National Car Rental

The counter rep was very nice but the older man at the exit gate was kind of a jerk. He said I was not entitled to earn rental credit with the promotion I had. I advised that I merely booked the car online under my account and picked it up like normal. I mentioned that I didn’t really care about the rental credit since I don’t rent leisurely very often rather I was enticed by the competitive rate. He shook his head as if I did something I shouldn’t have. Not really sure what he was talking about or what got into him but I thought he was a rude and a grump and didn’t represent National very well. Incidentally, the car they gave hadn’t been cleaned and there was a cigarette burn in the upholstery. So much for being loyal to National… I’m just going to go for the best deal from now on except when my employer requires me to rent from them.

Holistically, National has gone downhill a bit. In Philly the cars are filthy, then I find out the employees that are supposed to (supposed to) clean them get paid piecework, so it’s churn and burn.
Manchester seems to be a better location. Here the car was clean except for the windshield fingerprints and sneeze pattern on the steering wheel, for which I carry baby wipes, so no big deal. I actually rented 2 cars this week and the Mazda 3 was cleaner than the Charger (with obligatory window smudges).

Easy drop off, I had an early flight and was just able to park the car and go. My only complaint is that the only vehicle available for pick up was an SUV, which I don’t love driving, but there was no up charge.

Recently I had to make a reservation in the back of a cab en route from Boston to Manchester, NH (airline/​weather issue), needing a rental car within an hour or so. Using the web site from my iPad was a snap and they were ready for me by the time I arrived at the Manchester airport. On top of that, although I hadn’t used National for many, many years they had kept me on the membership books and all I had to do was update my credit card. Within five minutes I was on my way. Excellent service as the counter and car representatives were very pleasant and professional. Great experience!

Terrible. Do not use. Twice they have accused me of damaging their car, made me stand there while they looked things up on computer and then decided was not my fault. Was embarrassing and they are idiots. I’ve been a good customer to National but the way they have repeatedly treated me at this location is enough to no longer give them my business.

I am a huge fan of the National Executive membership program! I love being able to walk right out and select my car. I inadvertently reserved a car with a partner company. Upon discovery, the National rep made the switch adn I was off without incident. It was a smooth and seamless transition. Thank you for your awesome service.

Keep in mind, when you hear the name Payless, the old saying, «you get what you pay for». The first car they gave us keys to was contending for most door dings on a single car (dodge). It was too hard to document them all. They kindly exchanged it for a Ford Fiesta (that was nice). On the first day we got it, the transmission started slipping out of gear so bad we couldn’t keep up with traffic. We called their support number 3 times and left our information and haven’t heard from them in 48 hours. The car will not even go in reverse now. Very disappointed.

Short walk from the terminal. Courteous and attentive staff. Love the ease of going straight to the Emerald Aisle. Had to wait a few minutes to check my car in upon return, otherwise a very smooth experience.

So easy to check in for a car and return a car.
We had a special deal on HOTWIRE that snagged us an Economy Car for two weekend days for $ 40 TOTAL (All fees included). They didn’t make a big deal on declining any options, just initial. NOT the case I had with Payless in Orlando FL that wanted you to initial and sign bootleg form warning you of all the dire consequences if you got the car scratched.
The best part, they said to pick out any car from the «Compact» row (not Economy). Well, there weren’t any. I happened to be wearing a Boston Red Sox cap, and the fellow said if I were wearing a Yankees cap he wouldn’t have been so kind to me. We were told to take any FULL SIZE car available, which we did.
Lumina with 3302 miles on it served us nicely for the weekend for bargain basement price of $ 40.

We were charged $ 20 for being a «day late» because we arrived at 2 in the afternoon but apparently picked up the car at noon. When we rented the car no one told us we had to return the car before noon. The kid who received the car seemed either uninterested or incapable of waiving the fee.
This airport has lots of alternative car rentals – go with one of them!

Ahhh, the one little perk that I have at work paid off. I get the «Emerald Club» card from my office, which basically means I don’t have to wait in line, get a small discount, a car upgrade, and am treated pretty damn well. When I took my vacation to Boston last month, I opted to rent a car and drive into MA.
I was able to head straight to the garage where the cars were. I paid for a compact — a crappy Chevy cobalt or something. Upon the attendants seeing my Emerald card, they pointed me to a pool of cars and said «you can choose any of those». I looked and saw a nice variety of regular sized sedans, and opted to take the Buick Lacrosse. Complete with leather seats, CD player, and SEAT WARMERS, which are key. Especially when its snowing outside and you’re from Southern California.
People there were friendly, the car ran smoothly (although the «Change Oil Soon» lamp came on), and I had a great time driving around in a nice upgrade. Definitely better than a crappy Chevy. Thanks National, thanks.