Connect by Hertz (Zipcar clone) - free 1 yr membership

How do you know it waives the fee? They still ask for credit card info.

In my experience, Hertz has been a company that tries to slip in charges and hope you do not notice. I expect that they will be try to drive zipcar out and if they succeed, they will either raise prices a lot, slip in extra fees like on their normal rentals, or just close this type of competition down. A company that emphasizes size (their motto is simply "#1") is probably not good for this new industry.

I will skip it.

They don't give you a chance to confirm the order at the end - and there's no confirmation that the code gives you anything off... how do we know it's a legit code...?

Tempted to sign up later; strange concentration of locations in NYC. They have 15 outlets all within 20th St. to 36th St. They have better situated rental counters throughout the city.
My experience is that Hertz is the last choice for rentals because their prices are the highest and they seem the least accommodating in hours of operation.

I went through the entire signup process and so far, no charges on my card. They probably need the CC# for the same reason Zipcar requires it; all charges are billed to you automatically and there's no interaction with a sales rep. However, I watch my card closely and will let everyone know if something funny shows up...

In any case, I'm a Zipcar member and will probably use this as a backup in the event there aren't any cars available.

I got the same postcard in the mail yesterday that the OP did, it does clearly state that all signup fees are waived. Also, I am not sure what the concern is about the hours, the cars are all at 24 hour garages (just like Zip Car). Though I find the Midtown concentration strange, I assume they will be branching out from there.

This place sucks. I wasted time trying to sign up for this. You can rent a car for 24 full hours for cheaper than it costs to rent a car here for four hours. It doesnt make any sense whatsoever. I can't imagine someone wanting to actually pay to sign-up for this when you can rent from a normal car company for cheaper. Can someone please explain to me how this makes any sense/cents?

I've just signed up. Their "additional fees" schedule is pretty scary but I assume no worse than Zipcar.

For someone renting a car for for a full day. You can get a midsize in Manhattan for 55-60 dollars. Any decent platinum card covers car insurance so thats not an issue. Plus the Hertz program limits your mileage to something like 170 miles. If you drive more than that they nail you harder than a regular rental agency. Also you have to factor the annual cost of the membership. And if you dont believe you can find a car for under 75 bucks a day just try Prestige car rental. It still doesn't add up. I can see it making sense for someone who is renting for a few hours to go to Ikea. But for anything close to a full day rental it makes no sense. The gas money is cancelled out by the membership fee.

tfong007 said: For someone renting a car for for a full day. You can get a midsize in Manhattan for 55-60 dollars. Any decent platinum card covers car insurance so thats not an issue. Plus the Hertz program limits your mileage to something like 170 miles. If you drive more than that they nail you harder than a regular rental agency. Also you have to factor the annual cost of the membership. And if you dont believe you can find a car for under 75 bucks a day just try Prestige car rental. It still doesn't add up. I can see it making sense for someone who is renting for a few hours to go to Ikea. But for anything close to a full day rental it makes no sense. The gas money is cancelled out by the membership fee.

The insurance part is false. I called mastercard and they said they only cover damages to the rental car, not including liability/property damages. Plus they can only be used as a secondary insurance, meaning you will have to get your insurance to pay up first before Mastercard gets involved -- i.e. your premium will increase and not counting the dozens of hours of calls to mastercard.

Typical collision insurance the car rental gives you is a "walk-away" insurance. Just get a police report and walk away without involving your insurance company and no risk.

can anyone confirm this deal please, I need to sign up but wanna make sure it's free.

FYI, if your school or business has a group zipcar account you maybe able to join free for 1 year. My school (Northeastern University) and some others are part of group buy programs, which lets you sign up without paying the annual fee for your first year. I would check it if you are thinking of getting Hertz Connect, I haven't used the Hertz service yet but I have friends who have zipcar and it's really great if it fits your needs.

10dulkar said: tfong007 said: This place sucks. I wasted time trying to sign up for this. You can rent a car for 24 full hours for cheaper than it costs to rent a car here for four hours. It doesnt make any sense whatsoever. I can't imagine someone wanting to actually pay to sign-up for this when you can rent from a normal car company for cheaper. Can someone please explain to me how this makes any sense/cents?

well you probably shouldn't curse and abuse if you dont understand the concept...i have used zipcar several times, and is awesome...here is an example for you: i needed to pick up something big from ikea...there is a zipcar location near my place...reserved a car for 2 hrs...went to the garage, picked up the zipcar (no interaction with anybody)...went to ikea - did my business, and dropped the car back...again no interaction with anyone, didnt have to pay for gas, or insurance. no paperwork to sign, amazingly quick and simple...cost me $25 for a nice clean SUV...

does the concept make a little more sense now?

A lot of car rental companies have self checkout these days. This means very minimal interaction if you're an existing customer. Second, stores that sell big items often have pickup rentals, full delivery options, or you can just order over the 'net.

I don't doubt that Zipcar isn't both convenient and useful. But most people exaggerate the usefulness and vastly overestimate the savings. You rent your zipcar once per week for 4 hours and that adds up to ~$160+. For that sort of money, I think buying a cheap used car makes much more sense for most people. Cheap cars hold their values well (they already depreciated), they don't require much maintenance if you don't put on a ton of miles, and if you have a decent driving record insurance will cost you next to nothing as well. If you're just using it for transportation, depending on the city, cabs will be cheaper. Anyway, I thought about signing up for Zipcar/etc, but after running through the numbers I couldn't justify it. I think it's a fad that only works in super-expensive areas like Manhattan.

Witold said:

A lot of car rental companies have self checkout these days. This means very minimal interaction if you're an existing customer. Second, stores that sell big items often have pickup rentals, full delivery options, or you can just order over the 'net.

I don't doubt that Zipcar isn't both convenient and useful. But most people exaggerate the usefulness and vastly overestimate the savings. You rent your zipcar once per week for 4 hours and that adds up to ~$160+. For that sort of money, I think buying a cheap used car makes much more sense for most people. Cheap cars hold their values well (they already depreciated), they don't require much maintenance if you don't put on a ton of miles, and if you have a decent driving record insurance will cost you next to nothing as well. If you're just using it for transportation, depending on the city, cabs will be cheaper. Anyway, I thought about signing up for Zipcar/etc, but after running through the numbers I couldn't justify it. I think it's a fad that only works in super-expensive areas like Manhattan.

Which is exactly why they only have zipcar in places like Manhattan. I don't know about Manhattan specifically, but in Boston parking goes for about $200/month. If you're just going to use your car once in a while to run errands, why pay to have it on the road all the time? Also, if every zipcar takes 10 cars off the streets, that's 10 more parking spaces that could be turned into parks. Imagine how many fewer cars there would be parked in the cities if everyone who could use a car sharing service did.

Another benefit is that you can choose which type of car you want for whatever it is you're doing. Going on a date? Take a BMW. Trip to Home Depot? Get a Tacoma. Longer trip? Civic hybrid. Even if you already own a car, if the membership is free it's worth it to sign up just for the ability to grab a pickup truck for a few hours for $8/hr if you ask me.

telstar said: Manhattan parking is usually over $400/mo + tax for covered, secure parking in a garage. It's crazy.
Downtown it's at least $300/mo. plus some crazy high tax between 15-18%. I know some people up in the Yorkville area who manage to park on the street which means they devote a good part of their lives to observing alternate side parking rules.

Again, Zipcar amd this new Hertz program are NOT for people in small towns or as a substitute for people who would normally buy cars. Look at the locations that both are in . They're either in big cities or college areas or both. In bost instances parking is prohibitively expensive for owning a car, unless you would be using it a LOT.

It's NOT meant for long journies or for weekend rentals. For that, there are already tons of other rental companies. These are specifically geared toward short rentals of a few hours. And things like the Ikea run are EXACTLY what they're geared for.

I live in doentown Boston. Renting a parking space would cost me a minimum of $200-300/month on top of the cost of the car itself, gas and some of the most expensive insurance rates in the country. And one-day rentals aren't cheap either, since ALL rentals in the city of Boston have an automatic $10 convention center surcharge added on to them. (With Zipcar, I only have to pay it once a year.) Plus, all of the locations in the downtown area have very limited operating hours. So, if I want a car for most of the day, I'd either have to park the car in the city overnight (good luck in finding a space in the city!) or return it to the airport location and take a costly ($20+) cab home. Also, rentals after midnight are half price!

Here's a few examples of what I've used Zipcars for:
-- A Black Friday run to a whole bunch of stores, including picking up a huge LCD TV
-- a half-day trip to western MA for a wedding.
-- a day trip to Provincetown
-- saw a Cirque du Soleil show in western MA
-- picked up a HUGE fish tank I got from Craigslist after midnight from someone on the other end of town (for like $10 total!)
-- picked up a shipment of fish (for that fish tank!) I had shipped from the airport
-- picked up a friend from the airport, who then helped me pick up a small refrigerator from someone in the airport area
-- picked up in the suburbs an air conditioner I got from CL.
-- went clubbing for the night in Providence
-- went to a MUCH cheaper state-run liquor store in New Hampshire and stocked up for the year!
-- a hook-up!

Most of these were actually on very short notice. (Especially the last one!) Last minute car rentals are usually quite expensive. But with a Zipcar, I can find a car online and be driving it in minutes.

Zipcar usually ends up cheaper than a cab would cost. And it takes me both ways, too!

If you compare these rates with what you'd pay for a taxi, the comparison is better. My company (Lockheed Martin) waives Zipcar annual fees.

Good deal, this will complement my zipcar membership...

jmsnyc said: Mosskeeter said: tfong007 said: You can rent a car for 24 full hours for cheaper than it costs to rent a car here for four hours. It doesnt make any sense whatsoever. I can't imagine someone wanting to actually pay to sign-up for this when you can rent from a normal car company for cheaper.
For NYC their rates are pretty good when you figure in the extras (gas, insurance). When I've needed a 24 hr. regular rental I've had a very hard time getting a rate for a mid/full size for under $75/day. Hertz usually was $100+ and the most expensive.

It only includes insurance up to min required by state law. Don't regular rentals have to include that too?

Yes, regular rentals do. It's something rental places rarely tell you.

New Hertz Connect code via twitter is "Twitter125" for $125 driving credit, application fee ($25) and yearly fee ($50) apply. Better deal than free membership if you plan to use the cars.