. I had booked a compact. Chose the SUV at no extra charge. Best travel hack for US car rentals." Reddit r/solotravel

"Picked up a Hertz rental at 8pm on a Tuesday. The compact I booked was gone. Agent handed me keys to a midsize sedan at the same price without me saying a word. Late evening pickups genuinely deliver involuntary upgrades more often than any other tactic." TripAdvisor forum

"Asked at the Sixt counter in Dubai if there was anything available in the next class up. Agent smiled and offered a Mercedes C-Class at the Volkswagen Golf price. Middle East service culture is a different experience entirely." Flyertalk forum

Pro Tips

  • Join National Emerald Club and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards before every US rental, both are free and provide the most reliable upgrade access of any major agency
  • Pick up late in the evening on a weekday for the highest involuntary upgrade probability, smaller vehicle classes deplete throughout the day
  • Book the smallest vehicle class that meets your minimum needs, this maximizes the upgrade gap and gives agents the most room to move you up
  • Use AutoSlash to monitor your booking for price drops that could give you a higher class at the same or lower rate automatically
  • In the Middle East, a polite upgrade request at major airport counters in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha is met with genuinely gracious service, worth asking directly
  • If a free upgrade is declined, always ask the counter agent for the paid upgrade price before leaving the counter, discounts of 30 to 50% off the published upgrade rate are common when asking in person

Related Questions

Sources

AskTravel.org is an information website only. Always check local regulations and app availability before traveling, as rules change frequently.

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