Avis First, President's Club & Chairman's Club
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 63
Avis First, President's Club & Chairman's Club
Hi,
Just got an invite as Avis First. Reviewing some posting in here, it appears there are 3 types of "elite" status - First, President's and Chairman's
Can anyone please tell me how you qualify for the PC and CC? Also what are the membership benefits?
Thanks
#2
Moderator: Avis and Rental Cars
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 8,032
A search (on FT and Google) will turn up answers to your questions, but I'll do my best to quickly answer.
Avis First www.avisfirst.com has full details
Qualifications: 12 "qualifying" rentals or 35 "qualifying" rental days in a calendar year
Benefits: 1 class upgrade (where available... rarely), free weekend coupon with every 4 "qualifying" rentals, and skip the basic counter at larger airports & go to the Preferred Counter or to your vehicle if they have a display board.
President's Club
Qualifications: "Invitation" from the Continental Presidential Plus or Amex Centurion card or other similar methods. Large corporate contracts might come with limited memberships. Not possible to qualify through # rentals, at least it's reported anywhere.
Benefits: 2 car class upgrade (where available), car available anytime even without a reservation, and skip the basic counter at larger airports & go to the Preferred Counter or to your vehicle if they have a display board.
Chairman's Club
Qualifications: Corporate contracts might come with a few memberships or via membership in some programs like Netjets. As with Pres Club, it's not listed that you can qualify with # of rentals.
Benefits: Best car on the lot when you reserve a mid-side (with some hit-or-miss exceptions like Hummers, Corvettes or when employees lack knowledge), Return valet service at large airports (the manager or other employee will take you to the terminal in the rental car so you don't have to bother with schlepping your stuff on the bus/train/etc), car available anytime even without a reservation, (usually) fuel at "street price" when you don't return the car full, delivery of your car within 25 miles of the Avis station, and other random, non-standard benefits (sometimes offering a GPS for free, an "Avis welcomes [your name here]" at some locations, "bottled water, waived late fees, bringing in requested cars, overlooked damage, etc). They also will put your car right by the front door and if it's a place with an Avis bus, the manager will usually greet you and help with luggage.
It's worth noting that the PC & CC are stated as "US & Canada" but it's been reported that the preferential treatment (even if not all the benefits) are honored in Europe.
I'm sure others can jump in and correct me or add something that I've forgotten.
Avis First www.avisfirst.com has full details
Qualifications: 12 "qualifying" rentals or 35 "qualifying" rental days in a calendar year
Benefits: 1 class upgrade (where available... rarely), free weekend coupon with every 4 "qualifying" rentals, and skip the basic counter at larger airports & go to the Preferred Counter or to your vehicle if they have a display board.
President's Club
Qualifications: "Invitation" from the Continental Presidential Plus or Amex Centurion card or other similar methods. Large corporate contracts might come with limited memberships. Not possible to qualify through # rentals, at least it's reported anywhere.
Benefits: 2 car class upgrade (where available), car available anytime even without a reservation, and skip the basic counter at larger airports & go to the Preferred Counter or to your vehicle if they have a display board.
Chairman's Club
Qualifications: Corporate contracts might come with a few memberships or via membership in some programs like Netjets. As with Pres Club, it's not listed that you can qualify with # of rentals.
Benefits: Best car on the lot when you reserve a mid-side (with some hit-or-miss exceptions like Hummers, Corvettes or when employees lack knowledge), Return valet service at large airports (the manager or other employee will take you to the terminal in the rental car so you don't have to bother with schlepping your stuff on the bus/train/etc), car available anytime even without a reservation, (usually) fuel at "street price" when you don't return the car full, delivery of your car within 25 miles of the Avis station, and other random, non-standard benefits (sometimes offering a GPS for free, an "Avis welcomes [your name here]" at some locations, "bottled water, waived late fees, bringing in requested cars, overlooked damage, etc). They also will put your car right by the front door and if it's a place with an Avis bus, the manager will usually greet you and help with luggage.
It's worth noting that the PC & CC are stated as "US & Canada" but it's been reported that the preferential treatment (even if not all the benefits) are honored in Europe.
I'm sure others can jump in and correct me or add something that I've forgotten.
Last edited by IAHtraveler; Jun 29, 2010 at 8:31 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: DCA
Programs: AMC MovieWatcher, Giant BonusCard, Petco PALS Card, Silver Diner Blue Plate Club
Posts: 22,297
Pretty good description. CHM and Presidents may come with large corporate contracts. Presidents also comes with Amex Centurion.
You'll often see a sign at the preferred booth or counter that reads "Avis Welcomes ______" for CHM members.
You'll often see a sign at the preferred booth or counter that reads "Avis Welcomes ______" for CHM members.
#5
Moderator: Avis and Rental Cars
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 8,032
Should we make this a sticky, as the question seems to come up regularly?
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2005
Location: TLV/LHR
Programs: BA GGL, IHG Diamond Elite Amb, HH Diamond, Avis PC, Hertz PC, Sixt Platinum
Posts: 12,948
#9
Moderator: Asiana & Qantas Frequent Flyer
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: STR/SYD/SMF
Programs: QF Lifetime SG, LH HON, OZ Lifetime Diamond +, HH Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 14,372
They are stated as "US & Canada" if the PC membership is from those countries. If it is an Australian PC membership then conditions are slightly different. For example delivery of cars to hotels is a benefit here for PC. Or at least was last year when I tried.
#10
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: STR
Programs: LH HON->SEN, BA GGL+CCR->Gold, HH D, Hertz PC
Posts: 603
President's Club
Qualifications: "Invitation" from the Continental Presidential Plus or Amex Centurion card or other similar methods. Large corporate contracts might come with limited memberships. Not possible to qualify through # rentals, at least it's reported anywhere.
Benefits: 2 car class upgrade (where available), car available anytime even without a reservation, and skip the basic counter at larger airports & go to the Preferred Counter or to your vehicle if they have a display board.
Qualifications: "Invitation" from the Continental Presidential Plus or Amex Centurion card or other similar methods. Large corporate contracts might come with limited memberships. Not possible to qualify through # rentals, at least it's reported anywhere.
Benefits: 2 car class upgrade (where available), car available anytime even without a reservation, and skip the basic counter at larger airports & go to the Preferred Counter or to your vehicle if they have a display board.
Well, availability is under control of the agent.
Had a rental in Germany this weekend. Booked group D, got D (MB B180). Asked for an upgrade due to PC. "Ja und? Sowas machen wir nicht. (~I don't care - we don't do that)".
I would not have said anything if the answer was "sorry, we're out of higher group cars" or similar.
#11
Moderator: Avis and Rental Cars
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 8,032
where available
Well, availability is under control of the agent.
Had a rental in Germany this weekend. Booked group D, got D (MB B180). Asked for an upgrade due to PC. "Ja und? Sowas machen wir nicht. (~I don't care - we don't do that)".
I would not have said anything if the answer was "sorry, we're out of higher group cars" or similar.
Well, availability is under control of the agent.
Had a rental in Germany this weekend. Booked group D, got D (MB B180). Asked for an upgrade due to PC. "Ja und? Sowas machen wir nicht. (~I don't care - we don't do that)".
I would not have said anything if the answer was "sorry, we're out of higher group cars" or similar.
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
Avis First www.avisfirst.com has full details
Qualifications: 12 "qualifying" rentals or 35 "qualifying" rental days in a calendar year
Benefits: 1 class upgrade (where available... rarely), free weekend coupon with every 4 "qualifying" rentals, and skip the basic counter at larger airports & go to the Preferred Counter or to your vehicle if they have a display board.
Qualifications: 12 "qualifying" rentals or 35 "qualifying" rental days in a calendar year
Benefits: 1 class upgrade (where available... rarely), free weekend coupon with every 4 "qualifying" rentals, and skip the basic counter at larger airports & go to the Preferred Counter or to your vehicle if they have a display board.
Avis Preferred
Qualifications: Signing up then making one rental
Benefits: 1 class upgrade (where available... commonly available from Economy up to Compact, but may get rarer the higher up in classes you reserve), and skip the basic counter at larger airports & go to the Preferred Counter or to your vehicle if they have a display board.
which has astronomically simpler qualification, and most or all the same benefits, because:
Qualifying rentals do not include any on which you choose to earn miles or hotel points. So if you always choose to earn miles or hotel points, you'll never earn these free weekend coupons, making the one apparent benefit of Avis First that Avis Preferred doesn't have non-existent.
The only benefit that I see to Avis First for a miles junkie is the free whatever (weekend?) coupon you get once when you first qualify. That's assuming you can use it before it expires. (The one I got I never got to use, because I never need a rental where it would help during the time it was active.)
Because of the last point I kinda wish I could fail to qualify in alternate years, because maybe I'd get the one "welcome to First" coupon over and over again? But, alas, though my rentals have dropped drastically this year from last, I'm still doing several week-plus rentals this year, and thus will get to 35 days easily, even though I don't expect to get anywhere near 12 rentals this year.
#14
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: FLL
Programs: Delta GM, (fmr US CP/PP/GP!), DL SkyClub, Marriott Lifetime Platinum, Avis Chairman's Club
Posts: 5,162
I have never qualified for the free weekend days as a Chairman's member, and have been told by various Avis employees that the free rental days earned by AvisFirst members do not accrue for Chairman's members.
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: DCA
Programs: AMC MovieWatcher, Giant BonusCard, Petco PALS Card, Silver Diner Blue Plate Club
Posts: 22,297
I'm talking about Corporate Awards free days - which can be used any day of the week - and accrue 1 per 15 rental days.
You just need to sign up your business (sole proprietorship, whatever) for Corproate Awards..