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Reminder: Always Double Check Your Reservations Before Traveling (Especially With Hertz)

July 12, 2011
•
3 min read
Reminder: Always Double Check Your Reservations Before Traveling (Especially With Hertz)
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I have to admit, I am not the most organized traveler. I often don't make reservations until the last minute and when I do, I rarely print out the confirmation. Perhaps I trust electronic travel booking way too much or I don't like wasting paper - I never print confirmations (which has gotten me in trouble in the past with immigration officers who want proof of return tickets). I know I should do it - at least when traveling internationally, but I rarely have access to a printer and it always ends up working out, so I have gotten into this bad habit of "going with the flow."

Today, I got burned by that habit. I had reserved a car with Hertz, but it doesn't participate in #1 rewards and you can only make reservations over the phone. When I was in Madrid, I Skyped the Hertz #1 desk and for about 30 minutes confirmed a reservation for a convertible. The woman went through every single pain-staking detail of the reservation, including that I cannot "drive the vehicle outside of the country." No worries ma'am- I hope to not drive the car into the ocean! (Maurtius is an island nation).

She quadruple confirmed the rate/insurance/etc etc etc etc so I thought I'd be set upon landing in Mauritius. Wrong. I breezed through immigration in less than 2 minutes and surprisingly my bag was also on the carousel (bravo Air Mauritius and MRU airport baggage handlers!), yet the Hertz rep just gave me a bizarre look when I gave him my name. He only had 1 reservation that day and was not interested in helping me create a new one. Something about their office being closed. Weird.

Since I had a great experience with Europcar for my Costa Brava adventure, I walked over to their counter and the rep immediately offered to get me a car - even a convertible at the same price Hertz had quoted me. The only catch was that it would have to be delivered to my hotel, but he arranged a taxi for me (at my expense) to my hotel - which ended up being 40 euros.

So in the end it all worked out, but I wasted 30 minutes fixing the error, but I should have re-confirmed with Hertz before hopping on my 11.5 hour flight from CDG-MRU. Just a friendly reminder to all of you to do the same.

PS: I am going to write to Hertz to let them know my dissatisfaction with the situation. Do you think I am owed any compensation? I'm thinking I'd be happy with a voucher in the amount of the extra cab ride cost that I wouldn't have had to pay if they'd had my car as originally reserved. Then again I wasted an hour of my time between making the reservation and making the new one at Mauritius airport. Or should I just drop it and be thankful I have the opportunity to even be in Mauritius? Thoughts?

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  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

    Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.