There are frequent promotions from frequent flyer programs that offer additional miles for car rentals. However, these are usually “only” award miles.
The new promotion from SAS EuroBonus is somewhat unusual in this regard. Not only can you earn up to 7,000 points for your next Avis rental, but also up to 3,500 level points on top. The offer is valid for rentals until December 15, 2024, made through the following page:
Specifically, you must rent at least a midsize car, and depending on the rental duration, you will receive:
- 3 to 7 days: 3,000 points + 1,500 level points
- 8 to 13 days: 5,000 points + 2,500 level points
- 14 to 28 days: 7,000 points + 3,500 level points
SAS also promises a free additional driver and, starting from EuroBonus Gold status, an upgrade for all bookings made through the page.
During the booking process, status and award points are displayed even for small cars (categories P, A, B). However, according to the conditions, you must book at least a midsize car to qualify for the miles. According to the overview at Avis UK, this would include vehicles like the VW Golf and above. Similar charts for other countries can be found here.
SAS further adds confusion by not displaying the “level points special” note for cars like the VW Golf, but only for more expensive cars like the T-Roc:
If you want to be sure, it’s best to book a car where this note is displayed.
Conditions
Below, we’ve summarized the conditions from the SAS website. Keep in mind the discrepancy between the booking process information and the official conditions of the promotion page mentioned above:
- Booking period: October 14 to October 31, 2024
- Car rental period: October 14 to December 15, 2024
- Applies only if a medium vehicle (midsize car) or larger is booked. Rentals of Mini, Economy, and Compact categories (group codes A + B) are excluded.
- This applies only to rentals of at least 3 days
- Valid for rentals in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and North America
- Bookings must be made via flysas.com, sas.se, sas.dk, or sas.no (bookings directly with Avis do not qualify)
- The associated EuroBonus number must belong to the main driver of the reservation
- No bonus points are given for van rentals, prestige vehicles, Chauffeur Drive, and monthly rentals
- Miles or points will likely be credited within 4 weeks after the rental
Example & Price Comparison
If you search for a rental car at Hamburg Airport from November 15 to 18, SAS shows a Fiat 500 for €97. However, points will likely not be credited for this (despite indications otherwise).
According to the promotion conditions, you would theoretically need to book at least Class C to earn the status points. That would be a VW Golf with GPS for €114. For peace of mind, you might want to choose a T-Roc or Citroen C5-X for €2 more, which explicitly states the level points:
Booking directly with Avis would cost €152 for the cancelable rate or €132 for the prepaid rate with cancellation fees:
Additionally, Avis.de charges another €42 for the additional driver, which is included on the SAS page. In both cases, there’s a €1,200 deductible on the insurance.
Cover Picture: Photo by Abhishek Umrao on Unsplash
Comment (1)
In many cases this is not a good offer, as Avis does not offer any prepaid insurance on EB Portal.