I was wondering if anyone knew how long it takes to get invited to Avis First? From what I understand, the minimum requirements are 12 completed & paid rentals or > 35 days of rental...

Thanks!

Correct!

....35 days of rental in a calender year!
You have to be enrolled in Preferred Service.

Don't wait for anything in the mail. Just go to http://www.avisfirst.com and register there once you are eligible.

Mine actually kicked in 2 rentals early...worth checking.

randomman

You can try to activate your account using AvisFirst.com. Even after you qualify, it seems that didn't always meant you were invited. Happened to me, I went to the website and invited myself.

Wirelessly posted (FlyerTalk.com/wap is fun : Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Teleca Q7; Brew 3.1.5; U; en) 240X400 LGE VX9700)

same here. My pc did not automatically invite me. i just kept checking after each rental and eventually was invited in.

My AvisFirst just started but my one rental didn't qualify as it was not even a full day, just an airport to airport on a misconnection and reroute by DL.

I have many rentals booked though so I should get plenty of coupons.

Any other information on how the upgrades work, etc.? Also, the Chairman level, what does it take to get that and how does it work?

John

Upgrades are really depend upon what class you book. If you book sub or compact, you'll probably get a midsize. If you book mid, you might get full. If you book full, if you get any upgrade, it will probably be to a gas guzzler. It also depends a lot on the station. The larger stations (I've found) are harder for upgrades while smaller locations will be better. Overall, the upgrades I've found to be about 1/3 to 1/2 of the time... many times after asking for an upgrade.

As for Chairman's, you'll probably get more info from searching the forum. You have to be invited to that level. It's usually reserved for CEO's of large companies that have sole contracts with Avis for all of their employees. They did have an offer a year or so ago that a select few people could 'buy-in' to Chairman's for about 400. They didn't have that offer a 2nd time around.

Upgrades 1/3 to 1/2 the time? I always rent a compact and almost never get a compact - I usually end up with an Explorer/Expedition or some type of cross-over.

Yep - this is the way to go - who knows when they'll get around to doing it themselves

I rent full-size b/c I usually have work people with me and the compacts won't cut it. Lately, I only get upgrades to SUV's, which I usually decline as it's commonf or me to put 400-500 miles on a vehicle in a week. I'd appreciate Premium cars, but it rarely happens.

Is AvisFirst truly limited to US residents? I'm guessing this is one case where saying "US resident" on the reservation isn't going to do it, since the DL would still be non-US.

=aw

Do all rentals count?

I've got 12 this year, but it still says I am not eligible? A few of my rentals were out of the country though, should these count?

Yes, you have to have a U.S. mailing address in your Avis profile to be eligible for Avis First. My DL is from Denmark, however, and whenever I make a reservation, I select "Denmark" as the country of residence on the actual reservation.

Susan

I remember a thread in the past about non-US rentals not qualifying, but I don't know if that's still the case or not. On Avis' site, it doesn't specifically state foreign rentals, it just says:
"Membership in the Avis First program is based on your rental activity within a calendar year. In order to remain in the Avis First program, you must complete twelve or more paid rentals (or a paid cumulative rental day total of 35 or more days in a calendar year) on one Wizard number. "

I now have 13 rentals and am still not eligible. Maybe I'm doing something wrong on the registration page?