How to get Avis Preferred Plus status from your Priority Pass

If you have American Express Preferred Rewards Gold or American Express Platinum, you will have a free Priority Pass card for airport lounge access.

Here’s something you may not know.  Holders of a Priority Pass airport lounge access card can claim Preferred Plus status with Avis.

Avis Preferred Plus usually requires five Avis rentals in a year and €1,000 of spending.

This isn’t an offer worth bothering with if you have American Express Platinum, since the card already comes with President’s Club status in Avis Preferred. It is worth considering if you have Preferred Rewards Gold.

What are the benefits of Avis Preferred Plus status?

To be honest, the benefits of Avis Preferred Plus are not huge. You get:

• 10% discount (but you would also get this as a free base level member)

• priority car availability

• a free extra driver on every trip (already a free benefit if you book via the BA Avis website)

• a complimentary one-level vehicle upgrade whenever possible

You can find out more about the different Avis status levels on their website here.

You can claim your Preferred Plus status by following the link on this page.  There is also a notional ‘20% discount’ for Priority Pass members although this may not beat other partner rates such as the BA one. The landing page quotes ‘Voucher for a free weekend in Europe (after 3rd rental)’ as a Preferred Plus benefit, but this is no longer part of the package.

If you are reading this from outside the UK, this offer may not be open to you.  You need to be based in:

“Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.”

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How to get FREE car rental status and other benefits via UK credit cards (April 2025)

If you hire a car in the UK, you can get special benefits (discounts, upgrades, free additional drivers etc) if you have elite status with a car rental programme. You can get elite status for free via certain American Express cards.

The Platinum Card and American Express Business Platinum

The Platinum Card from American Express and American Express Business Platinum come with two free car hire status cards. Your supplementary Platinum cardholder can also receive status in their own right.

From Avis, you receive President’s Club status in Avis Preferred. This gets you up to 25% off standard rates, a free additional driver and a guaranteed one class upgrade. For weekend rentals you will receive a two class upgrade, subject to availability.

From Hertz, you receive ‘Five Star’ status in Hertz Gold Plus Rewards. This gets you up to 15% off standard rates, a free additional driver and a one class upgrade, subject to availability.

Hertz also offers Platinum cardholders a 4 hour grace period on rentals. Your final day is treated as 28 hours, so a 1pm pick up with a 5pm return the following day is only charged as one day, not two days. We wrote about the Hertz / Platinum 4 hour grace period here.

The Platinum Card also comes with full car hire insurance with no obligation to pay for the rental via American Express. You can refuse any attempts to sell you additional insurance at pick up. This benefit has substantial value if you rent on a regular basis.

You can find more details on the two Platinum cards, and apply, in our full reviews linked below. You can apply here for the personal card and here for the business card.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is an excellent card in its own right. You receive 20,000 Membership Rewards points for signing up (convert to 20,000 Avios amongst other things), four airport lounge passes and £120 of Deliveroo credit. Even better, your first year is free.

There are two car rental benefits:

• you receive Preferred Plus status in Avis Preferred

• you receive a special package with Hertz – 10% off best available rates at participating locations, a one class upgrade for rentals of 5 days or more, subject to availability, and no additional driver fees

Find out more about the benefits of American Express Preferred Rewards Gold in our review. You can apply here.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review