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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
Avis Preferred guide: How to earn and redeem points and get elite status
Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
October 4, 2026 • 10 min read
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Quick summary
Avis Preferred is a free loyalty program for Avis car rentals that offers expedited service and rewards to members.
Elite status tiers provide benefits such as car upgrades and guaranteed availability.
Points can be earned at participating Avis locations and redeemed for rentals or accessories, but redemption value varies depending on the standard base rate.
Points expire after 60 months or 12 months of inactivity, and surcharges may apply if you choose to earn partner miles instead of Avis points.
What to consider
Eligibility for elite status can be obtained through qualifying travel loyalty programs or premium travel cards, bypassing standard rental or spending requirements.
Points are earned only on base rental charges, not on surcharges, fees, or taxes, and cannot be earned when opting for partner program rewards.
Redemption values are typically lower than advertised because rewards are priced at standard rates rather than discounted or member rates, and taxes and fees still apply when redeeming points.
What you'll miss from the article
Detailed strategies for maximizing Avis Preferred value, including when to redeem points and how to leverage discount codes or elite status from other programs.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
If you ever rent cars with Avis, joining the Avis Preferred loyalty program can save you time and let you earn rewards. Best of all, if you have airline elite status or a premium travel rewards card, you might qualify for Avis elite status without meeting the usual rental or spending requirements.
Here's what you need to know about Avis Preferred, including how to earn and redeem points, qualify for elite status and get the most value from the program.
What is Avis Preferred?
Avis Preferred is a free-to-join rental car loyalty program. However, if you reside in the U.S., a U.S. territory like Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands, or Canada, you must be at least 25 years old to join Avis Preferred. (The program may have different age requirements for residents of other regions.)
SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
By joining the program, you can often bypass the rental counter when picking up an Avis rental car. Plus, you can enjoy discounts and earn rewards on Avis rentals.
Avis Preferred offers its base member tier, which is somewhat confusingly called Avis Preferred, as well as two published elite tiers.
Avis Preferred
Avis Preferred Plus
Avis President’s Club
Requirements per calendar year
None
10 rentals or $4,000 spent
20 rentals or $6,000 spent
Earning rates on rentals
1 point per dollar spent
1.25 points per dollar spent
1.5 points per dollar spent
Earning rates on accessories
2 points per dollar spent
2.5 points per dollar spent
3 points per dollar spent
Primary perks
Skip the line and head directly to your car at most rental locations
One-car class upgrade when you reserve a midsize or above (when available)
Two-car class upgrade when you reserve a midsize or above (when available), a dedicated support phone number and guaranteed availability to book up to a full size when you book at least 24 hours in advance
When you earn Avis Preferred status through rental or spending activity, you'll keep it through the end of the calendar year following the one in which you earned it.
However, you can also obtain complimentary Avis Preferred status through having select elite status tiers with, or meeting specific milestones in, the following loyalty programs:
I have Avis President's Club status as a perk of reaching the 100,000 Loyalty Point Rewards threshold with American Airlines AAdvantage. Based on my rentals, the most valuable benefits of President's Club status have been the elevated earning rate and the opportunity to occasionally select a vehicle I prefer through the app as a complimentary upgrade.
Once you opt in to earning Avis Preferred points, you can earn points on rentals and accessories at participating Avis locations worldwide. Here's how earnings vary by status tier:
Member tier
Rentals
Accessories
Avis Preferred
1 point per dollar spent
2 points per dollar spent
Avis Preferred Plus
1.25 points per dollar spent
2.5 points per dollar spent
Avis President's Club
1.5 points per dollar spent
3 points per dollar spent
For rentals, you'll only earn points on base rental charges, which are known as time-and-mileage charges. You won't earn any points on surcharges, fees and taxes associated with a rental.
You also won't earn Avis Preferred points on rentals that earn miles, credits or points with another frequent traveler program. Plus, on rentals in the U.S., Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Croix and Canada, Avis may assess a frequent traveler surcharge of 75 cents to $1.50 per day if you opt to earn rewards with another program instead of Avis Preferred points.
Avis Preferred points expire 60 months after you earn them (unless you reside in Ontario, Canada). Avis can also forfeit your points after 12 months of inactivity. So, be sure to rent, earn points or redeem points with Avis at least once every 12 months.
You can redeem Avis points for rentals and select accessories or services in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada. Rental days start at 700 points, while accessories are 250 points each per day. You can't redeem points for a rental of less than 24 hours or greater than 28 days.
Avis groups reward days into the following levels based on the standard base rate:
Level
Standard base rate per day
Avis Preferred points per day
Redemption rate
1
Up to $50
700
Up to 7.14 cents per point
2
$50.01 to $85
1,400
3.57 to 6.07 cents per point
3
$85.01 to $125
2,100
4.05 to 5.95 cents per point
4
$125.01 to $225
3,500
3.57 to 6.43 cents per point
However, the standard base rate excludes all discounts (including standard member discounts), special rates and other offers. So, in practice, your comparable paid rate will likely be much lower than the standard base rate.
For example, consider a sample one-day intermediate car rental in January 2027 from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). With my company's personal-use corporate code, I could rent for $66.74 (base rate of $44). Logged in to my account without the corporate code, I could book a member rate of $80.38 (base rate of $54.99), but if I log out and search without the member rate, I'd need to pay $121.36 (base rate of $87.99).
Because the standard base rate for this sample one-day rental is in the $85.01 to $125 range, I'd need to redeem 2,100 points. But, even when redeeming Avis points, I'd still need to pay $22.74 in taxes and fees.
AVIS
Using $66.74 as the comparable rate, my redemption rate drops to a disappointing 2.10 cents per point. Even if I use the member rate as my comparable rate, my redemption rate would still only be 2.74 cents per point.
How to get the most value from Avis Preferred
I use the Avis Preferred program because my company's corporate code for personal travel with Avis frequently yields the best rates I can find. So, here are some of my tips on how to get the most value from the Avis Preferred program:
Leverage complimentary status. Check whether you're eligible for Avis Preferred Plus or Avis President's Club status through one of your travel rewards cards or your elite status in another program.
Check eligibility for discount codes. See whether you're eligible for a discount code through your employer, credit card, loyalty program or another organization (and if you're eligible for multiple, compare the rates they give for each rental). But keep in mind that you may need to prove at pickup that you're eligible for the code you're using.
Decide whether to earn partner miles or Avis points. In some cases, you may get more value by paying a small surcharge to earn partner miles instead of Avis points.
Carefully decide when to redeem Avis points. You'll generally get the most value on rentals where the daily base rate is near the upper end of a level's range. Be sure to check redemption values when deciding when to redeem points and when to book a paid rate.
Finally, be sure to use a card that offers rental car insurance when paying for your rental. I usually use my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, which provides primary collision damage waiver insurance on eligible rentals when I decline the rental company's collision damage waiver and loss damage waiver at pickup and pay for the entire rental with my card.
Avis Preferred is worth joining if you rent with Avis, especially since membership is free and often lets you skip the rental counter. The program is even more useful if you can qualify for Avis Preferred Plus or Avis President's Club status through another loyalty program or a credit card.
However, Avis Preferred points can be difficult to maximize since reward pricing is based on the standard base rate rather than the discounted rate you'd likely actually pay. Compare paid and award rates carefully before booking, and consider whether earning airline miles or hotel points, rather than Avis points, on rentals could make sense for you.
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
