How to get Avis status

Most paths into Avis status run through an email — you send proof of elite status elsewhere and wait for Avis to update your profile. Several premium travel cards skip that step entirely: the Amex Platinum (US), Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business, J.P. Morgan Reserve, Capital One Venture X, BofA Premium Rewards Elite, and Citi / AAdvantage Executive all confer Preferred Plus automatically, no application beyond having the card. Citi Prestige does too, though that card closed to new applicants in 2021 and the benefit now runs through Mastercard's Travel & Lifestyle Services enrollment rather than Citi directly. For the entry tier, Preferred, there's only one door: match a Hertz Gold Plus Rewards membership, which Avis honors for about 12 months.

Preferred Plus has three more free routes, all matches rather than card perks: Hertz Five Star, National Emerald Club Executive, or Sixt Gold, each verified by email and good for roughly a year. The Hertz match is the only one that spells out what it takes to keep the status past that year — an estimated 10 rentals or $4,000 in US spend to re-qualify for Preferred Plus.

President's Club, the top tier, works the same way: Enterprise Plus Platinum, Sixt Platinum, and National Emerald Club Executive Elite all match in for free, and the Amex Business Platinum (US) and Amex Centurion (US) both confer it automatically on enrollment. Chase's United Club Card and United Club Business Card get you there too — you enroll through United's site, allow up to a week for it to process, and then keep your Avis Preferred number on your reservations to get the benefit. The Hertz path here is a Hertz President's Circle match — also free, also good for about a year, and also requiring re-qualification afterward, an estimated 20 rentals or $6,000 in US spend to retain President's Club.