What happens to Emerald Club free days when the owner dies
National Car Rental free days are forfeited under the program's terms when the account is closed
Emerald Club Member Services
National Car Rental, Member Services, 8421 St. John Industrial Way, St. Louis, MO 63144
Emerald Club Member Services
National Car Rental, Member Services, 8421 St. John Industrial Way, St. Louis, MO 63144
No published process and no published timeline. National's FAQ corpus (51 questions as of 2026-09-16) and the 169-page 2026 Emerald Club agreement contain no deceased-member procedure. Under Section B.3.5, forfeiture of rental credits and Free Days and dissolution of the Profile take effect on termination of membership, so a request is best made promptly.
(General customer service)
When a Emerald Club account holder dies, free days are forfeited under National Car Rental's terms. The account balance has no transferable value, and there is no formal process for heirs to claim free days.
Families have occasionally received goodwill accommodations from National Car Rental, but these are not part of the published terms and cannot be relied upon.
What to do
If a Emerald Club account holder has passed away, here is what to do:
- •A certified copy of the death certificate.
- •The deceased member's Emerald Club membership number.
- •Documentation of the writer's authority to act for the estate, such as letters testamentary or letters of administration, where the executor rather than a family member is writing.
- •The name and Emerald Club membership number (if any) of the immediate family member the request asks National to credit.
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Deceased member's Emerald Club membership number
- Letters testamentary or letters of administration, where an executor rather than an immediate family member makes the request
- Name and Emerald Club membership number of the immediate family member the request asks National to credit
Timeline
No published process and no published timeline. National's FAQ corpus (51 questions as of 2026-09-16) and the 169-page 2026 Emerald Club agreement contain no deceased-member procedure. Under Section B.3.5, forfeiture of rental credits and Free Days and dissolution of the Profile take effect on termination of membership, so a request is best made promptly.
Frequently asked questions
The Emerald Club Program Rules and Conditions do not address death at all. What applies instead is Section B.5.2, under which Free Days "do not constitute property of such Member and cannot be redeemed for cash or other value at any time including upon termination of Membership," and Section B.3.5, under which termination of membership forfeits all rental credits and Free Days and dissolves the member's Profile. A family member can still write to Member Services and ask National to transfer the balance as a courtesy, but there is no entitlement behind the request.
No. The 2026 Terms state three separate times — in Sections B.5.1, B.5.2 and B.6.3 — that rental credits and Free Days do not constitute property of a member, and National publishes no estate claims process. An executor or family member can ask Member Services to apply the program's ordinary family-transfer allowance as a one-time courtesy; National decides whether to do so.
No published one. The 169-page 2026 Emerald Club agreement contains no deceased-member clause, and National's support site carried 51 FAQ entries as of September 2026, none of them about death, an estate, or bereavement. A request therefore goes to ordinary Emerald Club Member Services — 1-800-962-7070, or in writing to National Car Rental, Member Services, 8421 St. John Industrial Way, St. Louis, MO 63144 — rather than to a specialist team.
Since Emerald Club free days are forfeited at death under the official terms, free days can only be used during the account holder's lifetime. Redeeming, transferring, or sharing free days while the account is active preserves their value.
Sources
Data sourced from National Car Rental primary sources (8 pages reviewed). How we research.
Emerald Club Member Services
National Car Rental, Member Services, 8421 St. John Industrial Way, St. Louis, MO 63144
Emerald Club Member Services
National Car Rental, Member Services, 8421 St. John Industrial Way, St. Louis, MO 63144
No published process and no published timeline. National's FAQ corpus (51 questions as of 2026-09-16) and the 169-page 2026 Emerald Club agreement contain no deceased-member procedure. Under Section B.3.5, forfeiture of rental credits and Free Days and dissolution of the Profile take effect on termination of membership, so a request is best made promptly.
(General customer service)
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