I qualified based on the same criteria as you. Maybe a dozen rentals strewn throughout the year, almost none for more than three days. Always had Aeroplan redemption.

Then, when I made First, Avis automatically switched my Aeroplan accumulation to "qualifying rentals" towards free weekend coupons. Watch out for this, they may do the same thing to you (you can either qualify a rental towards free weekends, or take Aeroplan points - not both.)

As for the upgrades, yes, they do happen more frequently than when I was Preferred. On the other hand, the upgrades are not frequent nor consistent enough to really get excited about. I always reserve a full-size, and I'll get anything from an upgraded pickup with 0 miles on it to a beat-up Kia with 50,000+ miles.

The free weekend coupons are "okay". The blackout dates are inconvenient, but the coupons do work. I've racked up three free weekend coupons, but have only used one so far, so I've switched back to earning Aeroplan miles on my rentals.

It looks like you're a member of quite a few other rental reward programs, so I'd be really curious to hear about how Avis stacks up to those.

-RS.