AvisFirst and existing reservations
May 11, 2015, 6:34 pm
#1
Used to be 'g_leyser'
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Brandon Johnson International Airport (expect delays)
Programs: AA PlatPro, HH Gold, Bonvoy Gold, IHG Plat, Reno Air MEGA Platinum
Posts: 10,036
AvisFirst and existing reservations
Just activated my AvisFirst membership.
I have 3 upcoming reservations (including one tomorrow). Do I need to delete and reenter my Wizard number to get the AvisFirst benefits, or will it automatically update for my upcoming reservations?
I have 3 upcoming reservations (including one tomorrow). Do I need to delete and reenter my Wizard number to get the AvisFirst benefits, or will it automatically update for my upcoming reservations?
May 11, 2015, 7:33 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
What AvisFirst benefits? 
I mean, if you earn partner currency (miles/points/etc), the only AvisFirst benefit is a supposedly increased chance of getting upgrades compared to Avis Preferred. (But you can get some upgrades while just Avis Preferred too.)
Meanwhile, if you don't earn partner currency, it's still confusing, because of suppposed upcoming
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/avis-...t-program.html. (They originally claimed those changes would start this past January 1, then January/February/March/April came and went, and now the rumor is that it may start July 1.)
In the existing program, you earn a free weekend night certificate for every however-many rentals on which you don't any partner currency (miles/points/etc). But if they stop counting those on July 1, and you haven't reached enough rentals by July 1 for even one coupon, what then?
Anyhow, you don't need to redo reservations, but as to how quickly your AvisFirst status is applied to existing reservations, that I don't know (because I do always earn miles or points, and because like I said it's hard to tell from any one rental whether it's an upgrade you only got as AvisFirst or whether it's an upgrade you would have gotten anyway as just Avis Preferred).
I mean, if you earn partner currency (miles/points/etc), the only AvisFirst benefit is a supposedly increased chance of getting upgrades compared to Avis Preferred. (But you can get some upgrades while just Avis Preferred too.)
Meanwhile, if you don't earn partner currency, it's still confusing, because of suppposed upcoming
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/avis-...t-program.html. (They originally claimed those changes would start this past January 1, then January/February/March/April came and went, and now the rumor is that it may start July 1.)
In the existing program, you earn a free weekend night certificate for every however-many rentals on which you don't any partner currency (miles/points/etc). But if they stop counting those on July 1, and you haven't reached enough rentals by July 1 for even one coupon, what then?
Anyhow, you don't need to redo reservations, but as to how quickly your AvisFirst status is applied to existing reservations, that I don't know (because I do always earn miles or points, and because like I said it's hard to tell from any one rental whether it's an upgrade you only got as AvisFirst or whether it's an upgrade you would have gotten anyway as just Avis Preferred).
May 12, 2015, 12:07 pm
#3
Used to be 'g_leyser'
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Brandon Johnson International Airport (expect delays)
Programs: AA PlatPro, HH Gold, Bonvoy Gold, IHG Plat, Reno Air MEGA Platinum
Posts: 10,036
Thanks for the heads-up. I will likely be able to make use of the free weekend certificates after 4x 2-day rentals. So, that is really the only reason I care.
I would rather use that then get a few more partner miles.
May 15, 2015, 6:05 pm
#4
Join Date: Sep 2010
Programs: Avis Preferred Plus
Posts: 622
I activated it recently too
It's kind of weird how they make you activate AVIS First online and that it needs to be done before you make the reservation. They also don't seem to have an expedited AVIS FIRST contact number. In my case, I asked my corporate travel person to make sure I get AVIS first as a status match from my prior Hertz Presidents Club . When I made my next reservation from my profile, it showed that I was AVIS FIRST without me having to activate it. But I activated it online anyway to get the free weekend rental coupon.
From what I am told, if your reservation was made before activation , it doesn't get automatically reflected in the reservation even if the rental date is later on. I know my preferred status didn't get shown in my last reservation at the rental desk because it was enrolled after the reservation was made. I got lucky as the desk agent gave me a nice upgrade to a loaded Chevy Tahoe from a full size in Buffalo when I joked with her that I will miss my Hertz Presidents Circle and I hope to get AVIS First status match very soon.
In fact, my earlier AVIS rental ago, I wasn't even preferred, and they gave me an upgrade to a Lincoln MX SUV just because I went at the end of the day when car inventory was low at PBI.
So I got two sweet upgrades even before I got into AVIS FIRST. I have weird luck that way. When I was with Hertz, I used to get killer upgrades at times when I had no status, but once I got President's Circle, I got some crappy cars offered for a few rentals and I got sick of it one day and complained and they gave me a Mercedes SUV upgrade. So I hope that my upcoming first AVIS First rental which will be at STL won't suffer from similar elite bad luck.
ANYWAY, MY ADVICE TO THE OP: Call avis and just make sure your AVIS First status is reflected in the reservation and if it's not, make him change it accordingly.
From what I am told, if your reservation was made before activation , it doesn't get automatically reflected in the reservation even if the rental date is later on. I know my preferred status didn't get shown in my last reservation at the rental desk because it was enrolled after the reservation was made. I got lucky as the desk agent gave me a nice upgrade to a loaded Chevy Tahoe from a full size in Buffalo when I joked with her that I will miss my Hertz Presidents Circle and I hope to get AVIS First status match very soon.
In fact, my earlier AVIS rental ago, I wasn't even preferred, and they gave me an upgrade to a Lincoln MX SUV just because I went at the end of the day when car inventory was low at PBI.
So I got two sweet upgrades even before I got into AVIS FIRST. I have weird luck that way. When I was with Hertz, I used to get killer upgrades at times when I had no status, but once I got President's Circle, I got some crappy cars offered for a few rentals and I got sick of it one day and complained and they gave me a Mercedes SUV upgrade. So I hope that my upcoming first AVIS First rental which will be at STL won't suffer from similar elite bad luck.
ANYWAY, MY ADVICE TO THE OP: Call avis and just make sure your AVIS First status is reflected in the reservation and if it's not, make him change it accordingly.