News: get triple Avios (15 per £1) with Avis, listen to a BA changes podcast

News in brief:

Earn triple Avios with Avis

Avis, the exclusive British Airways car rental partner (alongside its sister company Budget) has launched a new promotion.

This is the most generous Avis offer we’ve ever seen on a ‘points per £1’ basis. If you book a car between now and 24th February, for rentals completed by 20th May, you will receive 15 Avios per £1 spent.

Your standard earning rate is usually 5 Avios per £1.

What is slightly odd is that you CANNOT get this deal via the Avis-hosted Avios partnership page. You can only book via this page of avios.com (log-in required).

Whilst the landing page shows a Budget logo, you only get triple Avios with Avis. You will see how many Avios you will earn alongside your quote.

I checked some pricing and there is no difference between the two Avis / BA sites, although avios.com only supports pre-paid rentals. Your British Airways Executive Club elite status discount is automatically applied when you log in.

The Loyalty Podcast discusses the British Airways changes

Loyalty Wired’s latest podcast, looking at the impact of the British Airways Executive Club changes, is out now. It’s well worth a listen even though I’m in it.

There are three reasons why:

• I am joined by Ben Lipsey, who runs Flying Blue for Air France KLM. Even if you think I talk nonsense (!) you can’t argue with Ben’s expertise.

• It’s been well edited to make me sound far more coherent than I actually am when talking off the top of my head!

• Host Iain Pringle used to work at Avios, latterly as Head of Strategy, and knows the bizarre ways of the BA decision making process, although I think his juiciest anecodotes were cut ….

You can listen online on Soundcloud here or search for Loyalty Wired or The Loyalty Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. You want ‘Podcast 73’.

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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