If you’re under age 25 and want to rent a car, there are options but they can be pricey. Most car rental companies will hit you with a steep additional fee simply for being under 25, usually referred to as an underage- or young-driver surcharge.

Depending on the rental, under 25 car rental fees can easily add hundreds of dollars to the price of your car. For example, the Hertz young renter fee is $19 per day — an additional $133 for a weeklong rental.

However, there’s a way to avoid the fee through a little-known perk offered by a loyalty program — and using it could save you hundreds of dollars a year.

Join AAA to avoid underage driver fees with Hertz

AAA's partnership with Hertz makes it one of the easiest rental car companies to use if you want to avoid underage driver fees. Through the partnership, AAA members get several discounts, fee waivers and other perks when they rent with Hertz. One of those benefits is that the young renter fee is waived for drivers ages 20 to 24.

To qualify to have the fee waived, young renters must be AAA members and have a valid driver’s license and a major credit card.

The cost of joining AAA

AAA membership rates vary based on where you live and the level of coverage, but if you’re planning to rent a car with Hertz and are 20 to 24 years old, it’s almost always worth it to purchase an AAA membership.

When signing up for AAA membership, you can choose coverage plans ranging from the lowest-priced Classic (often around $50 annually) to the most expensive and comprehensive Premier plan (around $120 annually). Exact prices vary by location and sometimes the plan names may vary, too.