The cumbersome search for compatible providers is a thing of the past. Today, all major car-rental companies – also referred to as the “Big Five” – accept the AirPlus Company Account for booking and payment. For a number of years, AirPlus customers have been able to use their travel-center cards to pay for rental cars at Avis, Europcar and Sixt.

This option has been extended to include Hertz and Budget, two more worldwide leaders in the rental-car sector. The result:

Corporations will be able to use their AirPlus Company Accounts to pay for Hertz vehicles in nine European countries: Germany, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Spain. Business travelers will enjoy the privilege of complimentary membership in the “Hertz #1 Club Gold” that offers faster rental processes, VIP service and customized hotlines.

Budget will accept the centralized AirPlus settlement account as a means of payment at its more than 140 locations in Germany. With the increased acceptance of the AirPlus Company Account, AirPlus will respond to customer requests and further extend its role as a neutral, international BTM solutions provider. Via AirPlus, travel managers can now comfortably pay for the services rendered by their mobility partners. All they need is an agreement between their corporation and the respective car-rental company regulating the acceptance of the AirPlus Company Account. In most cases, corporations can decide whether their staff is provided with a personal customer card issued by the car-rental company – in which case the Company Account will be saved in the profile as the preferred means of payment – or with a central company password to be used at the time of reservation. Rental cars can be booked and paid for via the diverse booking channels supported by the rental-car company; online as well as offline. Hence, reservations may be over the Internet or through the provider’s call center, via the self-booking tool or Intranet used within the corporation, or via a travel agency. A “walk-in” may also be possible, i.e., a car rented directly at the location with payment via the AirPlus Company Account without a previous reservation. The corporation will then receive an AirPlus invoice for all the car bookings that include detailed descriptions of the services rendered. These descriptions list pick-up and return dates, types of vehicles, number of covered kilometers, insurance coverage and other fees. The invoices also facilitate controlling staff’s compliance with the corporate travel guidelines: did the staff member book the allowed car category? Did the staff member return the car with a full tank? Was the car rental worth it, considering the duration or route?

In addition, the AirPlus collective invoice enables allocation of costs in accordance with the generators by means of several company-internal supplementary data, such as cost centers, project numbers or staff IDs. Electronic invoicing and seamless integration into ERP systems are also possible. Ultimately, car-rental expenses can be analyzed in a more detailed fashion with the AirPlus Information Manager: it is the best tool for keeping travel expenses under control and strengthening the basis for the corporation’s negotiations with travel-service providers. In cooperation with the major car-rental companies, AirPlus is further extending its global acceptance networks, so that its customers can pay via their Company Accounts, if possible at every single rental location. With Europcar and Sixt, car rental in Germany and many other European countries, such as France, Switzerland and Great Britain, is possible. Customers who hold a German Company Account can rent cars the world over if they book via AVIS Germany. Moreover, more car-rental companies will be included in the networks to meet local customers’ demands as well. The most recent example is the current integration of Enterprise Rent-A-Car. This company, which by its own account is the largest car-rental company in North America – with locations in Canada, the US, Ireland, Great Britain and Germany – and which has recently announced its alliance with Europcar, is also now accepting the AirPlus Company Account as a means of payment in Germany.

Andreas Diaz

As a Product Manager, Andreas Diaz is responsible for the development of the AirPlus Company Account and ensures that customers can make optimal use of their travel-center cards in the car-rental business.