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Avis Preferred is a popular car rental program, due to the sheer number of Avis locations in the U.S. and abroad. You can benefit from frequent Avis promotions that offer bonus points or even free rental days.
However, as you accrue points, you might wonder whether Avis points expire. Sadly, not only do they expire, but Avis also has one of the more complex points expiration policies. Points can expire due to inactivity and also have a limited lifespan. Here is all you need to know about its complex policy.
Do Avis Points Expire?
Avis points expire if you have no activity in your account for 12 months. As per the Avis Preferred terms and conditions (caution: PDF link):
“Avis Preferred Points earned or otherwise obtained by an Avis Preferred Member will be forfeited without notice if the Avis Preferred member becomes Inactive. An Avis Preferred Member is considered “Inactive” if during a 12-month period: (a) the Avis Preferred Member has not completed an eligible rental at a participating Avis location; (b) the Avis Preferred Member has not earned or redeemed any Avis Preferred Points, or (c) the Avis Preferred Member’s account has been cancelled.”
Unfortunately, that is not the only hurdle Avis puts in your way. Avis points now expire 60 months after you earn them, even if your account is active and in good standing. Per the terms and conditions:
“Points are valid for sixty (60) months from when they were earned. In the event that the Avis Preferred member fails to exercise any redemption of earned points within such sixty (60) month period, the points are deemed forfeited and surrendered back to Avis and shall have no value to the Avis Preferred Member and will be removed from any of the Member’s accounts.”
The only exception from the 60-month expiration policy is for residents of Ontario, Canada, whose Avis points never expire — though they can be “canceled” due to inactivity. Per the terms and conditions:
“Points earned by residents of the province of Ontario, Canada do not expire. However these points may be canceled due to inactivity.”
Track your points and miles expiration for 630+ loyalty programs and get email alerts before your miles expire by signing up for a free AwardWallet account.
How To Keep Avis Points From Expiring Due to Inactivity
To keep your Avis Preferred account active and avoid your Avis points expiring due to inactivity, you must undertake one of the following actions every 12 months:
- Earn points for completing a rental at an eligible location.
- Earn points for renting accessories like SiriusXM Radio, GPS, child safety seats, or roadside assistance.
- Redeem your Avis Preferred points for a rental.
Remember that taxes, fees, and surcharges associated with rental cars and accessories do not earn you any Avis points. As a result, they do not count toward maintaining an active Avis Preferred account.
Finally, while ensuring that you undertake an activity that counts, you must also ensure that you do not break any Avis Preferred rules. This would lead to account cancellation and the forfeiture of your points.
Related: Guide to the Avis Status Match Program
How To Track Your Avis Preferred Points Through AwardWallet
Keeping track of all your points expiration deadlines can be a hassle. Fortunately, AwardWallet can take all the hassle out of doing so. You can track your Avis point expiration for free through AwardWallet. All you need to do is sign into your AwardWallet account and add your Avis Preferred account, and you are set.
By doing so, AwardWallet will take the hassle out of tracking your Avis point expiration. You'll automatically get alerted by email when you have points that are expiring soon. Alternatively, you can set up calendar reminders for expiring points.
Related: How To Track Your Rewards Using AwardWallet
Our Take
When it comes to Avis points expiring, the Avis Preferred policy is one of the harshest we have seen. As a rule, programs tend to have a set lifespan or an inactivity threshold, but rarely both! Unfortunately, the Avis program has both and neither is member-friendly. Plus, it creates undue pressure on travelers worried about Avis points expiration.
This policy makes it hard for members to accumulate points toward a one-off, big aspirational redemption. Therefore, with such a strict program, it is best to maintain a transactional loyalty relationship with Avis Preferred. Simply earn and burn through your points as fast as possible, and don’t stockpile a large balance.
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The solution is very, very simple, and avoids the problem entirely. Listen closely…(whispers)…change the Rewards section of your Avis account to your favorite airline program. Done. I haven’t worried about Avis points in years, because I book as a free agent through Costco Travel and Autoslash. Avis bookings keep my Aeroplan/British Airways miles alive. You’re in the casual camp who books the best deal, or a business traveler who has corporate travel with Avis, and thus don’t have a problem with “inactivity”.
Just in time for keeping my Avis points from expiring, thank you
Avis has some of the worst customer service in the industry.
Good info, when I use Avis its usually for business as they are everywhere even though rates tend to be a bit higher.
Can Avis points be used for anything except Avis rentals? I’ve ended up with elite status with various car rental chains, but it seems next to useless.
I can’t seem to amass any points since their prices are so high and I end up booking through Priceline or Kayak.
Points expiration is such a head ache. It makes sense for customers to give preference to programs that have points / miles that do not expire. Do any rental car company points not expire?
Have you done a post comparing rental car loyalty programs?
Interesting idea! We haven’t (yet), but we get into some of the perks in our post about how to get rental car elite status for free: https://awardwallet.com/blog/how-to-get-rental-car-elite-status-for-free/
I second this thought. It’s easy to figure out the (average) value of mileage rewards but rentals have me all confused so right now I have a mileage partner selected rather than rental credits. I don’t understand the value of rental rewards at all.
Actually, I feel like that’s totally logical. There are only so many loyalty accounts that each traveler can really keep track of. Sometimes “maximizing” actually isn’t the best long-term solution, as you may end up with a bunch of small balances in a bunch of different accounts.
Not worth it – Avis is usually more expensive anyway.
Well I guess we can’t expect too much more than 12 months from Avis but longer is better for customer loyalty!
Like many airlines, rental cars should start doing away with expiration dates.
At least at a minimum making them more customer friendly. Some have such terrible restrictions, hoops to jump through, or super quick expiration dates. I 100% agree with you; we need more time to use these rewards.