Nothing kills the excitement of arriving at your destination quite like getting off a plane only to find another line waiting for you at the rental car counter.
Rental car elite status can make that experience considerably less painful. Avis President’s Club, the highest published tier in the Avis Preferred program, comes with perks designed to make your rental faster and easier — and you may already have access through a credit card.
Most recently, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard® (see rates and fees) added complimentary Avis President’s Club status for primary cardmembers (enrollment available through Aug. 31, 2028).
Here’s how to activate your complimentary Avis President’s Club status, which credit cards offer the benefit and what you’ll get once you’re enrolled.
What is Avis President’s Club status?
Avis President’s Club is the highest published elite tier in the Avis Preferred loyalty program.
Avis Preferred itself is free to join and already comes with useful benefits, like expedited service that lets members skip the rental counter and go straight to their car (at most locations).
President’s Club builds on those benefits with additional perks, including:
- Complimentary two-car-class upgrade when reserving a midsize car or above (subject to availability)
- Guaranteed car up to full size with a confirmed reservation made at least 24 hours in advance
- Access to a dedicated support phone number
There are several ways to reach President’s Club status. You can earn it after completing 20 rentals or spending $6,000 with Avis in a calendar year, but you can also get access through select partnerships, including several credit cards.
How to enroll in Avis President’s Club status
President’s Club status isn’t activated automatically when you open an eligible credit card. First, you’ll need to enroll in the benefit and then connect it to your Avis Preferred account.
I enrolled using the complimentary President’s Club benefit on my Citi / AAdvantage Executive. If you’re getting status through an eligible United card or another partner, your steps may look a little different, but the general process is similar: you’ll verify your eligibility and link your Avis Preferred account.
Here’s what the Citi enrollment process looks like from start to finish.
Find the Avis President’s Club benefit
You won’t find this benefit alongside your other Citi card benefits. Instead, enrollment happens through your AAdvantage account.
Start by logging in to your AAdvantage account and selecting the “Rewards” tab. Scroll down to “Partner linking,” where you’ll find the option to link your Avis Preferred account.
You can also find the benefit through the “Status” section of your AAdvantage account. Select “Status” from the menu on the left, then select “Status and benefits.”
From there, you’ll see any American Airlines credit cards associated with your account, along with their respective benefits. Select “Explore all benefits.”
This will open a new page in a separate window.
Scroll to the bottom of the page, where you’ll find the option to enroll in complimentary Avis President’s Club status. Select “Enroll now.”
Confirm your personal information
Next, you’ll be asked to confirm your personal information before continuing with enrollment.
Link your Avis Preferred account
You’ll then need to link your Avis Preferred account to your AAdvantage account. If you’re already an Avis Preferred member, follow the prompts to enter your existing account information. If not, you can enroll in the free Avis Preferred program first.
Make sure the information on your accounts matches. Your Avis Wizard number, first and last name, email address and postal code must match what Avis has on file to successfully verify your account.
Confirm your President’s Club status
Once you’ve linked and verified your Avis Preferred account, you should be upgraded to President’s Club status. Log in to your Avis account to confirm that President’s Club appears as your current status.
Which credit cards offer Avis President’s Club status?
You don’t have to earn Avis status the old-fashioned way. A handful of premium travel credit cards offer complimentary President’s Club status as a cardholder benefit.
| Credit card | What to know |
|---|---|
| <a href=”https://thepointsguy.com/oc/11203?pid=11203&name=Citi%C2%AE%20%2F%20AAdvantage%C2%AE%20Executive%20World%20Legend%20Mastercard%C2%AE&issuer=Citi” target=”_blank”>Citi / AAdvantage Executive Mastercard</a> | Complimentary status is available through Aug. 31, 2028 |
| <a href=”https://thepointsguy.com/oc/6976?pid=6976&name=United%20Club%E2%84%A0%20Card&issuer=Chase” target=”_blank”>United Club℠ Card</a> (see <a href=”/tc/6976?pid=6976&name=United%20Club%E2%84%A0%20Card&data-testid=ratesFees” target=”_blank”>rates and fees</a>) | Available to primary cardmembers |
| <a target=”_blank” href=”https://thepointsguy.com/credit-cards/reviews/united-club-business-card-review”>United Club℠ Business Card</a>* | Available to primary cardmembers |
| United℠ Presidential Plus℠ Card* | No longer available to new applicants |
| United℠ Presidential Plus℠ Business Card* | No longer available to new applicants |
*The information for the United Club Business Card, United Presidential Plus Card and United Presidential Plus Business Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
The Citi / AAdvantage Executive is the newest addition to this list. For a limited time, new cardholders can earn 125,000 bonus AAdvantage miles after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first five months from account opening — the highest welcome offer we’ve seen on the card.
Other ways to get Avis President’s Club status
You may already have another path to President’s Club status, even if you don’t carry one of the credit cards above. Both American Airlines and United offer complimentary status to qualifying members of their loyalty programs.
AAdvantage members can unlock complimentary President’s Club status after earning 100,000 Loyalty Points. You’ll need to enroll in Avis Preferred and link your accounts to receive the status.
United elite members have another option. United MileagePlus Premier Platinum, Premier 1K and Global Services members can enroll in complimentary President’s Club status.
Is Avis President’s Club status worth it?
If Avis President’s Club status comes with a credit card you already carry, it’s absolutely worth taking a few minutes to enroll. Even if you only rent with Avis occasionally, perks like expedited service and complimentary upgrades can make the experience better, especially when the status doesn’t cost you anything extra.
That said, I wouldn’t open a premium credit card solely for Avis President’s Club status. The cards that offer this benefit charge substantial annual fees, so you’ll want to make sure you’re getting enough value from the card’s other benefits to justify keeping it.
Ultimately, the value depends on your rental habits. Frequent Avis customers stand to benefit most, while occasional renters may simply view it as a useful perk to have available when needed. Nonetheless, having access to its highest published elite tier without completing the usual rental or spending requirements is a pretty compelling perk.
Bottom line
Avis President’s Club status can take some of the hassle out of renting a car, with perks that can get you on the road faster and potentially into a better car than the one you booked.
Fortunately, earning President’s Club status the traditional way isn’t your only option. If the benefit already comes with a credit card in your wallet, it’s an easy perk to overlook — and a silly one to leave unused. Take a few minutes to enroll now so your status is ready the next time you rent with Avis.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Source: thepointsguy.com
