National’s App Adds ‘Virtual Aisle’ Service
National Car Rental’s Emerald Club members can now choose their rental car from their smartphone with the “Virtual Aisle” mobile application. The app is currently available at 19 U.S. National rental locations.

National Car Rental's Emerald Aisle for Emerald Club loyalty members. Photo courtesy of National.

National Car Rental's Emerald Aisle for Emerald Club loyalty members. Photo courtesy of National.
National Car Rental is now offering its Emerald Club loyalty members the “Virtual Aisle” mobile application feature at certain rental locations.
Available with expanded service at 19 of National’s U.S. rental facilities, the “Virtual Aisle” allows members to see the real-time inventory available at select airport locations, then choose and reserve the specific car they wish to drive, says the company.
“Efficiency is a top priority for our Emerald Club members when they travel,” said Rob Connors, assistant vice president of brand marketing at National Car Rental. “With that in mind, we created this feature within our app to give our customers greater control and provide the ease they’ve come to expect when they rent with us.”
With features such as rental tracking, Emerald Club profile management and rental facility locator, National’s app provides travelers with one place to manage their rentals, says the company.
The “Virtual Aisle” feature is now also available at 19 National airport rental facilities, including Knoxville, Tenn.; Norfolk, Va.; Albany, N.Y.; Buffalo, Oklahoma City; Greensboro, N.C.; Long Beach, Calif.; Honolulu; and Phoenix.
For Emerald Club members, National expedites the rental process by offering counter bypass as well as access to National’s “Emerald Aisle,” a section of the lot where members can select any vehicle as long as they reserve a mid-sized car.
For more information, visit www.nationalcar.com.
More Rental Operations

How Better Cleaning Processes Improve Rental Fleet Efficiency
A consistent approach to vehicle cleaning helps rental operators reduce turnaround delays and return vehicles to service without compromising cleanliness.
Read More →
Clean on Paper: Red Flags in Exotic Car Rental Verification
A suspicious $45,000 Lamborghini booking reveals the strengths and limitations of renter verification, from forged insurance documents to coverage gaps and unauthorized drivers. (Part 2 of 3)
Read More →
Turo and Tesla Take the Next Step Toward Autonomous Car Rentals
The partnership brings Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) technology into the rental experience, offering a glimpse of how increasingly automated vehicles could change car rental.
Read More →
How Rental Operators Can Navigate Personalized Pricing Rules
As regulators scrutinize the use of customer data in pricing, rental operators need to know whether they can explain why one renter pays more than another.
Read More →
Direct, Broker or Hybrid? How Travel Retailers Source Rental Cars
As travel retailers weigh direct supplier relationships against third-party distribution, rental operators need to understand how those decisions affect their business.
Read More →
How Did This Independent Rental Operator Grow to 170 Vehicles in 4 Years?
With 170 vehicles across three Kentucky locations, Joel Price relies on an overseas team to handle reservations, payments, and after-hours customer service. It's one part of an unconventional approach to growing an independent rental operation.
Read More →
What Does It Take to Succeed in B2B Rentals?
The fundamentals may be familiar to daily car rental operators, but project-based truck rentals put different demands on the fleet and the business.
Read More →
NPR Builds on International Partnerships to Grow Rental Bookings
With Ana Laborde supporting broker development, NPR Auto Group is tailoring distribution strategies, rate packages, and partnerships to grow international reservations across its three brands.
Read More →
Advantage, Sixt Place Among Top Five in Annual Satisfaction Study
While Enterprise and National retain the top spots in JD Power’s 2026 rankings, the latest customer satisfaction results suggest renters can find competitive service beyond the biggest car rental names.
Read More →
The $100,000 Insurance Trap in Exotic Car Rentals
Exotic rental agencies often rely on customers’ personal auto policies to protect six-figure vehicles. But policy language can dramatically change the coverage for vehicles over $100,000 MSRP.
Read More →
