Avis First - Does any EVER receive an automatic upgrade?
 

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 rental card in the vehicle says Avis First, so I know it's in their system.

Is the process supposed to be this difficult? (With Hertz there was nearly always an upgraded vehicle so I'm really wondering why I moved my allegiance...)

Edited to add: I'm not ranting, I'm really asking if there is something going on... As in, is this designed to reduced the number of upgrades / is something wrong with my profile / etc.?

Considering your reservations are for an Intermediate, it is surprising that you have never received an upgrade.

I hope that you are asking at the Preferred counter for an upgrade.

Avis can be stingy with upgrades at some locations. It's obviously not due to your profile if it says it on the rental card. Probably a function of time (do you show up on Tuesday/Wednesdays when they are low on vehicles) or the station (is it the same location or different ones)?

And are you sure you're getting Intermediates and not a full/other? Many cars that I'd consider intermediate (Camry, etc) are full size by Avis standards.

I guess it depends on locations a lot. I rent from both corporate and franchise locations. At corporate locations I always see previous Avis First members left their contract in the cars I get. I have seen full size class got upgraded to luxury class before, not sure if they negotiated.

I moved from Avis to National and couldn't be happier. You get to choose the car you want, granted some of the selections are minimal at certain places.

The only upgrades that Avis wanted to give me was a fullsize car to a stinkin Lincoln or Grand Marquis.

Yep, I go back and ask for an upgrade (usually). And yes I am sure of the vehicle type I'm receiving... (Boarding card lists both the "reserved" and "rented" groups)

Usually when I ask to switch cars there is no issue (and there has never been a supply issue), but twice I've been quoted a price to upgrade (resulting in me asking "isn't that a benefit I'm supposed to receive")

When I was AVIS First, I usually got upgrades from Intermediate to Full. Mostly to Malibus or other equally horrible cars.

I dont think AVIS really thinks of their "first" program as much of a loyalty program.

Once I was part of the PC program, upgrades became very automatic. CC obviously would be even better.

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...

From my experience, Intermediate to Full Size is usually an easy upgrade. Going from F or higher, it's more challenging.

I think it's really station dependent. I rented at AUS and got upgraded from a full size car to a standard SUV. I used to rent from Avis at PDX about 10-12x a year and last year I think I got 2 upgrades. I was told by the station manager that they do not recognize Avis First there. I switched to National and have been pretty happy.

I get consistently upgraded. Either from Intermediate to Luxury, or Intermediate to Full Size, or sometimes even a Mustang.

Generally I rent from the same 2 or 3 locations, and they've come to know me, so that might be part of it. But even before they really started to recognize me, I was still being treated well.

When I rent avis domestically I've received an upgrade nearly half the time I've rented.

One time in C-Springs I was upgraded from an intermediate to a Hummer (strange right?)

My last trip, to Tampa I was upgraded from an intermediate to a Brand New Mustang GT (cool cars!).

I've had multiple cases where I've been offered an upgrade from a compact to something giant and gas-guzzling. I'd rather have no upgrade than something like that, given that I have to pay for my own gas. I guess someone who's on a business trip where their gas is reimbursed anyway might look at it differently, though. (But to me it seemed like they were trying to "unload" a model that nobody wants on me, rather than "truly upgrading" me!)

An upgrade to a mini-SUV from even a compact can be common in some more-rural stations, such as JAC (Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the only commercial airport in the US located inside a national park!), because of the expectations of road conditions there (at least at some times of the year, but whatever vehicles they choose because of road conditions in winter are there to be rented in the summer too!).

Perhaps not the correct thread for this, so moderators feel free to split and merge to the proper thread if need be, but while I know this thread is in regards to vehicle upgrades with Avis First, has anyone received an automatic complimentary upgrade to Avis First?

I signed up on Tuesday for the Avis Preferred program and made my first rental ever through Avis on Wednesday. On Thursday, I logged in and saw that my account was showing as upgraded to Avis First, so I wrote the online chat agent who confirmed that my account is a First account, but the Avis First website does not recognize my account as such, and when I picked up a second reservation yesterday, it still noted Preferred (will this automatically update or do you have to call in to have all current reservations refreshed?). Certainly not expecting something for nothing, but a little confused :confused:.

It really depends on the agent handling you
 

I rent weekly from the same location and have been doing so for well over a 18 months. I usually reserve a compact or intermediate and leave with no less than a full size class or premium class vehicle every time. In most cases my make and model preferences have been waiting without needing to go to the Preferred counter at all. But this unfortunately can be attributed to the relationships I've developed with several members of the Avis Preferred staff rather than Avis First status. These individuals normally work daytime during the week and the generous and appreciative attitude they exhibit is not shared by those attending that counter during any other shifts. On one occasion a member of what I affectionately refer to as the JV squad was unrelenting about a double upgrade request in the absence of any vehicles one class above my reservation. Not that it was one of my best moments, but she eventually granted the double upgrade after I commented that the double upgrade vehicle was available, not her personal vehicle, impacted her life in no negative manner to let me drive it, and digging in her heels would imply the company motto might be more appropriately changed to "We try harder to do the minimum it takes to prevent a cancellation." I'm not particularly proud of that but that particular agent and I are now very friendly and she even apologized for being difficult with a discretionary coupon the staff keep on hand to apologize for hiccups in the process. So as the old adage goes, ultimately it's all about relationships.