Under 25? Banned from National Car Rental Executive Aisle

Background:

A friend and I rented a car from National Car Rental, and we are both under 25 years of age. Generally we would be charged a young drivers fee, but due to the corporation we work with, the corporate code waived the young driver’s fee which was nice. We decided to rent from National, as my friend used his hotel status which can match to National’s Executive Elite (top tier in their loyalty program).

Generally, as an Executive or Executive Elite, you get Executive Area Access where you can choose any car (Fullsize and above) in the Executive Area.

Arriving at Newark:

Once we got to the lot, the agent there asked our age and said that we wouldn’t be able to grab a car from the Executive Area due to our age, and said we could grab something from the lesser- Emerald Aisle that features (Midsize and above). That was a bummer.

We ending up choosing a Subaru Outback from the Emerald Aisle but when we got to the gate, we were told that we couldn’t even get that car, since it was in a higher category than a full size.

So, we had to circle back and grab a new car. We then picked a smaller, Subaru Impreza, which thankfully “qualified”.

And of course when returning our vehicle and getting the final receipt, we were charged $15 more than what we booked, which seems to be a common occurrence when using a corporate code as highlighted by another fellow BoardingArea site. The agent at the return said she would work to get us a refund of the overcharge, so make sure you check your receipts when you return the vehicle. We waited a week and nothing showed up so we had to call customer service and they then refunded the $15. Sigh.

Sheesh National. I thought you were supposed to be one of the better rental companies. 🙂

The Verdict:

Overall, it was quite annoying that National Car Rental banished us from the Executive Aisle due to our age. That makes renting from National less enticing even with top tier status if you are under 25. And the overcharging wasn’t a good look either.

Have you, or do you know someone who’s rented with National as an under 25 renter? How was the experience? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!