PARK RIDGE, NJ -- Delivering again on its commitment to provide the fastest and easiest experiences in the car rental industry, The Hertz Corporation (NYSE:HTZ) has announced that its Hertz Gold Plus Rewards members may now select an upgraded or different rental vehicle via their smartphone. Hertz Gold Plus Rewards members are offered a range of cars on their smartphone which they can instantly rent in lieu of the reserved vehicle. A significant enhancement of its 'Carfirmations' or Mobile Gold Alerts service, members can now execute a vehicle change in three simple clicks prior to pick-up and without talking to a rental agent.

"Our customers expect speed and convenience which is why we continue to invest in user-friendly services and tools to meet their expectations in an increasingly technology-driven world," commented Hertz Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mark P. Frissora. "Carfirmations now give our valued Gold Members the ability to upgrade their reserved rental directly from their mobile devices as soon as they've landed. This new level of convenience and choice is unique in the car rental industry – and customers love it."

Hertz Carfirmations are an email and mobile SMS text service that notifies Hertz Gold Plus Rewards members, prior to arrival, about their rental, including specific vehicle information and car location. Clicking a link in the message provides customers renting at U.S. airport locations up to three options: switching to a different car at no additional cost; the Deal of the Day; or upgrading to a nicer car while presenting the specific make, model and color of the available cars. In addition, where available, cars with NeverLost GPS are offered.

Available at the Top 50 airports and more than 1750 other Hertz locations, approximately 2.5 million customers have Gold Alerts set on their profile and more than 4 million alerts have been sent. Hertz's Carfirmations upgrade is one of many recent technology upgrades from Hertz, including:

• Hertz Gold Choice ("Choose Control") gives a Gold customer the power to select their own car and go. They can keep the pre-assigned car or simply choose another and head straight to the exit gate, something no other car rental company offers. Gold Choice is currently available at 58 locations worldwide.
• Hertz's e-Return ("Zap Technology") allows customers to simply drop off their car and go at time of rental return. With Hertz e-Return, Hertz emails the customer's receipt in a flash (typically within 30 minutes of returning a car). More than two million e-Return receipts have been sent on 78% of Gold transactions, with 650,000 e-Receipts sent each month.
• Hertz ExpressRent Interactive Kiosks™, available at more than 100 airport and neighborhood locations in the U.S. and Europe, is the only self-service kiosk in the industry equipped with a touchscreen interface and a second screen that allow customers to interact directly with live customer service agents via video to pick up existing rentals or create new rental agreements. Recently, Hertz recorded more than 8,000 kiosk rental transactions per week in the U.S., setting a new record. Hertz ExpressRent Interactive Kiosks have been recognized for innovating the car rental experience, winning awards including the 2012 CIO 100 award and Best (Self Service) Kiosk in Zagat's 2012/2013 car rental survey.

Hertz is committed to offering its customers the most technologically innovative products and services available to keep customers "Traveling at the Speed of Hertz." This includes Hertz 'Carfirmations'; 'Gold Choice', which gives Gold members the power to keep the car they reserved or simply choose a different car from the Gold Choice area; and e-Return, with the fastest car rental drop-off that includes an email receipt within hours. These are all complimentary services for Hertz Gold Plus Rewards members, which is currently free to join. In addition, Hertz continues to expand the presence of its ExpressRent Interactive Kiosks that let customers rent a car, with or without a reservation, through a live, face-to-face video kiosk.