Thrifty vs Hertz: Which Is Better For You? [2024]

Thrifty vs Hertz: Do you want to rent a car? But confused between the two popular car rental services – Hertz and Thrifty? Look no further, we’ve already done the hard work for you. 

Choosing a certain car rental company can be a time-consuming process, thus in this article, we have given a detailed comparison of Thrifty and Hertz. 

Both Thrifty and Hertz are two popular services offering a wide range of collections of cars. So, choosing a single service can be a tough choice in the end. 

To make that easy for you, we have sorted everything about Thrifty and Hertz. Keep on reading to find out more! 

Thrifty vs Hertz: What are They?

Thrifty:

Thrifty is one of the popular car rental companies that is owned by Hertz Corporation. Usually, it caters to budget-conscious leisure travelers.  

It offers a huge selection of trucks, cars, buses, and more, from which you can choose along with amazing promotion deals along with the best prices and guaranteed good experience.

Hertz:

Hertz is an American car rental company that operates its functions with a few other brands like Firefly Car Rental, Dollar Rent A Car, and Thrifty Car Rental. 

Being one of the top vehicle rental companies by location, sales, and fleet, it operates in over 160 countries. 

Thrifty vs Hertz: How do they Work?

Thrifty: To get started with Thrifty, you’ll need to meet the following requirements 

• Must be at least 20 years of age
• Person in charge of driving must be an authorized driver 
• Have a valid driver’s license issued by any state of the same country, which should be valid till the complete period of rental 
• Driver should have a traffic citation valid for the entire rental period 
• Drivers below the age of 25 are subjected to a daily surcharge 

Once you meet the above requirements, you must present a valid driver’s license and a valid major debit card or credit card at the time of rental.  

Although additional allowed drivers are needed to qualify to drive the vehicle and pay a fee, if you are a government renter on official orders, drivers of physically impaired customers, corporate account customers on corporate rate plans, or a member of Thrifty Blue Chip, you don’t need to pay an additional driver fee.

Moreover, additional driver may have to be subjected to a driver’s record check and an underage driver’s fee. Once it is all done, you can visit this page, select a car and enter your pick-up location to get your hands on your desired car. 

Hertz: To be able to rent a Hertz vehicle, you must qualify the below requirements:

• You or any person driving the vehicle must be 25 years of age or over
• Must present a valid driver's license at the time of pickup
• Pay Hertz for all charges with a credit, Visa/Mastercard debit or charge card that is accepted at the pickup location (Card) or by cash
• Proof of address like a utility bill, bank statement, property lease agreement, telephone account, letter of employment, or official government paperwork

After you meet all the requirements, you can request for renting a car. Usually, it only accepts reservations for a vehicle class but not for vehicles with certain characteristics. 

Nonetheless, if you reserve a vehicle under Hertz Prestige Collection, you can get an exception. Also, if you are a member of Hertz Golden Club, you can show off your preferences to get the car of your desire. 

Note that you’ll not always be approved to rent a car through hertz. So, you’ll have to meet the above-mentioned requirements and follow the terms and conditions. 

Price

Thrifty: To get the best deal, book your reservation at least 72 hours in advance of your rental. And if you find a better Thrifty rate on any other website within 24 hours of booking, you can submit a claim. Once it is confirmed, they’ll give you the lower rate along with a 10% discount. 

Thrift offers a better way to rent a car – Blue chip rewards perks, which let you skip the counter, get the best discounts, free membership, free authorized additional driver, quicker reservations, and priority counter service. 

Hertz: The pricing of Hertz is based on the membership plan you have opted for. The best pricing plan is Hertz Gold Plus Rewards which will have interesting rewards each time you rent a car. 

Fleet

Thrifty: It comprises a wide range of vehicles including economy, wild card, compact, standard, full-size, premium, special crossover, luxury, compact SUV, mid-size, minivan, special van, beyond luxury, and more. 

Hertz: With Hertz, discover the wide range of cars and choose the one that meets your requirements. It has a huge variety of luxury, sports, and hybrid vehicles to meet your car rental needs. 

How much do they hold onto your card?

Thrifty: It may place an authorized hold on your debit or credit card to cover the approximate rental charges plus up to $200 for credit and $500 for the debit card. 

However, remember that the actual amount can differ based on the location. Also, you cannot access these funds until the end of the rental after charges apply.   

Hertz: Your card will be charged a hold of up to $200 along with estimated rental charges. This money is frozen till your credit card company returns it. 

Once you bring the car back, it’ll charge your card for the total amount due. And if you don’t return the car on time, Hertz can put an extra hold on your card. 

Therefore, return the car on time or ensure you notify the car rental office if you have any schedule changes.  

When do they Return the Deposit?

Rented through Credit Card:

If you have rented with a credit card on Thrifty, it needs you to have enough credit available to cover the approximate rental reservation and holds up to $200 beyond that price. 

The additional hold amount will be released within a few days when you return the vehicle. For instance, if you have rented a car that costs $300, and the security deposit is $200. 

It’ll put a hold of $500 on your credit card when you pick up the car. And when you return the car, your credit card will be billed $300, and you’ll get the $200 back within a few days. 

On the other hand, Hertz puts a hold on your account for the full cost of the rental along with the security deposit. And once you return the car, it’ll release the hold within 24 hours.

Rented through Cash: 

You’ll need to apply for a cash deposit identification card, to pay a deposit using cash on Thrifty, which can take up to 30 days and requires a $15 non-refundable processing fee. 

And this also required various pieces of information, including your checking account information, previous employers, annual income, and more. 

While on Hertz, in addition to the upfront deposit of $500, it requires extra paperwork and advance planning if you wish to rent a car through cash. If the counter has cash available, it’ll be returned once you return the car, otherwise they’ll mail a check. 

Rented through Debit Card: 

You can book your Thrifty rental with a debit card and the deposit is generally returned within the same time as if you pay with a credit card. 

Nonetheless, note that securing a rental car with a debit card requires a few more requirements. For instance, you’ll need to make the reservation over 24 hours in advance and have enough available to cover the rental along with an additional deposit of $500. 

And based on your bank, it can take up to 10 days after your rental is completed for these funds to become available in your bank account. 

Whereas if you rent a car using your debit card on Hertz, it put a hold on your bank account along with a security deposit of $500 on the day of pickup. 

Renting with a debit card is almost like renting with a credit card, but it requires two forms of identification, and the airport rentals need you to show a return airline ticket. 

Thrifty vs Hertz: Difference 

	Thrifty	Hertz
Car hiring locations	Available in over 1,000 locations including Australia, Canada, United States, Caribbean, Asia, Europe, New Zealand, Africa, Middle East, Latin America	Works in over 9,700 locations across Australia, Canada, Latin America, Asia, the United States, Europe, Caribbean
Types of cars available	Vans/trucksSUV/minivansSedan Luxury vehicles BusesSpecialized commercial vehiclesTesla vehicles Utility vehicles 4WD	Vans4WDsHybrid vehicles High performances vehiclesCompact carsSUVs/minivansSedansTrucksWheelchair accessible vehicles
Type of insurance included	Comes with standard cover, including third-party cover to reduce the liability for third-party incidents and vehicle loss or damage. Additional insurance packages can be purchased	Includes accident damage excess to reduce your liability for loss or damage to the vehicle. Additional insurance packages can be purchased
Fueling agreement	Prepay the fuel, you refill the gas tank within a 10-mile radius of the rental facility or return the car with the gas at any level for which the price will be included in the rental cost	Prepaid fuel, refueling service fee or you refuel before returning the vehicle
Can I smoke or carry a pet in the car?	You cannot smoke but you can carry pets and the vehicle must be retuned in clean condition	You cannot smoke but you can carry pets with no additional fees
Can I drive out of state?	Yes	Yes
Do I require a deposit?	Yes	No
What are the car rental requirements?	Driver must be 21 or older Have a valid driver’s license either written in English or accompanied by a translation	Drivers should be at least 21 years old Valid driver’s license License not written in English should be accompanied by International Driving Permit
Can I pay in cash?	Yes	Yes
Will they pick me up?	Free pick-up service to those in need of local transportation to the Budget rental facility	Yes, if you are renting a vehicle at a Hertz neighborhood car rental location
Does it allow reservation cancellation?	You can cancel online before the rental begins, but fees may apply	Yes, Cancellations and changes can be made to the return time, date and location before the rental begins with extra charges
Can I add extra driver?	Yes, employees and employers, immediate family and partner can drive the vehicle free of charge. Otherwise, you must pay an additional driver free of $5.50 a day, capped at 5 days	Can be hired at $5 per day or $25 capped for 5 days

Conclusion

Both Thrifty and Hertz are incredible car rental services where you can find the best car deals, ability to add an extra driver, allows cancellations and more. 

Nonetheless, before deciding on a particular service, do your own research or just checkout both Thrifty and Hertz to find the cheapest car rental rate for the vehicle that you want to rent. 

Ultimately, choose the one that meet your requirements. Hopefully, this guide on Thrifty vs Hertz comparison has helped you know everything about each service clearly. 

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