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Well hello, Thrifty. I wouldn’t have thought that another rental company promo could take my interest from National’s One Two Free promo at this time of year, but Thrifty has done it: Thrifty is currently offering 1 free rental day for every completed rental, including 1-day rentals. You can earn up to 5 free rental days by the end of 2019 (earned in the form of Thrifty Blue Chip Rewards points).
The Deal
- Thrifty Rental Cars is offering one free rental day in the form of 625 Blue Chip Rewards points for every completed qualifying rental from 10/7/19 to 12/31/19 (up to 5 free days earned)
- Direct link to this promotion
Key Terms
- This offer is available at participating Thrifty locations in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico
- Offer may be canceled, modified, or altered at any time without prior notice
- Free Day Reward of 625 Bonus Points is available to Thrifty Blue Chip members who book and complete a qualifying rental between 10/7/19 – 12/31/19
- Minimum 1 day rental required, includes all car classes
- Free day Bonus points will be awarded 6- 8 weeks upon completion of the qualifying rental
- Maximum of 5 Free Days can be earned during the promotional period and are valid through 12/31/2020
- Point redemptions apply to per day time and mileage charges only. Applicable taxes, surcharges or additional fees are extra.
- Points may only be redeemed within the U.S. and Canada, according to the renting locations terms and conditions and subject to availability and blackout dates.
Quick Thoughts
I don’t have any personal experience with Thrifty Blue Chip Rewards, but I like the idea of a rent-one-get-one-free promo. It doesn’t look like any registration is required, you’ll just want to be sure you have joined the Thrifty Blue Chip Rewards program.
As noted at the top, I tend to make paid rentals with National at this time of year to take advantage of the One Two Free promo, whereby you earn a fee rental day for every 2 paid rentals. One of the reasons I love that promo is that I’ve been able to leverage fantastic value out of the free rental days with one-way rentals. Some rental companies charge a separate one-way drop off fee, but National bakes that cost into the daily rate — thus a “free day” can be really valuable since you’re only on the hook for any airport taxes/fees with National. Just a few weeks ago, I used a National free day to drive a full-size SUV one way from Newark (where I landed when coming back from the 40K challenge) and I returned it the next day in Albany, NY when I flew out to go to the Chicago Seminars. The cash cost on that rental would have been around $200. Most of my national free days come up totally free or with perhaps four or five bucks in tax. Newark must have some additional airport tax because the free day did cost me $15 in that instance, but I could live with that price.
I’m not positive whether or not Thrifty Blue Chip rewards works the same way. While National includes the one-way fee in the daily rental rate, it’s possible that Thrifty adds a one-way drop fee in addition to the rental charges. The terms state that the free rental day applies to the rate only — any additional taxes and fees are extra and paid separately, which would make this promo less interesting for me if one of those fees is a one-way drop fee (if any readers know for sure, please share in the comments). Still, even if the free days don’t work well for one-way rentals, picking up a free day for each paid rental (even one-day rentals) is probably a worthwhile return.
As noted above, the “free day” in the case of Thrifty is actually paid out in Thrifty Blue Chip Rewards points. Thrifty will credit your account with 625 Blue Chip Rewards points within 6-8 weeks of your completed rental. That’s enough points for a free weekday (free weekend days are only 500 points). See the full award chart here. Those bonus “free day” points are valid for use through 12/31/20.
Overall, this looks like a lucrative little promotion that would definitely have me looking up Thrifty’s rates if I had a need for a rental.
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does anyone know if it’s possible to transfer or buy additional points?
[…] might doubtlessly rating you a free rental day to make use of at a future time. In accordance with Frequent Miler, Thrifty Automobile Leases is providing a promotion for his or her Blue Chip Rewards members. For […]
The full terms say “ Promotion Code must be provided at time of reservation or offer is void.” Is the promo code emailed to members in their loyalty program or how does one find this code?