Start here: Avis Preferred — joining, tiers, earning and using points, and keeping them

Step 1: What Avis Preferred is and who it suits

You will learn: who operates Avis Preferred, what accepting the terms commits you to, and whether the programme is aimed at you.

Avis Preferred is operated by Avis Rent A Car System, LLC and its affiliates on behalf of Avis and its partners, and the programme terms together with the documents they incorporate form the entire agreement with members, superseding earlier understandings and any previous Avis reward or incentive programme [1]. Avis may amend, modify or supplement the terms at any time, with continued participation counting as acceptance, and changes are posted at www.avis.com/terms, where the terms posted on the date of the rental transaction govern earning or redemption for that transaction [1]. The Introduction is unnumbered and the numbered sections begin at 2 [1].

Joining commits a member to four things: accepting the Avis Preferred Rental Terms and Conditions, accepting these programme terms, consenting to Avis and its authorised agents processing personal data and disclosing it to third parties under its privacy policy, and accepting the email address given at enrolment as the channel for account information, including programme changes and balances [1]. The programme suits people aged 25 or over who live in the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands or Canada and rent from Avis, provided they have not previously been terminated from any Avis programme or denied rental opportunities and their enrolment profile is approved by Avis [1].

Go deeper: Avis Preferred programme hub; Avis Preferred guide.

Step 2: Joining and the three service levels

You will learn: who can enrol, and what each service level adds.

Eligibility requires a natural person aged 25 or over residing in the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands or Canada who has not previously been terminated from any Avis programme or otherwise denied rental opportunities, and who submits an enrolment profile subject to Avis approval [1]. Only individuals may apply — corporations, associations and groups are not eligible — and Avis may deny membership in its sole discretion without written notice [1].

Avis Preferred is complimentary enrolment with counter by-pass and the option to earn points; Plus adds a one-car-class upgrade when reserving midsize or above where available, a dedicated reservation number and access to exclusive offers; President's Club adds a two-car-class upgrade when reserving a midsize or above vehicle (when available), a dedicated support phone number and a guaranteed car up to fullsize with a confirmed 24-hour advance reservation [1]. Avis Signature Series Fleet and large SUVs are excluded from the upgrades [1].

Plus is reached at 10-19 rentals or $4,000-$5,999 of spend and President's Club at 20+ rentals or $6,000+; tiers are evaluated each January on the previous year's U.S. dollar spend and rental count, and a member who misses the qualification is downgraded one tier [1]. Avis Chairman's Club is invitation only and evaluated under individual term agreements [1].

Go deeper: Hertz Gold Plus Rewards compared with Avis Preferred; car rental age and licence requirements.

Step 3: What counts and how points are earned

You will learn: which rentals earn points, how many points each dollar brings, and which rentals earn nothing.

Credit is earned only when renting from participating Avis locations worldwide and only after the vehicle is returned and all qualifying charges are paid in full, and nothing is earned while a rental-charge dispute is open [1]. A qualifying rental is a completed, paid rental at a participating location checked out and checked in within the same calendar year; unpaid or free-of-time-and-mileage rentals, non-participating locations, opaque bookings where the car is chosen by price rather than supplier, replacement rentals, some government rates, central billing profiles that can be used by more than one person, ACTO (Avis Company Travel Orders) vouchers, third-party award rentals, and employee, travel industry, tour and wholesale rates are among the exclusions [1].

A member must opt in to earn points, and the same terms then state that by providing a deliverable email address through which Avis can communicate balances, members shall be deemed by their conduct to have affirmatively opted in [1].

Points accrue on every dollar of the qualifying base rental — the time-and-mileage charge before optional products, surcharges, fees and taxes — and on optional products and services, but not on taxes, fees and surcharges, and not on rentals that earn mileage, credits or points for a frequent traveller programme such as an airline or hotel programme [1]. Members earn only as the authorised driver of a rental, on a maximum of two concurrent rentals [1]. Rates are $1 = 1, 1.25 or 1.50 points on time-and-mileage and $1 = 2, 2.50 or 3 points on optional products across the three tiers [1]. A member holding two or more Wizard Numbers who opts in on at least one eligible profile has all eligible profiles opted in, and activity is aggregated into a single balance viewable and redeemable from any profile with Avis Preferred status or above [1]. Electronic toll product fees are excluded from earning towards service-level spend and points [1].

Go deeper: car rental and airline miles.

Step 4: Redeeming points

You will learn: where points can be redeemed, what they can pay for, and what forfeits them.

Redemptions are made at participating Avis locations in the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada, subject to availability of the requested item, and advance reservations are required; points can be earned at participating locations worldwide but redeemed only in those four places [1]. Rewards include non-discounted rental days valued up to USD $225 exclusive of products, taxes, fees and surcharges, car-class upgrades, and optional products such as child and booster seats, GPS devices, Extended Roadside Assistance, satellite radio and ski racks, while all insurances and optional protections (ALI, PAI, PEP) are excluded [1]. Rentals under 24 hours and rentals or extensions beyond 28 days cannot be redeemed, and points cannot offset the replacement cost of lost, stolen or damaged optional products [1].

A modification is allowed only where it does not change the number of points required, such as an email address, flight number or credit card; anything else means cancelling before the check-out date and re-booking, which may change the points needed and carry fees, and failing to cancel before the check-out date forfeits the points used [1]. If a location leaves the programme between reservation and rental, Avis uses reasonable efforts to have it honour the reservation or arrange an equivalent rental nearby but cannot guarantee that rewards or upgrades will be honoured [1]. Points have no cash value, and points believed to have been bartered, sold, exchanged or issued to someone else are void; on death, Avis may in its sole discretion allow unredeemed points to be transferred to a family member or friend who is an active Avis Preferred Member, and on an adjudicated divorce settlement from one Avis Preferred Member's account to another, in each case after reviewing documentation, and status does not transfer in a divorce [1].

Go deeper: Avis Preferred programme hub; modifying and extending a car rental booking.

Step 5: Keeping points and membership

You will learn: how long points last, what inactivity does to them, and how membership ends.

Points are valid for 60 months from earning and are forfeited if not redeemed within that period, while points earned by residents of the province of Ontario, Canada do not expire but may be cancelled for inactivity [1]. Points are forfeited without notice once a member becomes Inactive, and the definition joins three conditions with “or” — no eligible rental at a participating location during a 12-month period, no points earned or redeemed during it, or the account having been cancelled — so each appears sufficient on its own [1]. Avis may correct any member's points balance in its sole discretion [1].

A member may cancel by emailing the Avis Shared Service Center at [email protected]; cancelling membership also opts the member out of points and forfeits all service-level benefits and unredeemed points immediately, without reinstatement or transfer, and moving to an otherwise ineligible country of residence counts as cancellation [1]. Opting out of points at avis.com forfeits unredeemed points immediately [1]. Avis may cancel or suspend benefits, including status and accumulated points, at any time with immediate effect and without written notice for any reason in its sole discretion, including acting inconsistently with applicable law, failing to pay a rental bill when due, acting in an inappropriate, fraudulent, abusive or hostile manner, or breaching the programme or website terms, and subject to applicable law, membership terminates automatically if a member files for bankruptcy or is otherwise subject to a bankruptcy proceeding [1]. A member whose account Avis cancels may not reapply [1].

Avis may change the programme and its terms at any time without notice, but will give notice where a change materially decreases the points earned on eligible rentals and charges at participating locations or materially increases the points needed to redeem [1]. The programme may be terminated with advance notice, after which points cannot be accumulated and unredeemed points are forfeited [1]. Communications go to the email address on file and are deemed received when opened or one business day after sending, so keep it current, and members are responsible for taxes on their points and benefits [1]. Avis may correct errors without notice, its interpretation of the terms is final, and the English version prevails [1].

Go deeper: mileage expiry calculator; Avis Preferred guide.

Step 6: Your first concrete action

You will learn: five things to do first with a new Avis Preferred account.

1. Check you meet the eligibility rules and keep the email address on your account current, because account communications go there [1].
2. Make sure you are opted in to Avis Preferred Points, rent as the authorised driver, and return the vehicle and pay in full so credit can post [1].
3. Before picking a rate, note that a rental earning mileage, credits or points for an airline or hotel programme earns no Avis Preferred Points [1].
4. Complete an eligible rental and earn or redeem points in every 12-month period, and redeem points within 60 months of earning them unless you are an Ontario, Canada resident, whose points do not expire [1].
5. Book any points redemption in advance at a participating location in the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands or Canada, and cancel before the check-out date if plans change, because failing to cancel forfeits the points [1].

Next: start from the Avis Preferred programme hub, read the official programme terms before your first rental, and browse guides and Start here for the wider picture.