How to Skip the Counter with Avis?

[Cheburashka]

How do I skip the counter and go directly to pick up the car? I can't figure that out via the website, and when I called to ask, the representative didn't speak the clearest English and put me on hold for 5 minutes, then disconnected. Can anyone here explain what I have to do?

ETA: Nevermind, I called in again and spoke to someone fluent in English, who told me that you can only skip the line the second time you rent from Avis or later. So I won't rent from them after all. I'm a regular with Enterprise and feel more comfortable there, and I just learned that they now have Advance Check-In if you book through their website, so I'm doing that. The few dollars of savings I'd lose for not booking it via Costco are worth it to skip what is sometimes an awful line, especially in the era of Covid, imo.

 

[GooglyGip]

Alamo offers Skip the counter, You just pick the vehicle you like. I believe Dollar will allow Dollar express members to skip the counter also, But they will pick your car.

 

[Akck]

I second Alamo. We do online check-in and provide CC info. You print out the bar code (I think you can show the email too), and head to the lot. A rep will check it and point you to the row you can select from. One nice thing about Alamo, is that there may be larger cars parked in your row. We found out not all standard SUVs have the same storage space. The car next to it was a large SUV and all our bags fit nicely into it, so no one needed to carry a suitcase on their lap.

 

[TexanInTheMidwest]

ETA: Nevermind, I called in again and spoke to someone fluent in English, who told me that you can only skip the line the second time you rent from Avis or later. So I won't rent from them after all. I'm a regular with Enterprise and feel more comfortable there, and I just learned that they now have Advance Check-In if you book through their website, so I'm doing that. The few dollars of savings I'd lose for not booking it via Costco are worth it to skip what is sometimes an awful line, especially in the era of Covid, imo.

If you have an American Express card, check the offers. I saw one for $40 off an Enterprise Rental of more than $240 ;-)