If you ever rent cars with Avis, joining the Avis Preferred loyalty program can save you time and let you earn rewards. Best of all, if you have airline elite status or a premium travel rewards card , you might qualify for Avis elite status without meeting the usual rental or spending requirements.

Here's what you need to know about Avis Preferred, including how to earn and redeem points, qualify for elite status and get the most value from the program.

Avis Preferred is a free-to-join rental car loyalty program . However, if you reside in the U.S., a U.S. territory like Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands, or Canada, you must be at least 25 years old to join Avis Preferred. (The program may have different age requirements for residents of other regions.)

By joining the program, you can often bypass the rental counter when picking up an Avis rental car. Plus, you can enjoy discounts and earn rewards on Avis rentals.

Related: Hitting the road on your vacation? Everything you need to know about rental car elite status

Avis Preferred offers its base member tier, which is somewhat confusingly called Avis Preferred, as well as two published elite tiers.

When you earn Avis Preferred status through rental or spending activity, you'll keep it through the end of the calendar year following the one in which you earned it.

However, you can also obtain complimentary Avis Preferred status through having select elite status tiers with, or meeting specific milestones in, the following loyalty programs:

Editorial analysis conducted by the SkyFree Club desk indicates that the circumstances surrounding "Avis Preferred guide: How to earn and redeem points and get elite status" reflect broader industry-wide shifts across Credit Card Points. Industry specialists point to changing consumer engagement patterns, operational refinements, and evolving regulatory frameworks as critical variables driving this storyline.

Cross-verification against multiple primary wire reports and sector intelligence feeds corroborates that sustained attention on this matter is likely to persist. Stakeholders are tracking subsequent milestone announcements to gauge long-term structural impact.

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