Express Fuel Option: Hertz to Charge You if You Drive That Rental Car Fewer Than 75 Miles Without Refueling
A s part of the Hertz Gold Plus frequent renter loyalty program, I received an interesting e-mail message hours ago which announced a revision within the conditions and terms which applies to rentals in the Netherlands and Canada called the Express Fuel Option.
If you're the kind of person who manages to keep your appearance of the fuel gauge as full even with driven dozens of miles within the rental car without spending any money to fill up the fuel tank, your glory days are essentially over as of Wednesday, July 15, 2020:
Beginning on 7/15/2020 there will be a new refueling choice for Hertz rentals in the Netherlands. This Express Fuel option applies at select locations to rentals where the whole distance driven is 75 miles or less. If you drive 75 miles or less and don't purchase gas, or purchase gas but fail to produce a receipt, electric power charge of $13.99 will be applied. Should you drive 75 miles or less and produce an invoice of a fuel purchase made on your rental, the $13.99 charge won't be applied.
Assuming that the car your rented achieved 25 mpg during your rental and you drove 75 miles – and therefore your car rental consumed three gallons of fuel – that means that at $13.99, Hertz charges you the same as approximately $4.66 per gallon; but if the car your rented achieved 18.75 miles per gallon on your rental and you drove 75 miles – meaning that your rental car consumed four gallons of fuel – that means that at $13.99, Hertz will charge you the same as approximately $3.50 per gallon.
Either way – in a current national average of $2.78 per gallon for regular gasoline, according to the Daily Fuel Gauge Report from the American Automobile Association – Hertz will be cashing in on the new Express Fuel Option…
…however, you never know how much money Hertz – or customers of Hertz – lost in becoming short-changed on fuel.
I know that when I rent an automobile, I expect the fuel tank to be full. When I rented an automobile recently from the different rental car company, the indicator of the fuel gauge was clearly just shy of full. An agent of the car rental company assured me never fear about it; but when I returned the vehicle with the fuel gauge exactly just shy of full – that was no easy task, by the way – a different representative attempted to point that fact to me. I prevailed in that exchange, thankfully.
If you plan on renting a car from Hertz later on, you must know about the Express Fuel Option just in case you anticipate any problems or issues.
The complete text from the revision is shown below.
NOTICE
2020 Revision towards the Hertz Gold Rental Terms
Effective July 15, 2020, Part II. B. – Conditions and terms Applicable To Rentals Within the Netherlands And Canada from the “Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Rental Terms” are revised in accordance with this notice. Pursuant towards the “Online Terms” You accepted when You signed up for the “Program” (as a result terms are defined below), Your creating a Program rental following the effective date will constitute Your acceptance of the revision.
- All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning provided to them within the conditions and terms which govern (a) enrollment in Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, sometimes known as the “Program” (the “Enrollment Agreement Terms”) and (b) rentals of vehicles using the Program (the “Gold Plus Rewards Rental Terms”), by persons who enrolled in this program online (the “Online Terms”).
- Subparagraph 8 of “Part II. B. Conditions and terms Applicable To Rentals In The Netherlands And Canada” in the Gold Plus Rewards Rental Terms is hereby deleted in its entirety and substituted for the following:
8. REFUELING OPTIONS
A. FOR RENTALS In the usa. Most Hertz rentals have a full tank of gas, but that is not always the situation. The refueling choices are:
1. IF YOU DO NOT PURCHASE FUEL FROM HERTZ AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR RENTAL And also you RETURN The vehicle WITH A minimum of AS MUCH FUEL AS Was at IT WHEN YOU RECEIVED IT, You will not pay a charge for fuel.
a. For rentals from select locations: Should you DRIVE 75 MILES OR LESS, as determined by subtracting the Car's odometer reading at the outset of the rental in the reading once the Car is returned, excluding tenths of miles, You have to Create a RECEIPT During the time of RETURN INDICATING THAT FUEL WAS PURCHASED SO THAT THE CAR IS RETURNED WITH AT LEAST AS MUCH FUEL AS WAS IN IT Whenever you RECEIVED IT. If You drive 75 miles or less and also you do not produce this type of receipt during the time of return, It'll cost you the ≤75 mile Fuel and Service Charge in the rate specified on the Rental Record, to the extent permitted legally.
2. IF YOU DO NOT PURCHASE FUEL FROM HERTZ AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR RENTAL And also you RETURN The vehicle WITH LESS FUEL THAN Was at IT WHEN YOU RECEIVED IT, Hertz will charge A Fuel and Service Charge in the applicable per-mile/kilometer or per-gallon rate specified on the Rental Record. However, for rentals from select locations, should you drive the vehicle 75 miles or less You will be charged the ≤75 mile Fuel and repair Charge in the rate specified on the Rental Record, to the extent permitted by law.
a. The per-mile/kilometer rate is used if you don't buy fuel during the rental. To calculate this amount, Hertz multiplies the number of miles driven as shown on the car's odometer, times the per-mile/kilometer rate shown on the Rental Record.
b. The per-gallon rate is used if you purchase fuel throughout the rental however the tank isn't as full whenever you return the vehicle as when You received it. To calculate this amount Hertz multiplies the amount of gallons needed to refill the gas tank to the level it had been at whenever you received the vehicle, times the per-gallon rate.
ALTHOUGH TWO METHODS ARE USED FOR EASE OF CALCULATION, THE PER-MILE/KILOMETER AND PER-GALLON RATES PRODUCE APPROXIMATELY Exactly the same RESULT.
3. IF YOU CHOOSE TO PURCHASE FUEL FROM HERTZ AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR RENTAL BY SELECTING THE FUEL PURCHASE OPTION, It'll cost you as shown around the Rental Record for that purchase. When you purchase THIS OPTION, YOU WILL NOT INCUR One more FUEL AND SERVICE CHARGE, BUT YOU WILL NOT Get any CREDIT FOR FUEL LEFT IN THE TANK During the time of RETURN, with the exception of the next cases:
a. For rentals in Hawaii, if You return the Car having a full tank of fuel, You'll get a credit for the amount previously charged for that acquisition of fuel from Hertz.
b. If You drive the vehicle 75 miles or less from select locations, You'll receive credit for that amount previously charged for that purchase of fuel from Hertz and will also be charged the ≤75 mile Fuel and Service Charge in the rate specified on the Rental Record, towards the extent permitted by law.
EXCEPT FOR RENTALS Regarding WHICH CLAUSE (a) OR (b) OF SUBPARAGRAPH 8.(A)(3) BECOMES APPLICABLE, THE PER-GALLON Price of THE FUEL PURCHASE OPTION Will be Less than FUEL And repair CHARGE, But when YOU ELECT THE FUEL PURCHASE OPTION YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT FOR FUEL LEFT IN THE TANK During the time of RETURN. The price of REFUELING The vehicle YOURSELF In the LOCAL SERVICE STATION WILL GENERALLY BE Less than THE FUEL And repair CHARGE Or even the FUEL PURCHASE OPTION. HOWEVER, THE FUEL And repair CHARGE And also the FUEL PURCHASE OPTION ALLOW FOR The benefit OF Lacking To prevent AND REFUEL THE CAR PRIOR TO RETURN.
B. FOR RENTALS IN CANADA. Most Hertz rentals have a full tank of gas, but that is not always the case. You will find three refueling options:
1. IF You don't PURCHASE FUEL FROM HERTZ AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR RENTAL And also you RETURN THE CAR WITH AT LEAST Just as much FUEL AS Was at IT Whenever you RECEIVED IT, You will not pay electric power charge for fuel.
2. IF You don't PURCHASE FUEL FROM HERTZ AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR RENTAL And also you RETURN The vehicle WITH LESS FUEL THAN WAS IN IT Whenever you RECEIVED IT, Hertz charges you You a Fuel and Service Charge at the applicable per-mile/kilometer or per-gallon rate specified around the Rental Record.
a. The per-mile/kilometer rate is used if you don't buy fuel during the rental. To calculate this amount, Hertz multiplies the amount of miles driven as shown around the car's odometer, times the per-mile/kilometer rate shown on the Rental Record.
b. The per-gallon rate is used if You buy fuel during the rental but the tank isn't as full whenever you return the Car as when You received it. To calculate this amount Hertz multiplies the number of gallons needed to refill the fuel tank to the level it had been at whenever you received the vehicle, times the per-gallon rate.
ALTHOUGH TWO METHODS Can be used for Easy CALCULATION, THE PER-MILE/KILOMETER AND PER-GALLON RATES PRODUCE APPROXIMATELY THE SAME RESULT.
3. IF YOU CHOOSE TO PURCHASE FUEL FROM HERTZ AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR RENTAL BY Choosing the FUEL PURCHASE OPTION, It'll cost you as shown on the Rental Record for your purchase. IF YOU CHOOSE This method, You won't INCUR AN ADDITIONAL FUEL AND SERVICE CHARGE, BUT YOU Won't RECEIVE ANY CREDIT FOR FUEL LEFT Within the TANK During the time of RETURN, except if You drive the Car 100 miles or less and return it with just one full tank of fuel, You will receive credit for that amount previously charged for the acquisition of fuel from Hertz and will be charged for that fuel used at the per-mile/kilometer rate shown on the Rental Record, as long as this will reduce the amount You have to pay for fuel.
EXCEPT FOR RENTALS AS TO WHICH SUBPARAGRAPH 8.(B)(3) BECOMES APPLICABLE, THE PER-GALLON Price of THE FUEL PURCHASE OPTION WILL ALWAYS BE LOWER THAN FUEL And repair CHARGE, But when YOU ELECT THE FUEL PURCHASE OPTION You won't RECEIVE CREDIT FOR FUEL LEFT IN THE TANK AT THE TIME OF RETURN. The price of REFUELING THE CAR YOURSELF AT THE LOCAL SERVICE STATION Will normally BE LOWER THAN THE FUEL AND SERVICE CHARGE OR THE FUEL PURCHASE OPTION. HOWEVER, THE FUEL And repair CHARGE And also the FUEL PURCHASE OPTION Permit THE CONVENIENCE OF Lacking TO STOP AND REFUEL THE CAR Just before RETURN.
- Except as revised with this notice, all the remaining conditions and terms from the Online Terms shall remain unchanged and in full force and effect.
