About National Car Rental

National Car Rental is a private American car rental agency that primarily caters to the frequent airport business traveler through its focus on speed, choice, and control. It is headquartered in Clayton, Missouri, and is owned by Enterprise Holdings, which also operates Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Alamo Rent a Car.

National is particularly known for its Emerald Club loyalty program, which allows frequent customers to bypass the rental counter and choose their own vehicle from the Emerald Aisle (based on their reserved car class), speeding up the rental process considerably. The brand was founded in 1947 and has grown to operate over 2,000 locations internationally.

National Car Rental Affiliate Program Overview

The National Car Rental affiliate program allows publishers to earn commissions by promoting their car rental services to their audience. It’s especially suited for publishers in the travel and transportation sectors. The program is typically available through third-party affiliate networks.

Factor Detail
Industry Travel, Automotive, Car Rental
Product Type Car Rentals, Vehicle Services
Affiliate Program Type Cost-Per-Sale (CPS)

National Car Rental Affiliate Program Offers

Affiliates are generally provided with the necessary marketing tools to help drive conversions. The terms and conditions listed here are based on general car rental affiliate program standards and available network information.

Factor Detail
Promotional Materials Banners, Text Links, Logos, and occasionally special promotional deals/coupons.
Affiliate Cookie Duration 180 days (6 months) is a common duration cited for this program, which is significantly longer than many competitors.
Accepted Traffic Source Websites, Blogs, Travel Portals, Email, and social media (subject to network approval).
Accepted Countries Primarily United States and global locations where National operates.
Explicit Content Not accepted (Standard restriction).
Religious or Political Content Typically not accepted for promotion (Standard restriction).

National Car Rental Affiliate Commissions & Payments

The commission structure for National Car Rental is a flat rate based on qualifying completed bookings. Payments are typically handled by the affiliate network hosting the program.

Factor Detail
MLM No (This is a standard affiliate marketing program, not Multi-Level Marketing).
Commission Rate Generally cited as 1.6% of the total qualifying booking amount.
Commission Structure Flat commission rate on confirmed reservations.
Payout Frequency Usually Net 60 (Paid 60 days after the end of the month in which the commission was earned).
Payout Methods Varies by network, but can include Bank Transfer, PayPal, Wire Transfer, or Check.
Minimum Payout Varies by network (e.g., as low as $25 for PayPal, but potentially $1,000 for Wire Transfer).

Suitable Affiliates for National Car Rental Affiliate

The National Car Rental affiliate program is most suitable for content creators and publishers whose audience is actively looking for travel and transportation services, particularly those who cater to the business traveler or frequent flyer niche.

  • Bloggers: Highly suitable for travel blogs, finance blogs (for business expense content), and guides focused on airport travel tips.
  • TikTokers/YouTubers: Suitable if they focus on travel vlogging, packing hacks, business travel routines, or airport/destination guides.
  • KOC/KOL/Influencers: Suitable if they are established in the travel, lifestyle, or professional/business niche.
  • Video Editors/Livestreamers: Less suitable, unless their content is directly tied to a travel or transportation niche that can generate booking clicks.

National Car Rental Affiliate Software

National Car Rental does not use a single, direct, in-house affiliate management software. Instead, they typically partner with major third-party affiliate networks to manage their program.

Common networks cited for National’s program include FlexOffers and sometimes other major platforms like Commission Junction (CJ) or Impact, allowing the brand to leverage the networks’ established tracking, reporting, and payment infrastructure.

3 Alternatives for National Car Rental Affiliate Program

Here are three popular alternatives in the car rental affiliate space, with a comparison table to National Car Rental.

  1. Avis Car Rental: A globally recognized brand that offers competitive commission rates and runs its program on established networks like Partnerize.
  2. Rentalcars.com: A massive car rental comparison engine. It compares multiple providers, which can lead to higher conversion rates for affiliates due to offering the best price options.
  3. Hertz Car Rental: Another one of the world’s largest car rental companies, offering a well-known program with a solid brand reputation.
Comparison Factor National Car Rental Avis Car Rental Rentalcars.com Hertz Car Rental
Average Bill High (Often caters to corporate/business travelers) High (Globally recognized brand) Variable (Comparison service offers all price points) High (Major international brand)
Entry Fees $0 $0 $0 $0
Withdrawal Threshold Varies by network (e.g., $25-$1000) Varies by network Varies by network Varies by network
Payment Frequency Monthly (Net 60) Monthly Monthly Monthly
Commission Rate 1.6% (Flat rate on booking) Up to 4% (On completed rentals) Up to 6% (On booking amount) Varies, often around 3% (On completed rentals)
Conversion Good (Strong brand, focused on convenience for business travelers) Good (High brand recognition) Very High (Comparison site offers better deals) Good (High brand recognition)
Marketing Materials Banners, Text Links Banners, Text Links, Regular Incentives Banners, Deep Links, Widgets, API Banners, Logos, Text Links