# How much can a National Discount Code save you?

Riley Quinn · November 12, 2016

> Contract ID numbers can be negotiated for corporate employees (as well as for other National partners) and with regards corporate rates…

 

## What's a National Discount Code?

 [National Car Rental](https://www.nationalcar.com) assigns Contract ID numbers so that certain customers can get specific discounts. Contract ID numbers can be negotiated for corporate employees (as well as for other National partners) and with regards corporate rates, with National they do tend to be cheaper than public ones. If your organization is affiliated with this car rental company, you may be able to save on your advance rental by adding the relevant ID number to your booking and it can even be stacked with discounts such as coupon codes when booking online.Major businesses and discount programs, from American Airlines to MasterCard to Siemens, not only get cheaper rates with a particular National Car Rental discount code, but also sometimes get value-added promotions and special rental benefits. Plus in the travel world, it's handy to know that you can earn miles or points by attaching your Frequent Travel Program number to a new or existing National reservation.

A Contract ID is usually a numerical code, though there are odd alphabetical exceptions. There doesn't seem to be a comprehensive list of codes online, so we scoured the internet to find as many as possible, to see how much you can save.

As expected, you can only generally use a Contract ID number if you have ID to prove that you're entitled to the rate when picking up your rental, or you could be charged the full daily rate.

## How do I use a National Discount Code?

During your reservation, simply click on 'Contract ID' and then enter the relevant code in the box:

![How do I use a National Discount Code? — How much can a National Discount](https://cdn.mightytravels.com/creative/aHR0cDovL3AubWlnaHR5dHJhdmVscy5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMTYvMTEvMTAxMjM4NTcvQ29udHJhY3QtSUQuanBnarr.jpg)

## Testing the National Discount Code list...

For our tests, we chose a rental picking up at and returning to Boston Logan International, November 28th to 30th, 2016. The normal price for a Midsize, without using a code and including taxes and fees, came up at an estimated** $135.61**:

![Testing the National Discount Code list... — How much can a National Discount](https://cdn.mightytravels.com/creative/aHR0cDovL3AubWlnaHR5dHJhdmVscy5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMTYvMTEvMTAxMjUzNTQvbm8tY29kZS5qcGc=arr.jpg)
We tried adding a corporate code to the booking to compare prices, and these Contract ID numbers found a cheaper estimated rate:

- [5666666](https://www.nationalcar.com) IBM **$101.38** - 25% cheaper ($34.23)
- [5201735](https://www.nationalcar.com) Siemens **$106.58** - 21% cheaper ($29.03)
- [5000226](https://www.nationalcar.com) General Motors **$112** - 17% cheaper ($23.61)
- [5001514](https://www.nationalcar.com) MSU** $121.45** - 10% cheaper ($14.16)
- [5760339](https://www.nationalcar.com) Carlson Travel **$124.99** - 8% cheaper ($10.62)
- [5028137](https://www.nationalcar.com) Wyndham** $124.99** - 8% cheaper ($10.62)
- [5282921](https://www.nationalcar.com) IEEE** $124.99** - 8% cheaper ($10.62)
- [5030270](https://www.nationalcar.com) Club Carlson **$124.99** - 8% cheaper ($10.62)
- [5005467](https://www.nationalcar.com) UTU** $130.30** - 4% cheaper ($5.31)
- [5710068](https://www.nationalcar.com) AVMA **$130.30 **- 4% cheaper ($5.31)
- [5282865](https://www.nationalcar.com) NAB **$130.30** - 4% cheaper ($5.31)
- [5601333](https://www.nationalcar.com) APA **$130.30** - 4% cheaper ($5.31)
- [5450173](https://www.nationalcar.com) AMS Users Group **$130.30** - 4% cheaper ($5.31)
- [2700075](https://www.nationalcar.com) United Airlines **$130.30** - 4% cheaper ($5.31)
- [5000302](https://www.nationalcar.com) Delta** $130.30** - 4% cheaper ($5.31)
- [5028121](https://www.nationalcar.com) Alaska Airlines** $130.30** - 4% cheaper ($5.31)
- [5028695](https://www.nationalcar.com) Amex Platinum **$130.30** - 4% cheaper ($5.31)
- [5028772](https://www.nationalcar.com) Hawaiian Airlines** $130.30 **- 4% cheaper ($5.31)
Using these Contract ID numbers, the estimated price was the same as booking without a code:

- [5160502](https://www.nationalcar.com) Rutgers **$135.61**
- [5036929](https://www.nationalcar.com) American Airlines **$135.61**
- [6100497](https://www.nationalcar.com) Illinois State Bar **$135.61**
- [5003447](https://www.nationalcar.com) Caltech **$135.61**
- [5001856](https://www.nationalcar.com) UPenn **$135.61**
- [5904196](https://www.nationalcar.com) Breezenet **$135.61**
- [5282905](https://www.nationalcar.com) MasterCard **$135.61**
- [3717102](https://www.nationalcar.com) WestJet **$135.61**
- [5001760](https://www.nationalcar.com) Enterra **$135.61**
- [5004606](https://www.nationalcar.com) Entertainment **$135.61**
- [5028035](https://www.nationalcar.com) PFCU **$135.61**
- [5028785](https://www.nationalcar.com) Frontier **$135.61**
- [6600135](https://www.nationalcar.com) Dreamworks **$135.61**
These Contract ID numbers came up as invalid or inactive:

- [75796](https://www.nationalcar.com) Alamo
- [1103455](https://www.nationalcar.com) Safeway Inc
Using this Contract ID number, the price was much more expensive than booking without a code:

- [5001216](https://www.nationalcar.com) NWA **$348.58** (!)
While most codes gave us just **4% off**, it seems it pays to be employees of General Motors, Siemens or IBM, with a respective **17%**, **21%** or **25%** discount:

![Testing the National Discount Code list... — How much can a National Discount, photo 2](https://cdn.mightytravels.com/creative/aHR0cDovL3AubWlnaHR5dHJhdmVscy5jb20vd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMTYvMTEvMTAxMzQzMDUvSUJNLmpwZw==arr.jpg)
However, using the NWA code cost a whopping **157% more**!

## What else do I need to know about using a National Discount Code?

You may be able to find your company's Contract ID on this handy [Travel Codex thread](https://forum.travelcodex.com/threads/discount-codes-for-national.3802/) or here on [FatWallet](https://www.fatwallet.com/forums/travel-discussion/521905). If you can't find your code, you could ask HR if there is a Contract ID for you to use with National or contact National directly.

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