Originally Posted by
Rebmig
1) What is Preferred Service?
It's nothing, really. When you sign up maybe your name will be on the reader board on arrival, maybe it won't. You're not a candidate for upgrades with PS but sometimes you get them at random.
2) Is the USAA rate the lowest out there?
Maybe, maybe not. Check the discount code thread on this forum. It's like playing Battleships. Some of the codes don't seem to do anything, others cut the price in half.
3) Can I double dip points? If not, are the Avis points more useful than sending them over to UA?
Like the other poster said, no such thing. The Avis loyalty program was upended this year anyway -- they did away with Preferred Selecr, which had no benefits I could see apart from a 50% chance of a Wall Street Journal on the dash, and brought in something called Avis First, which I was promptly thrown out of for not having enough recent rentals. So... Hertz hasn't thrown me out of #1 Gold although long periods used to pass between Hertz rentals... but now I give all my business to Hertz.
Anything else I should know/do?
Depends on the station you're renting from. There are some newer '08 cars coming in, but in the spring I used to see a lot of dirty 25k dogs, in every vehicle class. Scrutinize your receipt VERY carefully for fake gas charges.
They don't try as harder as they used to IMHO.