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Avis Rentals for $33 and Elite Status On Sale Today

by on April 13, 2011 · 1 comment

in Avis

As part of the Daily Getaways promotion, Avis 1-day rental vouchers will be sold today at noon EST for $33 each (for up to a premium car) and their top tier Chairman’s Club membership is up for grabs for a whopping $1,115. Remember, you get a 10% discount if you use an Amex card, so this could save you a ton of money if you have car rentals in your future.

I was getting ready to snatch up a bunch of the day vouchers because car rentals in NYC often go for $80+, but I was dismayed to see NY Metro was excluded. Why the hate for NY?! Otherwise, I rent with Hertz and get a free weekend rental for every $500 I spend. So, saving a nominal amount on non-NYC rentals isn’t too much in my interest. However, if you live in a major city with expensive rental car rates, these vouchers may make sense.

As for the $1,115 for Chairman’s Club membership? I can’t see that many people getting in on this. The benefits per the T&C are pretty meager:

  • Membership open to U.S. residents only. Must be 25 years or older to qualify for membership. U.S. driver’s license must be in good standing to qualify for membership. Additional restrictions may apply.
  • Upgrade to best car is based on best available car at the time of rental when you reserve an intermediate-level car or higher. Free upgrade to the best car available does not apply to Cool Cars (X car group) or to long-term rentals (i.e., mini lease); you will have the option to rent the upgraded vehicle if available, at the applicable rate in effect at time of rental. To guarantee upgrade, you can reserve upgrade at the time of booking and pay the prevailing rate.
  • Car deliveries in excess of 25 miles will be subject to an additional fee.
  • Only spouses or significant others are permitted to pick up the vehicle in the member’s name. Additional driver fees will apply. Family members, coworkers, and other persons are not authorized representatives of the member and will not be permitted to pick up the vehicle and access member benefits

In my research, other benefits include getting dropped off at the terminal in the rental car (no annoying shuttle buses) and being able to buy gas for street prices. The upgrades seem to be inconsistent because with so few members in this program, each station can interpret eligible upgrades differently. Overall, I couldn’t justify paying this annual fee for the benefits, but please feel free to disagree with me if you feel otherwise!

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  • http://www.boardingarea.com/blogs/viewfromthewing Gary

    I don’t expect the Chairmans Club status to go like hotcakes, last time through it didn’t sell.

    But consider at least that you can designate a spouse/partner to have the status as well once you receive yours (at least that was my experience when I received Chairmans status for the first time several years ago), you could conceivably go in on it with someone and split the cost.

    Being driven to the airport instead of the shuttle bus has saved me from missing some flights. Upgrades to best available car usually means a pretty new Cadillac, some better upgrades and occasionally nothing great on the lot, settle for a Chrysler 300.

    Car dropoff (and pickup!) has been occasionally useful.

    Worth it if you’re a weekly renter, but not for the occsaional renter.