Originally Posted by
brkandjfk
I've been Avis First for well over 6 months, and in that time - which represents about 20 rentals - I've never shown up at an airport with an upgraded vehicle. I reserve Intermediate and receive Intermediate.
The chances of an upgrade vary with location and class. It dpends a lot on how much they have of the next class up (since Aivs First only offers you a one-class upgrade, if they're low on that class and high on the one two classes up, that may not help you unless they're really nice at that location and double-upgrade you despite not needing to).
As such, I have no problem getting upgrades from Compact to Intermediate most of the time, and Economy to Compact basically all of the time, when First (even
sometimes when only Preferred, but it's not a publsihed benefit for Preferreed any more).
Since I'm price-conscious and always booking on my own dime, I only tend to book either Economy or Compact, and thus don't have any personal experience with upgrades from higher car classes. However, in my many years of reading the Avis forum on FT, I've noticed that the number of compallints about no upgrades goes up the higher the car class booked, while I never hear complaints about people not getting upgraded from the lowest car classes. So I do think that higher car classes may be harder to upgrade, at least at certain stations...