Avis Preferred Points
 

I signed up one of our executives for a wizard # and enrolled in Avis Preferred several years ago. I know he was enrolled in the Preferred program because his name would be on the board with his vehicle location when he arrived at the rental location.

Fast forward to Friday when he got a notice about using the app and he installed it. It says he's not a Preferred member, even though he's using the wizard number he always uses. Then I log him in online and it says he is Preferred but he has no point, despite having 4 rentals in the past 6 weeks alone.

From what I'm reading online, Preferred members only started earning points in 2015, correct? (He's probably had 35 rentals since then.) Did Preferred members have to do anything to opt-in to earn points? Why wouldn't he automatically start earning points when the point program was implemented in 2015?

I've called Avis 3 times this morning and their system has been down all morning. They keep telling me to call back in 30 minutes. (Amazing that they can't answer simple questions like this, apparently, unless their system is up.... ????)

Does anyone have any insight into why he would have 0 Avis points when he's booked at least 35 rentals since the point program was implemented in 2015?

In your profile, under "Avis Preferred Points" there is a opt-in box. Is he opted in?

If not, you could opt him in and call Avis and ask if they would be willing to retroactively add points based on past rentals still on file.

It does show that he's opted in but I can't tell if that was engaged when he installed the app.

I called them and they said he may never have opted in. They said existing users received notice of the new point program in November 2014 and again in April 2015 but that the program didn't go into effect until July 2015. I asked if people were able to opt-in when those notices were received and they said "no" and that people could only opt-in when the program went live in July. I said "So the last notice went out in April and not again at the time the program went live? Who would remember to opt-in 3 months after receiving a notice?

I went back in my e-mail and found my business/corporate account notification (I never throw away e-mails! LOL) and it was addressed in a way that you would think it applied to non-members: "Join Preferred and opt in".

Why on earth would you have a Preferred Program and not simply activate the point earning opportunity for all existing members and then allow them the opportunity to "opt out"? Who doesn't want to earn points?

Anyway, they issued a case number and said they would apply him credit going back 6 months. Of course, we're going to send a nicely written letter to corporate to get them to go back to the inception of the program.

If your rates qualify for airline miles, many might want to do that instead of getting Avis points. Once opting in, you won't be able to get airline points anymore.