Launching back in December 2021, SIXT is one of the newest entrants in the Australian car rental market. Unlike fully-fledged loyalty schemes such as Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, SIXT operates a leaner loyalty program. Members can earn points with SIXT partner programs such as Velocity Frequent Flyer, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
But SIXT does offer an in-house status ladder, with four steps from the base ‘Express’ tier to the invite-only ‘Diamond’ tier. If you’re a frequent renter, booking with SIXT could unlock free car upgrades and discounts.
How do I join SIXT?
It’s free to join SIXT and start with an Express-tier membership.
- Start your journey at the SIXT enrolment page
- Enter your personal details and create a password
- Enter your mobile number (or skip it, though you’ll lose functionality if you do)
- Set up a credit card for your account (or skip it for now)
- You are now a member and will be given a SIXT member number
Are there any ongoing discounts with SIXT?
If you’re a member of an auto club in Australia, you could enjoy up to 25% off daily rental rates at participating locations in Australia. The boosted 25% discount lasts up to 30 April 2023, before reverting to a 15% discount indefinitely. Members can also get 10-15% off overseas, as noted below. Eligible auto clubs are:
- NRMA (Up to 15% discount overseas)
- RACV (Up to 10% discount overseas)
- RACQ (Up to 15% discount overseas)
- RAA (Up to 10% discount overseas)
- RAC (Up to 10% discount overseas)
- RACT (Up to 15% discount overseas)
- AANT (Up to 10% discount overseas)
You need to quote your membership number at the time of booking and present it at collection to receive the discount. However, doing so may invalidate you from also earning bonus points with a partner.
How do I earn points with SIXT?
With SIXT’s wide breadth of partners, you’ll be spoiled for choice. You don’t even have to be a SIXT member to earn points – you just need to provide your other loyalty program membership number when picking up the car. (As noted above, this may not stack with the auto club discount).
It’s important to know how many points you can earn per rental – not all partners are made equal! For example, Velocity Frequent Flyer members pocket three to six points per $AU1 spent in Australia and 800 to 1,600 points overseas. But Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer only offers 500 miles per booking, worldwide.
Here are the earning rates on SIXT rentals for relevant programs for our readers:
| In Australia/NZ | Overseas | |
| Velocity Frequent Flyer | Red: 3 points per $1 Silver: 4.5 points per $1 Gold: 5.25 points per $1 Platinum: 6 points per $1 | Red: 800 points per rental Silver: 1,200 points per rental Gold: 1,400 points per rental Platinum: 1,600 points per rental |
| Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | Same as overseas | 500 KrisFlyer miles per rental 1,000 KrisFlyer miles per rental through this link |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | Same as overseas | 500 Avios per rental |
| Cathay Asia Miles | Same as overseas | 500 Asia Miles per rental |
| Accor Live Limitless | Same as overseas | €50-€99.99: 200 points €100-€149.99: 350 points €150+: 550 points |
| Marriott Bonvoy | Same as overseas | 750 points per rental |
You can also earn points and miles in most programs with SIXT Rides, which is a scheduled and on-demand driver booking service.
What are the SIXT status cards?
Point Hacks tip: If you have Gold status or higher with Accor Live Limitless or Marriott Bonvoy, you could be eligible for a free status upgrade to SIXT Gold or Platinum. See these links (Accor and Marriott) for more details. SIXT also offers status matching if you have an existing premium tier with a different car rental program.
SIXT Express membership
To achieve: Just enrolment in the program
There are no substantial benefits to this entry-level status. Your details are saved on file for easier renting.
SIXT Gold membership
To achieve: 3 rentals in a calendar year
- Up to 10% discount at SIXT worldwide
- Free additional driver for all rentals in Australia
- Preferential booking up to 48 hours before the rental
- Birthday surprise
SIXT Platinum membership
To achieve: 10 rentals in a calendar year
In addition to Gold benefits, you also get:
- Up to 15% discount at SIXT worldwide
- Free upgrade, dependent on car availability
- Exclusive counter and parking, where available
SIXT Diamond membership
To achieve: Invitation only
In addition to Platinum benefits, you also get:
- Up to 20% discount at SIXT worldwide
- Guaranteed free upgrade
- VIP service and Diamond lounge access, where available (Los Angeles and several European cities)
Summing up
SIXT is worth considering for your next car rental, particularly if you want to earn Velocity Points on rentals within Australia and New Zealand. The high earning rate of 3-6 points per dollar is very competitive. Just be sure to compare rates with other programs such as Avis, Thrifty and Budget.
Even last week it sounded like they had a software upgrade and it took around 10 minutes to get the car keys, and from the chatter I overhead it sounded like they had the wrong licence details on my account.
Pre Covid I would nominate one car hire company for the whole year but these days it’s worth checking all car hire companies, the 25% discount can still be beaten by Hertz and sometime Europcar. Just my perception.
BUT dont expect any benefits as a Platinum member.
They almost NEVER upgrade you.
Hertz and Avis are much more generous with upgrades so I usually book with the american companies. They are much more loyalty customer oriented and I imagine will be more successful over the long run. Reminds me of the USA hotel companies who are light years ahead of the europeans with loyalty programs.