You’re gearing up for a trip and want to know if your rental car company gives first responders any kind of break. You search “Hertz first responder discount,” click through to Hertz’s own site, and land on a page about government and military rates. No mention of police, fire, EMS, or dispatch anywhere on it. So you book the regular rate and move on, figuring there’s nothing there for you. That’s actually the wrong conclusion, and it’s the single biggest pattern in this whole roundup: several of the real discounts below don’t live on the brand’s own website at all. They live on a separate verification platform like ID.me or GOVX, completely invisible if you only check the company directly.
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Start with the rental car counter, since that’s where the single highest rate on this list shows up.
Hertz: 25% Off, Hidden On ID.me Instead Of Hertz’s Own Site
Hertz’s own site runs a government-and-military page that never mentions first responders at all. The real discount lives somewhere else entirely: ID.me Shop runs a dedicated listing offering up to 25% off for first responders, plus a separate cash back offer on top of that. To use it, verify your first responder status for free at ID.me, then book through the Hertz listing inside ID.me Shop rather than hertz.com directly. There’s no published expiration or blackout window beyond Hertz’s standard rental terms.
Dollar Car Rental: Same Corporate Family As Hertz, Same 25% Rate
Dollar is part of the same corporate family as Hertz, and it runs the identical setup: ID.me’s own dedicated Dollar listing states up to 25% off for first responders, plus up to 2% cash back, through the same free ID.me verification. Dollar’s own site doesn’t publish the rate directly, which is likely why it gets missed by other roundups. Book through the ID.me Shop listing rather than dollar.com to actually see it applied.
Thrifty: Over 10% Off Through GOVX
Thrifty is the third Hertz-family brand with its own real discount, but this one runs through GOVX instead of ID.me: a dedicated Thrifty listing offers over 10% off for verified first responders. Confusingly, ID.me’s own page for Thrifty says the opposite, claiming it isn’t aware of a first responder discount there. Trust GOVX’s specific, named listing over ID.me’s generic disclaimer. Union members also get a separate Union Plus rate, gated to union membership rather than occupation.
Fox Rent A Car: 10% Off, Confirmed Directly On Fox’s Own Site
Fox is the rare brand on this list that publishes its own discount directly: 10% off for all first responders, stated twice on Fox’s own deals page. The discount code is RESPONDER25OFF, which sounds like it should be 25%, but Fox’s own terms are explicit that the real rate is 10%. Treat the code name as a naming quirk, not a sign of a bigger discount hiding somewhere.
Sixt: Up To 15% Through GoCertify, With A Catch In The Fine Print
Sixt runs its own first-responder campaign page, verified through GoCertify, headlined at up to 15% off. Read the fine print before booking, though: Sixt’s own country-by-country terms put the United States in the 10% “all other countries” tier, not the 15% list, despite what the page’s headline promises. The discount is also restricted to Fullsize vehicles or larger, with a minimum 3 to 4 day rental.
Alamo: A Real GOVX Discount Alamo Itself Never Advertises
Alamo runs a real discount through GOVX, listed under Military, First Responder, Medical and Government, though neither GOVX nor Alamo’s own separate government and military rate publishes an exact percentage anywhere. You’ll see the discounted price once you sign into GOVX and verify your status. Alamo’s own marketing, notably, never uses the words “first responder” anywhere on its site, which is exactly why the GOVX route matters here.
Budget Truck Rental: 20% Off Local Moves, 15% Off One-Way
Not to be confused with Budget’s passenger car rentals, Budget Truck Rental runs its own real discount for moves: 20% off local moves and 15% off one-way moves, using code SERVICE. Budget Truck Rental’s own deals page names Police, Fire & EMT directly, no third-party verification platform required.
Gas stations tend to run smaller, everyday perks rather than one big percentage, but a few of them are worth knowing about too.
RaceTrac: A Free Drink Every Single Day
RaceTrac’s Community Offers page names first responders directly: a free fountain drink, frozen drink, or coffee of any size, every single day, verified through ID.me and redeemed once per day in the RaceTrac app. It’s a small perk next to a rental car discount, but it’s real, standing, and confirmed on RaceTrac’s own site, not a one-day promotion.
7-Eleven: An Extra 5 Cents A Gallon Through ID.me
7-Eleven’s Fuel Your Rewards program includes a Community Discounts section naming first responders directly: an extra 5 cents off per gallon with ID.me verification, on top of whatever else you’re already earning through 7REWARDS. New members get an introductory rate first (11 cents off per gallon on the first 7 fill-ups), and 7-Eleven’s own page claims combined savings up to $1 off per gallon when everything stacks.
Casey’s General Store: Free Coffee Every Day, Year-Round
Casey’s own press release states it plainly: free coffee and fountain drinks, no cost, every day of the year, for on-duty, uniformed law enforcement, fire, and EMS. No ID.me or GOVX verification required, just show up identifiable as on-duty at the register. It’s one of the simplest, most consistent perks on this entire list.
BJ’s Wholesale Club: A Cheaper Way Into Membership, Plus Real Gas Savings
BJ’s discount is on the membership itself rather than a separate gas rate: a Club membership for $25 instead of $60 (plus a $10 reward), or Club+ for $50 instead of $120 (plus a $20 reward, 2% back in rewards, and 5 cents off per gallon at BJ’s Gas specifically for Club+ members). BJ’s Gas also advertises 20 cents per gallon average savings for any member, first responder or not, which is what makes the membership worth it for road trips beyond the initial discount.
One more real one worth knowing, even without its own page here: Circle K runs a genuine annual “24/7 Day,” when verified first responders get a free in-store item. It’s real and it’s recurring, just once a year rather than a standing discount.
Also Worth Knowing
Not every brand on this list has a dedicated first-responder rate, but several have something worth knowing before you book anyway. Enterprise and National, part of the same corporate family as Alamo, both run real government and military rates worded around federal employment and veteran status rather than first responders specifically, so check the wording before assuming you qualify. Avis doesn’t have a standing first-responder discount confirmed either, but 1.5% cash back is available through Fluz. Budget‘s passenger car rentals don’t have a confirmed first-responder discount or a specific cash back rate either. Turo‘s peer-to-peer marketplace can’t offer one company-wide, since every listing is priced by the individual car owner, but real cash back is available through Fluz. U-Haul‘s own FAQ says there’s no official military discount, and nothing confirms a nationwide first-responder program either, though a specific local U-Haul dealer could always be worth a direct call. On the gas side, Shell and BP both run general rewards programs open to any driver, with no occupational eligibility at all, and Speedway‘s well-known 2020 first-responder card predates its 2021 sale to 7-Eleven and isn’t confirmed active today.
Q&A
Q: What’s the highest first responder discount on a rental car?
A: 25 percent, through ID.me, at both Hertz and Dollar. They’re part of the same corporate family and run the identical listing.
Q: Does Enterprise, National, or Avis have a first responder discount?
A: Not one that uses those words. Enterprise and National both run real government or military rates instead, worded around federal employment and veteran status. Avis has no standing discount confirmed at all, just cash back. See Enterprise, National, and Avis for the specifics.
Q: Is there a first responder gas discount at Chevron, ExxonMobil, or Valero?
A: No. None of the three publish anything for first responders, first-party or through ID.me or GOVX, general rewards programs only.
Q: Is Budget Truck Rental the same company as Budget Rent A Car?
A: No, they’re separate businesses that happen to share a brand name. Budget Truck Rental runs the real 20%/15% discount; Budget’s passenger cars don’t have one. See Budget Truck Rental and Budget.
More Information:
Every discount above was confirmed directly against the merchant’s own site or its listing on ID.me or GOVX, not copied from another roundup. Terms, rates, and participating locations can change over time, so confirm the current offer before you book or fill up. Browse our full car and travel discount coverage for more options, or check our travel, hotels, and flights roundup if you’re planning the rest of the trip too.
