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British Airways Avios Program: Everything You Need to Know

March 22, 2023

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British Airways Executive Club is one of the most popular frequent-flyer programs in the United Kingdom and also one of the more unique loyalty programs. British Airways Executive Club prices its redemption rates based on distance rather than by regions. This can be extremely advantageous when booking short-haul flights in expensive markets.

For instance, short-distance flights within the United States are notoriously expensive, and you can find some high-value redemptions for short domestic flights.

Avios is the rewards currency of British Airways as well as Iberia, Qatar Airways and Aer Lingus, meaning that you can earn and spend Avios with any of the four aforementioned airlines. However, each of these airlines has its own award pricing, so your Avios will have different values depending on which of these airlines you redeem them with.

The fact that you can use their rewards currency with any of these four airlines greatly widens your options when it comes to redemption opportunities.

Let’s take a look at the many ways to earn and redeem Avios through the British Airways Executive Club program and briefly touch on how to move Avios among the four frequent-flyer programs that share this currency, one of the few programs where you can easily combine Avios amongst family members.

British Airways Executive Club Overview

British Airways is one of the largest U.K.-based airline carriers with a fleet size exceeding 250 aircraft. The carrier has its home base at Heathrow Airport in London and operates flights to more than 200 destinations.

In 1999, British Airways helped found Oneworld alliance, which has grown to include 14 member airlines today. So, if you’re able to achieve elite status with British Airways Executive Club (or any other Oneworld member), you’ll automatically earn elite status with Oneworld as well.

Here are the other members of the Oneworld alliance:

In addition to its previously mentioned Oneworld partners, British Airways also has partnerships with several other airlines, including:

When it comes to earning Tier Points that count toward British Executive Club elite status, the only way to do so is through paid flights with British Airways or one of its partners. However, there are many ways to earn Avios, including flying with British Airways or one of its partner airlines, signing up for a British Airways co-branded credit card, booking rental cars, staying at hotels, shopping online and more.

When it comes to redeeming your Avios, there are many ways to do so. However, the best way to get the most value out of your Avios is to book award flights. As mentioned before, British Airways’s distance-based award pricing model presents interesting opportunities to find high-value redemptions.

British Airways Executive Club Elite Status

To earn elite status with British Airways Executive Club, you’ll need to rack up a certain number of Tier Points and take a certain number of qualifying British Airways-operated flights. You can earn Tier Points only on paid flights with British Airways or one of its partner airlines.

The number of Tier Points that you’ll earn for a specific flight will depend on what airline you’re flying with, the distance of the flight and the fare class you booked. Luckily, British Airways has a calculator tool that can tell you exactly how many Tier Points you’ll earn.

For example, if you were to fly on a British Airways-operated flight from New York City (JFK) to London (LHR) in premium economy class, you’d earn 90 Tier Points.

If you’re set on earning elite status with British Airways, the best ways to do so are by booking long-haul flights and booking flights in business or first class.

British Airways Executive Club has four status tiers: Blue: Bronze, Silver and Gold. All Executive Club members will start out with Blue status and can work their way up to higher tiers by earning Tier Points and completing qualifying flights.

Here’s how many Tier Points and flights you’ll need for each elite status tier.

Once you meet one of the thresholds above and earn elite status, you’ll retain that status for the remainder of the membership year and through the following membership year. It’s also worth mentioning that British Airways will suspend your elite status for the duration of any maternity, paternity or adoption leave.

Let’s look at the benefits of each of these elite status tier.

All Executive Club members start out at Blue status just for enrolling. At this status tier, you can earn Avios points for flights, hotels and other purchases. Blue status members also get access to special members-only rates. You’ll also gain the ability to choose your seat 24 hours before departure (except basic fare tickets).

Bronze elite status members will get all the same perks as Blue members as well as some additional benefits, such as 25% bonus Avios when flying with British Airways, priority check-in and boarding, plus priority at the baggage service desk. You’ll also have the ability to choose your seat seven days before departure. Executive Club Bronze members can also status match to Oneworld Ruby elite status.

Silver elite status members will get all the same perks as Bronze members as well as some additional benefits. You’ll receive 50% bonus Avios when flying with British Airways, complimentary access to British Airways business-class lounges for you and one guest except on codeshare flights) and access to first-class lounges with first-class tickets.

Executive Club Silver members also have the option to choose their seat for free when booking flights and receive extra baggage allowance. Finally, it’s possible to status match to Oneworld Sapphire elite status.

Gold elite status members will get all the same perks as Silver members as well as some additional benefits. You’ll receive 100% bonus Avios when flying with British Airways, complimentary access to first class (regardless of what class you’re flying in) for you and one guest. Additionally, Executive Club Gold members get Oneworld Emerald elite status.

It’s also worth noting that British Airways will keep track of the number of Tier Points you earn with them over your lifetime. If you earn 35,000 Lifetime Tier Points, you’ll achieve Lifetime Gold status, meaning your Executive Club Gold elite status will remain for the rest of your life.

How to Earn British Airways Avios

Avios are one of the easiest airline rewards currencies to earn, primarily because four different airlines use them as their currency (and you can also earn them by flying with partners of those four airlines).

However, when it comes to earning Avios through British Airways, there are more ways to do so than just booking flights. You can earn Avios by spending on a credit card, booking a hotel, parking at the airport, shopping online and more. Let’s look at all the different ways that you can earn Avios through British Airways.

Flying with British Airways

You can earn Avios and Tier Points on any British Airways flight, regardless of which fare class you’re booked in. However, you’ll earn more Avios and Tier Points in certain fare classes than others. For every ticket, Avios and Tier Points are awarded as a percentage of the distance flown. Plus, there’s a minimum number of Avios that you’re guaranteed for booking any British Airways flight.

Here is a breakdown of how many Avios and Tier Points you’ll earn in each fare class (or fare bucket).

Again, all of these fare classes are eligible to earn bonus Avios for elite members. Bronze elite members earn 25% extra Avios; Silver elite members earn 50% extra Avios; and Gold elite members earn 100% extra Avios.

For instance, let’s say that you take a flight that’s 1,000 miles in distance in the following fare buckets: K, L, M, N, S, V. You’d earn 500 base Avios (because economy low class earns 50% of the miles flown). However, if you had Bronze elite status, you’d earn an additional 125 Avios (because 125 is 25% of 500). If you had Gold status, you’d earn an additional 500 Avios (because Gold elite members earn 100% bonus Avios).

Flying with Partner Airlines

You can also earn Avios for flying with any of the Oneworld partners as well as with non-alliance partners. Each partner airline has its own earnings chart. However, just like with British Airways, Avios are awarded as a percentage of miles flown, based on the fare class.

For example, here’s the earnings chart for Aer Lingus.

Again, these earnings will vary depending on the partner airline that you’re flying with and the fare class that you booked. Likewise, the specific partner airline that you’re flying with will determine the minimum number of Avios you’ll earn, whether you’ll receive bonus Avios for having elite status with British Airways and whether you’ll earn Tier Points. All of this information can be found on the British Airways website .

Credit Card Spending

If you want to earn Avios on everyday spending, then you may want to consider signing up for the British Airways Visa Signature® Card . This card is issued by Chase, and it’s the only co-branded credit card offered by British Airways.

The British Airways Visa Signature Card has an annual fee of $95, but it comes with a sign-up bonus, spending bonuses and other valuable perks that can easily offset the annual cost. Here are the earning rates for this card:

• 3X Avios on flight purchases made directly with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Level
• 2X Avios on hotel accommodations when purchased directly from the hotel
• 1X Avios on all other purchases

Signing up for the British Airways Visa Signature Card is also a great way to ensure that your Avios don’t expire. Whether you step on a plane or not, your Avios won’t expire as long as you make a transaction on your card once every 36 months.

British Airways Visa Signature® Card

Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.

Annual Fee: $95

The British Airways Visa Signature Card also comes with the following benefits:

• 10% off British Airways-operated round-trip flights departing from the United States
• Ability to use your Avios to pay for taxes, fees and carrier charges when you redeem for a British Airways reward flight
• A Travel Together ticket (allowing a companion to travel with you for free) or the option to pay 50% of the Avios fare when traveling solo after you spend $30,000 each calendar year
• Statement credits of $100 for economy and premium economy or $200 for business and first class, three times per year (up to $600) when you book a reward flight to London on British Airways and pay taxes, fees and charges with the British Airways Visa Signature Card
• No foreign transaction fees

Overall, the British Airways Visa Signature Card offers pretty lackluster benefits compared to other airline cards on the market in the same price range. Plus, since this card counts toward Chase’s 5/24 rule (which states that you can sign up for no more than five credit cards in a 24-month period to be approved for a new card from Chase), you may want to save those slots for other cards that offer better benefits and spending bonuses.

You can also earn Avios with the Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card and the Iberia Visa Signature® Card and combine your Avios into your British Airways account .

Iberia Visa Signature® Card

Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.

Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card

Bonus Avios

Transfer Points from Credit Cards

British Airways Executive Club is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Capital One Miles, and all three programs offer 1:1 transfer ratios. All transfers must be in increments of 1,000 points.

So, unless you fly with British Airways frequently, it’s probably better to prioritize getting a credit card that earns Amex Membership Rewards points (such as the American Express® Gold Card ), Chase Ultimate Rewards points (such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card ) or Capital One Miles (such as the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card ) instead of the British Airways Visa Signature Card . These rewards currencies are much more flexible and can be transferred to a multitude of airline rewards programs.

You should also keep an eye out for transfer bonuses. For instance, these programs might offer a bonus percentage or a fixed number when transferring rewards to British Airways Executive Club. These kinds of deals can greatly boost the value of your points.

You also can convert Bilt Rewards points (which you can earn for paying rent) to British Airways Avios at a 1:1 ratio.

Transfer Points from Hotel Loyalty Programs

British Airways Executive Club has partnerships with several hotel chains that allow you to convert your hotel points into Avios. Here’s a complete list of British Airways’s hotel transfer partners and their transfer ratios.

As you can see, none of these hotel programs offer favorable transfer ratios. The only programs that are really worth making a conversion from are ALL Rewards (2:1), Marriott Bonvoy (3:1) and World of Hyatt (5:2), the latter two of which offer conversion bonuses. However, even with these bonuses, you’re better off redeeming these hotel currencies in their own programs than converting them to British Airways Avios.

However, if you have a large balance of hotel points that you don’t have any use for, and you have an immediate need for Avios, you may want to consider converting them into Avios.

Booking Hotel Stays

British Airways also gives you the option to earn Avios for booking hotels and vacation rentals with certain companies. Unfortunately, you’ll be sacrificing the ability to earn hotel points for your stay. Here are the hotels and vacations rentals companies that allow you to earn Avios on your stays.

As mentioned before, if you elect to earn Avios for your hotel stays, you won’t be eligible to earn any hotel points for that stay, and earning hotel points is a better option than earning Avios in most cases. However, it’s definitely worth electing to earn Avios on Airbnb , which doesn’t have its own rewards currency.

Rent a Car From Avis or Budget

You can earn British Airways Avios for renting cars through Avis or Budget. With Avis, you’ll earn 5X Avios per £1 spent on rental cars. You’ll also get an additional driver for free with every rental when you use your British Airways Executive Club membership number. With Budget, you’ll earn 1X Avios per dollar spent on rental cars.

Travel Extras

You can earn 5X Avios per dollar spent when you purchase a lounge pass through the British Airways Lounge Pass website. You can buy access to all British Airways airport lounges as well as more than 600 non-British Airways airport lounges. Pre-booking is available up to 15 months in advance.

You can also earn Avios for booking airport parking through the British Airways website and earn 5X Avios per £1 spent on Heathrow Express rail tickets. This train runs between Heathrow and central London and departs every 15 minutes.

Buying Merchandise

Like most other frequent-flyer programs, Executive Club has its own shopping portal that lets you earn Avios for shopping with certain online retailers. You can simply log in to your Executive Club account and click through the vendors on the portal. When you make a purchase, you’ll earn Avios. Each vendor offers a different earnings rate.

Fill Out Surveys

It’s possible to earn Avios by filling out surveys through Avios For Thoughts . Just for signing up, you’ll earn 100 Avios and 500 Avios when you fill out your first survey. After that, you’ll earn between 20 and 350 Avios per survey, depending on the length of the survey.

You also can earn Avios by filling out surveys with eRewards. You’ll earn 600 Avios for filling out your first survey. After that, the number of Avios you’ll earn per survey depends on the length of the survey.

How to Redeem British Airways Avios

Just as there are many ways to earn Avios with British Airways, there are also many ways to redeem them. Because Avios can be redeemed for flights with any Oneworld partner as well as non-alliance partners, you have a ton of options when searching for award flight availability.

Although British Airways doesn’t operate domestic routes in the United States, it has a partnership with American Airlines, the largest U.S.-based airline carrier by most metrics.

Although redeeming your Avios for flights is typically the best way to get the most value out of them, it’s far from the only way to use them. You can also use your Avios for car rentals, hotel stays, flight seating upgrades and more.

Let’s take a look at the different ways that you can redeem your Avios with British Airways.

Flights with British Airways

British Airways uses a distance-based award chart, meaning that longer flights are going to cost more Avios than shorter flights. So, to maximize the value, you’re going to want to look for short, nonstop flights that are sold for high cash prices.

British Airways recently removed the award chart from its website. However, redemption prices still follow the old award chart. Here’s the award chart that British Airways still adheres to for its own flights.

So, if you’re able to find a flight under 651 miles in distance at an off-peak time, you’re looking at redeeming just 4,000 Avios. Flights in that distance range can cost several hundred dollars at times, so this is a great deal.

Some of the best redemptions from British Airways are known as Reward Flight Savers, which are great value flights with a low, flat fee that covers all taxes, fees and carrier charges. Fees for Reward Flight Savers are capped at £35 for economy tickets and £50 for business-class tickets.

A flight must be under 2,000 miles in distance (meaning that most of these flights will be around Europe) to qualify for a Reward Flight Saver offer. All Reward Flight Saver offers will have a blue emblem next to them in the search results.

You need to have earned at least 1 Avios in the past 12 months to be able to book Reward Flight Savers.

Flying with Airline Partners

In addition to redeeming your Avios with the Avios-earning family of airlines (British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Qatar Airways), you also can redeem Avios for flights on other partner airlines (both Oneworld and non-alliance partners). As with British Airways flights, these partner flights are priced according to the specific route and distance of the flight.

In general, you can often find some great high-value partner redemptions through British Airways Executive Club, especially on international routes with expensive cash rates. Again, because redemption prices are based on distance rather than popularity or any other factors, there’s some real opportunity to find sweet spots here.

Also, British Airways is a Oneworld partner of American Airlines. Considering that flights within the United States are usually rather expensive relative to their distances, redeeming Avios for American Airlines domestic flights is often a great way to get a lot of value out of your Avios.

If you’re interested in flying in some of the best luxury cabins in the industry, you may be able to do so with Avios at more affordable rates. For instance, you can book Cathay Pacific first class through the British Airways website (but you’ll probably need to search way in advance to find any availability). And, while you’ll probably also have to pay large cash fees and carrier charges, booking these seats with Avios will probably still save you a lot of money, considering cash rates for Cathay Pacific first class are often exorbitantly high.

Part Payment with Avios

If you don’t have enough Avios to cover the entire cost of your flight, you can save money on a flight ticket with as few as 1,000 Avios. All you have to do is search for your flight through the British Airways website like you normally would. When you get to the price page, you’ll be presented with a range of payment options that are part Avios, part cash.

Partial payments are available on all British Airways flights, American Airlines flights between the U.K. and North America, and on codeshare flights operated by Aer Lingus, Iberia, airBaltic, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Bangkok Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern, China Southern, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Japan Airlines, LATAM, Loganair, Qantas, Qatar and Vistara.

It’s worth noting that you can still collect Avios and Tier Points even when you partially pay for your flight using Avios.

Upgrades and Other Add-Ons

You can also pay for seat upgrades with Avios in some cases. Whether it’s a cash booking or an award flight, you can use Avios to pay for a cabin upgrade on British Airways, Iberia and American Airlines flights. This option is available for both one-way and round-trip flights, and you can upgrade either at the time of booking or upgrade an existing flight.

When making upgrades with Avios, you’ll be able to move up only one cabin class. For instance, if your booking is in economy class, you’ll be able to upgrade to premium economy class. For flights with no premium economy seating, you may be able to upgrade to business class (if that’s the next class tier above economy).

Additionally, you can use Avios to pay for a seat selection, regardless of which fare class you booked. You can do so by selecting your seat on the “Manage My Booking” page and then electing to pay with Avios when you check out.

Finally, you can use Avios to pay for luggage by adding bags to your booking on the “Manage My Booking” page and selecting Avios as the payment method.

Hotel Stays and Rental Cars

British Airways also gives you the option to book hotel stays and rental cars around the world using Avios through its travel booking portal. There are tons of hotels listed on this portal, and it’s extremely easy to filter by rating, location, price, facilities and property type. Unfortunately, booking hotels through British Airways isn’t typically the best way to get the most value out of your Avios.

For instance, a one-night stay at the Ramada by Wyndham New York Time Square West was offered for 17,000 Avios.

The same room on the same night was being offered on Wyndham’s website for $79. In the case of this specific redemption, each Avios would be worth about 0.4 cent, which is an exceptionally poor value.

Things aren’t much better when it comes to renting a car through British Airways. We found a rental offer for a Kia Soul to pick you and drop off at Portland International Airport for 14,350 Avios.

The cash price was $98.09 for the same rental through Avis’s website. The value of this redemption would be about 0.68 cent per point, which is generally a low value for Avios.

You also can book experiences through this travel booking portal, such as guided tours, equipment rentals, additional transportation, photoshoots, dining experiences, sailing trips and so much more. While these experiences may not provide the best value for your Avios, they are a creative and unique way to use your Avios.

You can use your Avios to buy merchandise through British Airways’s High Life Shop, which sells everything from watches to skin care products to whiskey. Unfortunately, this isn’t a good way to get a lot of value out of your Avios (as is the case with pretty much every airline shopping portal).

You also can spend your Avios on curated orders of wine, beer and spirits through The Wine Flyer. To do so, simply log in to your Executive Club account when prompted and use their slider tool to determine how many Avios you want to use toward your order at checkout. While there’s definitely some novelty to spending an airline rewards currency on booze, this redemption method also provides poor value per point.

Donate Avios to Charity

You can donate your Avios to benefit one of the many crowdfunding projects by linking your Executive Club account to the BA Better World Community Fund . It’s unclear exactly how much money each crowdfunding project will receive for the Avios that you donate, but donating your Avios is definitely a good way to use them if you want to help make a difference in the world.

Combine Avios

One of the greatest advantages of the Avios currency is that you can move Avios among accounts with the four different frequent-flyer programs. For instance, you can move your British Airways Avios to Aer Lingus AerClub. This gives you access to the entire list of airline partners for Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and Qatar Airways.

All four airlines that use Avios have their own unique list of partners. So, transferring your Avios from one loyalty program to another might give you access to new partner award flights.

For instance, if you transfer your Avios from British Airways Executive Club to Iberia Plus, you’ll gain access to award flights from LATAM (which aren’t available through Executive Club), a carrier that operates tons of routes between North America and Central and South America.

Another advantage of the Avios currency is that you can combine them all into one account if you have balances of Avios in separate accounts. For instance, if you have 100,000 Avios in your Aer Lingus AerClub account and 100,000 Avios in your British Airways Executive Club account, you can combine them both into one account for a total of 200,000 Avios.

If you want to move Avios between Iberia, British Airways and Aer Lingus, the easiest way to do so is by signing into Avios.com with your Aer Lingus AerClub credentials. If you want to move Avios to or from your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account, you’ll need to use British Airways as an intermediary, which can get a bit complicated.

The Bottom Line

When it comes to the British Airways Executive Club program, the most important thing to know is that its award flights are priced by distance (which is fairly uncommon among airline loyalty programs). This presents a unique opportunity to get major value out of your Avios by seeking out short-haul award flight redemptions that have high cash rates.

In particular, because British Airways is partnered with American Airlines, it’s fairly easy to find award flights on U.S. domestic routes (which are typically short and expensive) at affordable rates.

When it comes to racking up Avios through British Airways, there are many ways to do so besides booking flights. Signing up for the British Airways Visa Signature® Card , which comes with a lucrative sign-up bonus and some solid spending bonuses, is a great way to earn Avios quickly. However, it does count toward Chase’s 5/24 card count, so you may not want to sign up for the British Airways card unless you fly with the airline frequently.

The British Airways Executive Club also has the unique advantage of using Avios as its currency, which means that you can transfer your Avios to and from Aer Lingus, Iberia and Qatar Airways freely. This gives you the option to redeem your points with any of these three airlines’ partners and pool all of your Avios in a single account.

Overall, British Airways Executive Club probably won’t be your top priority in terms of frequent-flyer programs. However, if you travel around Europe often, this program has a flexible rewards currency and some serious sweet spots to take advantage of.

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Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

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BritishAirways.com

Executive Club

London Heathrow Airport (LHR), London Gatwick Airport (LGW), London City Airport (LCY)

• Reward Flight Finder

1.25 cents per point

• Galleries First Lounge, Concorde Room
• List of U.S. British Airways Lounges & Locations, Hours & More
• How To Access British Airways Lounges
• Best Ways To Earn British Airways Avios
• How To Earn Avios With the British Airways Avios eStore
• Best Ways To Redeem British Airways Avios
• Best Ways To Book British Airways First Class With Points
• Best Ways To Book British Airways Business Class With Points
• Best Ways To Use 10,000 (or Fewer) British Airways Avios
• Guide to the British Airways Travel Together Ticket
• How to Upgrade to Business and First Class on British Airways Flights
• British Airways Review – Seats, Amenities & More
• Guide to British Airways’ Direct Routes from the U.S.
• British Airways Boarding Groups & Process
• British Airways Baggage Fees

British Airways Overview

British Airways’ mileage program is  Executive Club , and Avios is the reward currency.

You can collect Avios not only on British Airways flights, but also through partner airline flights, hotel stays, car rentals, credit card use, and even  online shopping  and dining.

You can also purchase Avios if you are short of a reward, share them with a Household Account, or transfer them to friends for a fee.

Joining British Airways Executive Club

Joining the British Airways frequent flyer program is easy and free. Sign up  online  and begin collecting and redeeming Avios immediately.

How To Sign In to Your British Airways Executive Club Account

Sign in on the British Airways  homepage . You’ll need to enter your login ID and PIN/password.

Viewing Your Account Activity

You can manage your account on the  My Executive Club  page.

Points Expiration

To prevent your Avios from expiring, all you need to do is earn, spend or buy Avios just once every 36 months.

British Airways Mileage Program

British Airways Executive Club has 4 status tiers:

• Blue (general member)

Executive Club Blue:

• Earn and redeem Avios and Tier Points
• No travel benefits
• Member-only offers

Executive Club Bronze:

All Blue benefits, plus:

• 25% Avios bonus
• Priority check-in and boarding
• Free seat selection 7 days prior to departure

Executive Club Silver:

• All Bronze benefits, plus:
• 50% Avios bonus
• Free seat selection at booking
• Additional baggage allowance
• Business class lounge access, including preflight dining at the Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), and Washington, D.C. (IAD) lounges

Executive Club Gold:

• All Silver benefits, plus:
• 100% Avios bonus
• First class lounge access, including preflight dining at the Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), and Washington, D.C. (IAD) lounges
• First class check-in
• Additional reward flight availability
• Reaching 2,500 Tier Points: 1 companion upgrade voucher
• Reaching 3,500 Tier Points: 2 companion upgrade vouchers

Executive Club Gold Guest List:

Strictly speaking, BA’s Gold Guest List is not a Tier of its own. However, it does have some distinctive benefits, so it’s definitely important to include here.

You must already hold Gold status and have earned 5,000 Tier Points in a membership year and 3,000 Tier Points in each year thereafter. That’s a lot of flying!

Its benefits are as follows:

• Concorde Room access at London Heathrow Terminal 5 and New York JFK Terminal 7
• You may gift 1 Gold status and 2 Silver statuses to others
• You can force open reward availability for 5 seats, twice per year, so long as A, B, D, and T fare classes are still available
• Eligibility to invite a second guest to BA departure lounges, and a first guest to the Arrivals lounge
• Hilton Honors Diamond status

Hot Tip: Check out our full list of U.S. British Airways lounges , as well as our guide on how to access British Airways lounges .

Value of British Airways Executive Club Elite Status

Many travelers aspire to Executive Club Gold for access to BA first class lounges and Oneworld Emerald status for partner airline first class lounges. Even with Gold, however, you do not get the flight upgrades that are a treasured perk of many competitor programs.

Executive Club Silver is primarily distinguished for business lounge access. Executive Club Bronze is a typical entry-level elite status. At these levels, some travelers opt into alternate Oneworld programs such as American Airlines AAdvantage .

Earning British Airways Executive Club Elite Status

To reach each level of Executive Club status, you must earn a set number of Tier Points each year:

• Bronze: 300 Tier Points (or take 25 BA flights)
• Silver: 600 Tier Points (or take 50 BA flights)
• Gold: 1500 Tier Points
• Gold Guest List: 5,000 Tier Points (3,000 thereafter to retain)

However, British Airways has temporarily reduced the number of Tier Points needed to offset the many months of lost travel due to the pandemic.

The new thresholds are as follows:

• Bronze: 225 Tier Points (or take 18 BA flights)
• Silver: 450 Tier Points (or take 37 BA flights)
• Gold: 1125 Tier Points
• Gold Guest List: 3,750 Tier Points (2,250 thereafter to retain)

Hot Tip: See our article “ Coronavirus (COVID-19): Airline Elite Status Extensions, Changes, and Updates ” for full details on Executive Club updates for 2021 and beyond.

See the Executive Club Tier Points guide and calculator to estimate how your flights on British Airways and partners will earn Tier Points (or not).

Lifetime Executive Club Gold

Reaching Lifetime Gold status with British Airways is the ultimate accolade. Achieving it means earning a staggering 35,000 Tier Points.

There is no lifetime status for Bronze or Silver. Some dedicated flyers go on “Tier Points runs,” which are the BA equivalent of mileage runs.

Oneworld Status

With Bronze, Silver, and Gold status you also receive a corresponding Oneworld status (Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald) and the associated benefits when flying with Oneworld partner airlines.

How To Earn Avios

There are tons of ways to earn Avios that you can redeem for flights on British Airways or one of its partners.

Earn Avios by Flying BA

Every time you fly with British Airways or any of its partner carriers, you will collect a minimum of 125 Avios per flight.

Unlike the U.S. where miles earned are progressively becoming more monetary-based, this means you can still make “mileage runs” and earn extra Avios by having many transfers on your itinerary without having to break the bank.

Your Avios and Tier Points earnings depend on travel class and fare class.

Executive Club elite status members earn even more Avios: 25% bonus for Bronze, 50% bonus for Silver, and 100% bonus for Gold.

Earn Avios by Flying BA’s Partner Airlines

British Airways is a member of the Oneworld alliance which means that you can earn Avios by flying with other members like Alaska Airlines and Iberia. You can also earn Avios by flying with non-Oneworld airlines including Aer Lingus, Air Baltic, LATAM, and some Loganair flights.

Each partner is subject to its own Avios and Tier Points earning rules. It gets complicated, so check carefully .

Earn Avios With Credit Cards

There is only 1 British Airways-branded credit card in the U.S.: the British Airways Visa card . You will earn 5x Avios per $1 spent with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL during your first 12 months of card membership. This reduces to 3x Avios per $1 thereafter.

Cardholders will earn a bonus of 3x Avios per $1 spent on stays booked directly with hotels within the first 12 months of ownership. This reduces to 2x Avios per $1 thereafter.

All other purchases will earn 1 Avios per $1 spent.

British Airways also has partnered with 4 transferable points programs. These partnerships make it easy to transfer points to your Executive Club account whenever you need some Avios for an award booking.

You can use American Express transfer partners , Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partners , Capital One miles  , and Marriott Bonvoy points to British Airways Executive Club. Both Amex and Chase points currencies transfer to Avios at a 1:1 transfer ratio. Capital One miles transfer to Avios at a 2:1.5 ratio.

Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Avios at a 3:1 ratio. If you transfer a chunk of 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, you’ll even get an additional 5,000 Avios.

Other Ways To Earn Avios

See our article on the best ways to earn lots of British Airways Avios for many opportunities to earn Avios with British Airways’ travel and retail partners. Plus, earn even more when shopping with the British Airways Avios eStore shopping portal .

Branded and Partnered Credit Cards

There are a number of credit cards that can help you earn lots of Avios that can be redeemed for amazing flights.

British Airways Visa Signature ® Card

The most simple method is using Chase’s co-branded British Airways Visa card .

This card is great for British Airways frequent flyers, and traveling couples will find great value in the Travel Together Ticket.

The British Airways Visa Signature ® Card is a stellar option for travelers who regularly travel with the airline. From all of the Avios the card helps you earn, to a 10% discount off cash tickets, and the award flight statement credits, you can get tons of value out of the card each year.

• 3x Avios per $1 on British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL purchases
• 2x Avios per $1 on hotel accommodations purchased directly through hotels
• 1x Avios per $1 on all other purchases
• 10% off British Airways flights starting in the U.S. (when booking through the designated website)
• Travel Together Ticket after $30,000 in card spend in a calendar year
• Up to $600 in award flight statement credits each year
• No foreign transaction fees
• Baggage delay insurance
• Lost luggage insurance
• Purchase protection
• Extended warranty protection
• $95 annual fee
• Does not earn transferable rewards
• Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
• Earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL.
• Earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel. Plus earn 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases.
• 10% off British Airways flights starting in the US when you book through the website provided in your welcome materials.
• Every calendar year you make $30,000 in purchases on your British Airways Visa card, you’ll earn a Travel Together Ticket good for two years.
• Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad.
• Simply tap to pay with your contactless British Airways Visa Signature Card. Just look for the contactless symbol at checkout. It's fast, easy and secure!
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British Airways Executive Club

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This co-branded card offers its owners one of the most valuable perks in the airline loyalty world: the British Airways Travel Together Ticket .

Once it’s earned, you can redeem it for a buy-one-get-one-free international award ticket . In other words, you would be spending 100,000 Avios on a redemption for 2 people rather than 200,000.

Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards

Earning Chase Ultimate Rewards might be the best way to find your way to a ton of Avios. Chase cards have plenty of bonus categories to boost your Avios account.

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

Chase Sapphire Preferred ® Card

A fantastic travel card with a huge welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred ® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.

Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance . With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.

• 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
• 5x points on select Peloton purchases over $150 (through March 31, 2025)
• 5x points on Lyft purchases (through March 31, 2025)
• 3x points on dining purchases, online grocery purchases, and select streaming services
• 2x points on all other travel worldwide
• $50 annual credit on hotel stays booked through the Chase Travel portal
• 6 months of complimentary Instacart+ (activate by July 31, 2024), plus up to $15 in statement credits each quarter through July 2024
• Excellent travel and car rental insurance
• 10% annual bonus points
• No foreign transaction fees
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs like United MileagePlus and World of Hyatt
• No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status
• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards ® .
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards ® , 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, and $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, plus more.
• Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards ® . For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel.
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024.
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Chase Sapphire Reserve ®

A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve ®  is one of the best options out there.

The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access , with excellent point earning and redemption options.  Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.

Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!

• 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase TravelSM immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
• 10x points on Lyft purchases March 31, 2025
• 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 through March 31, 2025
• 5x points on airfare booked through Chase Travel SM
• 3x points on all other travel and dining purchases; 1x point on all other purchases
• $300 annual travel credit
• Priority Pass airport lounge access
• TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or NEXUS credit
• Access to Chase Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection
• Rental car elite status with National and Avis
• $550 annual fee
• Does not offer any sort of hotel elite status
• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck ®
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more
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Chase Freedom Unlimited ®

This all-purpose cash-back card offers great bonus categories, including bonus points for every purchase you make!

The Chase Freedom Unlimited ® is easily one of the best cash-back credit cards on the market. There aren’t many no-annual-fee credit cards that offer multiple great bonus categories like 5% back on travel purchased through Chase, 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% back on all other purchases.

When paired with other Chase cards in the Ultimate Rewards family, you can transfer that cash back into points if you wish – making it one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet.

• 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%.
• 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Travel
• 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases
• 1.5% back on all other purchases
• No annual fee
• Earn big on travel purchased through Chase Travel
• Everyday bonus on dining and drugstores
• Straightforward cash-back on all other purchases
• Ability to pool points
• 3% foreign transaction fee
• INTRO OFFER: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!
• Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
• After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
• No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
• Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%.
• No annual fee – You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited ® card
• Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, alerts, and more.
• APR: 0% Intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%.
• Foreign Transaction Fees: 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
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Chase Freedom Flex℠

The Freedom Flex card is an excellent no-annual-fee card that still earns big with 5% cash-back on travel and other bonus categories.

The Chase Freedom Flex℠ sure does pack quite a punch — especially for a no-annual-fee card.

The Freedom Flex card is an incredible option for those looking for a well-rounded cash-back card, or a powerful point-earner when paired with a premium card in the Ultimate Rewards family.

• 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49%-29.24%.
• Powerful cash-back earner: 5% back on quarterly categories and travel purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% back on dining and drugstore purchases, and 1% back on all other purchases
• Excellent cell phone insurance
• Mastercard World Elite benefits
• 3% foreign transaction fees in U.S. dollars
• Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
• 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter!
• 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards ® , our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more
• 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.
• No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
• No annual fee - You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Flex℠ card
• Keep tabs on your credit health - Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, real-time alerts, and more.
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If you’re a business owner, see our list of recommended Chase business credit cards .

American Express Membership Rewards Credit Cards

Like Chase, earning Membership Rewards is a quick way to get your hands on tons of Avios thanks to tons of bonus categories.

Recommended American Express Cards

The Platinum Card ® from American Express

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than The Platinum Card ® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card  is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access , hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,400 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com
• Annual and monthly statement credits upon enrollment ( airline credit, Uber Cash credit, Saks Fifth Avenue credit, streaming credit, prepaid hotel credit on eligible stays, Walmart+ credit, CLEAR credit, and Equinox credit )
• TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
• Access to American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts
• Access to Amex International Airline Program
• No foreign transaction fees ( rates and fees )
• $695 annual fee ( rates and fees )
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)
• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards ® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Apply and select your preferred metal Card design: classic Platinum Card ® , Platinum x Kehinde Wiley, or Platinum x Julie Mehretu.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards ® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts ® or The Hotel Collection bookings with American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card ® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Cover the cost of a $12.95 monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with a statement credit after you pay for Walmart+ each month with your Platinum Card ® . Cost includes $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Up Benefits are excluded.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card ® .
• $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. Uber Cash and Uber VIP status is available to Basic Card Member only. Terms Apply.
• $300 Equinox Credit: Get up to $300 back in statement credits per calendar year on an Equinox membership, or an Equinox club membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you pay with your Platinum Card ® . Enrollment required. Visit https://platinum.equinox.com/ to enroll.
• $189 CLEAR ® Plus Credit: Breeze through security with CLEAR Plus at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues nationwide and get up to $189 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Platinum Card ® . Learn more.
• $100 Global Entry Credit: Receive either a $100 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck ® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card ® . Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card ® . That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• $300 SoulCycle At-Home Bike Credit: Get a $300 statement credit for the purchase of a SoulCycle at-home bike with your Platinum Card ® . An Equinox+ subscription is required to purchase a SoulCycle at-home bike and access SoulCycle content. Must charge full price of bike in one transaction. Shipping available in the contiguous U.S. only. Enrollment Required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card ® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.
• APR: See Pay Over Time APR

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American Express ® Gold Card

This is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!

The American Express ® Gold Card  is a game-changer.

With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1x.

There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are several other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.

• 4x points per dollar at restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.
• 4x points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases; and 1x thereafter
• 3x points per dollar on flights purchased directly from airlines or at Amex Travel
• Up to $120 annual dining credit: up to $10 monthly statement credit when you pay with the Amex Gold card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com , Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations
• Up to $120 in annual Uber Cash : get $10 monthly in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S. when you add your Gold Card to your Uber account
• No foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees )
• Access to Amex’s The Hotel Collection
• Access to American Express transfer partners
• $250 annual fee (see rates and fees )
• No lounge access
• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards ® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards ® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards ® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards ® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
• $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express ® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
• Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
• Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $250.
• Find the Amex Gold 75k or 90k Welcome Bonus Offer
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Business owners can review our list of the best Amex business cards .

Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards

Earning Marriott Bonvoy points is another great way to get some Avios. The transfer bonus of 5,000 Avios for every transfer of 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points just makes it even better.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Credit Card

A great option for Marriott hotel fans who want a no annual fee card and automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status.

Casual travelers who like to frequent properties that are part of the Marriott Bonvoy collection of brands may want to consider the Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Credit Card.

The Marriott Bold card rewards cardholders for Marriott stays and gives them a boost towards Marriott Bonvoy elite status.

• Up to 14x points per $1 on Marriott purchases
• 2x points per $1 on travel purchases
• 15 Elite Night Credits each year (automatically gives you Silver Elite status)
• Lower point earn rate than other Marriott Bonvoy cards
• Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status is the lowest status tier
• Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Pay no annual fee with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Credit Card from Chase ® !
• Earn up to 14X total points per $1 spent at thousands of hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy ® with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Card.
• 1X point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
• Your points don't expire as long as you make purchases on your card every 24 months.
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Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Credit Card

Marriott loyalists will love this card's annual free night award, automatic elite status, and up to 17x points per $1 on Marriott hotel stays.

If you’re a frequent traveler and a Marriott loyalist, there’s a lot to love about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Credit Card . The card comes packed with several great benefits like a free hotel night once a year, automatic Silver Elite status (with a fast-track to Gold Elite status), and multiple options for redeeming points.

• Earn big when you use your card at thousands of participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
• Earn big at grocery stores, gas stations, and dining
• Automatic Silver Elite Status
• 1 Free Night Award each cardmember anniversary (valued up to 35,000 points)
• One year complimentary DoorDash DashPass subscription
• Marriott Silver status is the lowest status tier
• Limited time offer! Earn 5 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after qualifying purchases.
• Earn 3X points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining.
• Earn 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend.
• 1 Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary.
• Earn up to 17X total points per $1 spent at thousands of hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy ® with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Card.
• Receive 15 Elite Night Credits annually, automatic Silver Elite status, and path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each calendar year.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees. Your points don't expire as long as you make purchases on your card every 24 months.
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Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card gives you automatic Marriott elite status and helps you earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on your everyday purchases.

The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card , the latest mid-tier offering in the Marriott Bonvoy lineup of cards, offers cardholders automatic elite status and ways to earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on each of their stays and daily purchases.

• 6x points per $1 at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
• 4x points per $1 at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per calendar year, then 2X points)
• 2x points per $1 on all other purchases
• Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
• 15 Elite Night Credits per year
• 1,000 bonus points per paid stay
• 1 Free Night Award (up to 50,000 points) when you spend $15,000 on the card in a year
• $250 annual fee ( rates and fees )
• Free Night Award certificate is not an automatic benefit
• Earn 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy ® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
• Earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2X points).
• Earn 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
• Marriott Bonvoy 1K Bonus Points Per Stay: Earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy ® bonus points per paid eligible stay booked directly with Marriott for properties participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
• With complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elites status, earn up to 2.5X points from Marriott Bonvoy ® on eligible hotel purchases with the 25% Bonus Points on stays benefit, available for Qualifying Rates.
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Free Night Award: Earn 1 Free Night Award after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ Card in a calendar year. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy ® points) at a hotel participating in Marriott Bonvoy ® . Certain hotels have resort fees.
• 15 Elite Night Credits: Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express Card ® you can receive 15 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy ® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
• Plan It ® is a payment option that lets you split up purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments with a fixed fee. Plus, you'll still earn rewards the way you usually do.
• $250 Annual Fee.
• Terms apply.
• APR: 20.99%-29.99% Variable

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card

A premium card for Marriott fans who want perks like an annual statement credit and Free Night Award, plus a fast track to Marriott elite status.

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card  is a premium card designed with road warriors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalists in mind.

So is the card a worthwhile addition to your wallet?

• 6x points per $1 at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy   program
• 3x points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines and restaurants worldwide
• 25 Elite Night Credits each year
• Priority Pass Select membership upon enrollment
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee statement credit
• Annual Free Night Award after card renewal
• Complimentary Platinum Elite status
• Steep annual fee of $650 ( rates and fees )
• 6x points per $1 is the same earn rate offered with lower annual fee alternatives like the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card
• Earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card at restaurants worldwide.
• With Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when available at select properties and booked with a Qualifying Rate.
• Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy ® . 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. 2X points on all other eligible purchases.
• Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy ® . Certain hotels have resort fees.
• Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
• $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton ® or St. Regis ® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
• Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck ® : Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($100) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck ® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
• Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy ® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
• Enroll in Priority Pass™ Select, which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
• With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
• $650 Annual Fee.
• Best Credit Cards with Priority Access

Capital One Miles Credit Cards

You can earn Capital One miles and redeem them for Avios at a 2:1.5 ratio.

Recommended Capital One Miles Cards

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X card is an excellent option for travelers looking for an all-in-one premium credit card.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is the premium Capital One travel rewards card on the block.

Points and miles fans will be surprised to see that the Capital One Venture X card packs quite the punch when it comes to bookings made through Capital One, all while offering the lowest annual fee among premium credit cards.

Depending on your travel goals and preferences, the Capital One Venture X card could very well end up being your go-to card in your wallet.

• 10x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars purchased through Capital One Travel
• 5x miles per $1 on flights purchased through Capital One Travel
• 2x miles per $1 on all other purchases
• $300 annual travel credit on bookings made through Capital One Travel
• Unlimited complimentary access for cardholder and 2 guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• 10,000 bonus miles awarded on your account anniversary each year
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit
• Add authorized users for no additional annual fee ( rates & fees )
• No foreign transaction fees ( rates & fees )
• $395 annual fee ( rates & fees )
• Does not offer bonus categories for flights or hotel purchases made directly with the airline or hotel group, the preferred booking method for those looking to earn elite status
• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Receive a $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
• Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
• Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
• Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
• Elevate every hotel stay from the Premier or Lifestyle Collections with a suite of cardholder benefits, like an experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck ®
• APR: 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable)

Capital One Miles

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Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Get 2x miles plus some of the most flexible redemptions offered by a travel credit card!

The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card   is one of the most popular rewards cards on the market. It’s perfect for anyone in search of a great welcome offer, high rewards rates, and flexible redemption options.

Frequent travelers with excellent credit may benefit from this credit card that offers a lot of bells and whistles. And it offers easy-to-understand rewards earning and redemption.

• 5x miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee credit
• Access to Capital One transfer partners
• $95 annual fee ( rates & fees )
• Limited elite benefits
• Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
• Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
• Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
• Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
• Enrich every hotel stay from the Lifestyle Collection with a suite of cardholder benefits, like a $50 experience credit, room upgrades, and more
• Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
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Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

The card offers unlimited miles at 1.25x per $1 and no annual fee. When you consider the flexible rewards, frequent travelers come out on top.

Interested in a travel rewards credit card without one of those pesky annual fees? Then say hello to the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card.

In addition to no annual fee, the Capital One VentureOne card offers no foreign transaction fees.

But is this card worth its salt, or is it merely a shell of the more popular Capital One Venture card?

• No annual fee ( rates & fees )
• Ability to use transfer partners
• Fraud coverage
• Weak earn rate at 1.25x miles per $1 spent on all purchases
• No luxury travel or elite benefits
• $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees
• Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $200 in travel
• Earn unlimited 1.25X miles on every purchase, every day
• Enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months; 19.99% - 29.99% variable APR after that; balance transfer fee applies
• APR: 19.99% - 29.99% (Variable),0% intro on purchases for 15 months
• Benefits of the Capital One VentureOne Card
• Capital One Venture X Card vs. Capital One VentureOne Card [Detailed Comparison]
• Capital One Platinum Card vs. VentureOne and Venture Cards [Detailed Comparison]
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• Capital One Transfer Partners
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• The 5 Best First Credit Cards For Beginners [March 2024]

Other Hotel Partner Credit Cards

A few hotel programs will let you transfer points to British Airways. However, this is almost always a poor use of hotel points.

Unless you are really in a bind, save your hotel points for hotel award stays at your destination.

How To Redeem Avios

Now that we’ve listed the best ways to use Avios, let’s talk about some other details. British Airways Executive Club is significantly different from traditional airline frequent flyer programs. By learning how spending Avios works, you can have fantastic travel experiences!

Traditional airline award charts are priced by geographic region, meaning the miles price is fixed regardless of distance or flight connections in that region. This gives you the traditional 25,000-mile U.S. domestic round-trip award ticket familiar to many travelers.

British Airways has a distance- and segment-based award chart, and understanding it is crucial to get value from flight awards.

Each Avios award redemption is priced by distance for  every segment  of a trip; prices add up fast!

New York (JFK) to Chicago (ORD) in economy nonstop, for example, is 9,000 Avios.

If no nonstop is available and you need to connect in Cleveland (CLE), the  price almost doubles  to 15,000 Avios since each segment is priced separately. New York (JFK) to Cleveland (CLE) is 7,500, and Cleveland (CLE) to Chicago (ORD) is another 7,500. Avios charges you for both!

How Much Do British Airways Avios Award Flights Cost?

British Airways no longer publishes an award chart. Instead, you can check out our table below for the most up-to-date redemption costs.

While we’re talking about the overall “cost” of Avios award flights, we should remind you here that in addition to the amount of Avios, you’ll have to pay an additional cash amount that includes taxes, fees, and carrier charges.

There are 4 types of prices, and each varies based on flight distance:

• British Airways flights have peak and off-peak prices
• Iberia flights have peak and off-peak prices that differ slightly from British Airways flights
• Single-partner awards are 1 price with no peak or off-peak dates
• Multi-partner awards are priced by total trip distance

Flights under 650 miles start at 4,750 Avios, except in North America where they start at 7,500 Avios.

List of Alliance and Non-Alliance Airline Partners

British Airways partners with many different airline frequent flyer programs; below are the members of Oneworld alliance. BA is also partners with  Aer Lingus .

Peak or Off-Peak Dates

British Airways has peak and off-peak dates published every year. Our article,  Airline Peak & Off-peak Award Charts: The Ultimate Guide , has these dates across all applicable airlines, including BA.

First vs. Business Class

Not all airlines or flights have all classes of service.

Beware of domestic “first class” flights that are not worth the price! If you were to fly from New York (JFK) to San Francisco (SFO) on an American Airlines narrow-body Airbus A320, paying 51,500 Avios for “domestic first” instead of 13,000 Avios in economy  probably isn’t worth it .

In contrast, some of the coolest Avios awards are for short first or business class flights that grant you access to incredible airline lounges. This may be the cheapest way to experience Cathay Pacific’s The Wing in Hong Kong (HKG) or the Qantas International First Lounge in Sydney (SYD).

Multi-Carrier Award Flights

Multi-carrier means a combination of 2 airlines on a single ticket, and these awards have their own chart.

These awards are  expensive , and you’ll most likely do better by booking separate airlines on separate tickets.

The multi-carrier Avios price is the same regardless of connections, one-way, or round-trip:  only total distance matters . However, taxes, fees, and carrier charges vary widely, so beware!

In general, premium economy is 1.5 times the economy price, business is 2 times economy, and first class is 3 times economy.

What Is Reward Flight Saver?

The British Airways Reward Flight Saver can save you cash on British Airways Europe flights and Comair flights.

Your account must have earned Avios in the past 12 months to be eligible for Reward Flight Saver.

With Reward Flight Saver, award flights on British Airways within Europe and Comair in Africa are charged reduced, flat fees. This is in lieu of other taxes and surcharges.

Reward Flight Saver is  automatically applied  on qualifying itineraries.

Here’s an example:

Thanks to BA’s Reward Flight Saver, you can pay as little as 8,000 Avios for a one-way flight in Club Europe from London to Barcelona (BCN). Passengers are given the option of selecting an Avios and cash combination that best suits their individual wallet.

Hot Tip: At first glance, paying just 70 cents for the 20,000 Avios option might appear to be a steal. However, given Upgraded Points’ valuation of Avios at 1.25 cents per Avios, it puts the total for that option at $250.70, whereas the lowest Avios/highest cash option comes in at a true value of around $200.

What Is Part Payment?

British Airways and some partner airlines may have several payment options that allow you to use a combination of Avios and cash.

If you want to use fewer Avios or don’t have enough to complete a booking, you can choose an option that includes more cash.

Here are the Avios and cash options for London (LHR) to Doha (DOH) with Qatar Airways as an example:

British Airways Avios and cash gives you options to save Avios or save cash. A similar option is available when booking cash tickets to save money by using some Avios.

Hot Tip: Do the math before deciding whether to use your Avios to save money on a flight. In this example, as the amount of money you can save increases, the amount of Avios required to save the money increases disproportionately. This means that the “£10 off with 1,000 Avios” option gives you a value of 1.3 cents per Avios whereas the “£165 off with 38,500” option Avios gives you a value of just 0.4 cents per Avios.

Beware of Surcharges on British Airways Flights

Extremely high fees are added to the Avios award price of many British Airways flights. Exceptions are flights within Europe that qualify for Reward Flight Saver. In recent times, British Airways has also brought down the fees on other long-haul flights, including transatlantic.

In some extreme cases, it’s not unheard for the cash component of a British Airways award redemption to be as much as directly buying a cash ticket!

The highest of the fees are often those tagged on to redemptions in premium cabins.

If we take a British Airways flight from London (LHR) to Cape Town (CPT) in Club World (business class) as an example, it would cost 62,500 Avios and a whopping $561 !

Bottom Line:  As a general rule of thumb, short-distance, nonstop flights on partner airlines offer the best Avios value. You may also consider our guide on ways to use British Airways Avios without huge fuel surcharges .

Where To Search for British Airways Avios Award Flights

You can search for British Airways award flights and most airline partners (with the exception of Air Baltic and Loganair) on ba.com . For Aer Lingus, you can search avios.com or aerlingus.com .

Hot Tip:  Be cautious searching for awards directly on other airline partner websites. Some awards may only be available to their own members, not to partners. For American Airlines, you can only use Avios to book what American shows as MileSAAver awards, not AAnytime awards.

Start 355 Days in Advance

Awards are available up to 355 days before departure, and there are no award holds or waitlists.

Hot Tip:  British Airways can book partner awards up to 355 days before departure, but American Airlines is only 330. With British Airways,  you can access awards weeks before American Airlines members can!

How To Search for British Airways Rewards

Start at ba.com , navigate to Book, then Book a flight with Avios .

When the search screen says You can break your journey with stopovers , select No, I want to continue without stopovers .

This will search partner flights in addition to British Airways flights.

When searching British Airways rewards flights, select no stopover unless you want to visit London.

Flights may not display on ba.com for various reasons:

• Certain partner airlines are not searched
• “Route unavailable” means the website is not programmed for that route
• Multi-connection flight options are not searched

Online Booking Problems? Call and Waive the Fee

Even if you can’t find an award on the website, the good news is that if an award is available, you can call in to have British Airways agents book it!

Ask the agent to waive the $25 phone booking fee since the flight is unavailable online. They will usually do so if you ask.

Bottom Line:  Many award flights are available online. If not, call to book and ask to waive the $25 booking fee since it is not available online!

How To Get a Free London Stopover

When flying British Airways, you have the option of a free stopover in London.

When the award search screen says You can break your journey with stopovers , select, I want to break my journey and choose my stopovers .

Your London stopover can be a few days or even several months.

Given that the pricing for a stopover is the same as booking the same route with a small transfer at Heathrow on the same day, it makes just as much sense to book 2 separate flights if you are planning on staying in London.

Bottom Line:  To minimize fees, the best London stopover value is between 2 U.K. or European cities near to London rather than long-haul flights.

Use British Airways Executive Club Household Accounts to Pool Avios

You can form a  British Airways Executive Club Household Account where you and up to 6 people at the same address can become a Household to pool Avios. You can even add your kids and have them start earning Avios from an early age.

Awards are deducted proportionally from the Household common pool of Avios, and each household member is able to earn Tier Points and progress through the tiers of the Executive Club.

There are some important restrictions about Household Accounts:

• 1 person is the Head of Household who can add/remove members or change the address (1 address change allowed per 6 months)
• You cannot redeem rewards for members not in the Household, except for up to 5 people added to the Friends and Family list (changes are only allowed once per 6 months; from the first change you have 24 hours to complete all changes before the 6-month freeze)
• Household Accounts cannot use the Combine My Avios tool to move Avios between BA and Iberia; instead, you’ll need an avios.com account
• Members must be 18 years old before being able to spend Avios

Bottom Line: Without a Household Account, British Airways charges fees to transfer Avios to another member (Gold members can transfer for free). The maximum you can transfer in a year is 162,000 Avios, and those are capped at 27,000 Avios per recipient. At $290 per 27,000 Avios to transfer, that is absurd!

Low Cancel Fees = Flexibility!

Avios award tickets have some of the lowest booking fees among major airlines and there are no last-minute ticketing fees!

Change or cancellation fees  for those departing North America are relatively low: $55. If the cash portion of your Avios award ticket is less than $55, then you  only forfeit the cash amount you paid . You don’t pay the full $55 unless your ticket’s fees were $55 or more.

Note that the phone fee is an extra $25 if you don’t change or cancel online.

A U.S. domestic nonstop on American Airlines is only charged $5.60 taxes. If you later cancel, you only lose $5.60… a small price to pay for flexibility!

Quick Guide to Iberia Avios

In 2010, Spanish airline Iberia Airlines merged with British Airways to give you another excellent way to avoid British Airways’ fuel surcharges.

You can also transfer  Amex Membership Rewards ,  Chase Ultimate Rewards ,  Capital One miles , and  Marriott Bonvoy points  to British Airways Executive Club and then to Iberia Plus.

If you want to transfer your Avios from BA to Iberia, sign up for an  Iberia Plus  account. To transfer,  your Iberia account must be at least 90 days old  and have earned Avios to make a successful transfer from British Airways.

After 90 days from Iberia account opening, log in to your British Airways Executive Club account, click on  Manage My Account , and select  Combine My Avios  from the drop-down and then again on the next page.

Select Iberia Plus from the list of programs and enter your Iberia Plus number and PIN.

The information regarding the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Chase Freedom Flex℠ was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold ® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer. The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless ® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card ® from American Express, click here . For rates and fees of the American Express ® Gold Card, click  here . For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express ® Card, click here . For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant ® American Express ® card, click here .

Frequently Asked Questions

What is british airways executive club.

Executive Club is British Airways’ frequent flyer program.

Why should I join British Airways Executive Club? What are the benefits?

BA Executive Club is free to join.

You can earn points, called Avios, that can be redeemed for travel on BA, its airline partners, and for other things.

Elite status levels in the Executive Club are Blue, Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

Benefits of status include earning additional bonus miles while flying, discounts on in-flight purchases, priority check in, free bags, lounge access, standby access, seat assignments, and more.

What are Avios?

Avios is the name of the points currency used by British Airways Executive Club. Avios is now the points currency of additional airlines including Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, and Iberia, though each program remains separate and has its own elite status and award options.

What are Tier Points?

Tier Points are earned on British Airways and partner flights. Executive Club elite status is earned by Tier Points: 300 for Bronze, 600 for Silver, 1,500 for Gold. Use the Avios and Tier Points Calculator to find out how much you will earn for your flight.

Is there a British Airways credit card?

Yes. We’ve reviewed the British Airways Visa card . You can also transfer Amex Membership Rewards , Chase Ultimate Rewards , Capital One miles , and Marriott Bonvoy points to BA Executive Club.

How do I join the BA Executive Club?

You can sign up for the club  by using this link .

What is the BA Executive Club login?

You can sign in to  your Executive Club account here .

Who are the BA Executive Club partners?

BA is a member of the  Oneworld alliance , so partners include all of these airlines  and more . BA also has partnerships with Aer Lingus, Air Baltic, LATAM, and Loganair.

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About Alex Miller

Founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, Alex is a leader in the industry and has earned and redeemed millions of points and miles. He frequently discusses the award travel industry with CNBC, Fox Business, The New York Times, and more.

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Table of Contents

About British Airways Avios

Do avios expire, how to earn avios points, how to redeem british airways avios, british airways status, british airways executive club, recapped.

If you think that a U.K.-based frequent flyer program wouldn't have much to offer American travelers, think again. Since British Airways is part of the Oneworld alliance , which includes both Alaska Airlines and American Airlines, it can be a worthwhile option for globetrotters or those who travel within the United States.

With its main hub in London, British Airways flies to more than 200 destinations in 80 countries. Its frequent flyer program is called Executive Club, and when you fly with British Airways or any of its partners, you will earn Avios, which you can use to redeem for award flights, upgrades and other rewards.

Here’s what you need to know about earning Avios and how to redeem them.

What is Avios? It’s the name of the travel rewards currency earned by members of British Airways’ Executive Club. These can be used on British Airways flights, Oneworld partners or transferred to other Avios-earning airlines.

Each time you fly on a paid ticket with British Airways or with its Oneworld and partner airlines, you will earn Avios.

» Learn more: The guide to British Airways fees

British Airways flights also earn you Tier points, which count toward elite status. The more you earn, the higher the status you receive. They are not used for award flights, and they reset to zero every year.

How long do British Airways Avios points last? If you don't have any activity in your account for 36 months — meaning no earning, spending, buying or sharing of Avios — they will expire. It’s easy to have activity though; it’s as simple as making a purchase through the British Airways shopping mall or doing business with an Executive Club partner.

NerdWallet values Avios points at 1 cent each. Use this calculator to understand the value of your Avios points:

There are many ways to earn Avios, as a British Airways frequent flyer or even just as a new member of the program. These include flying, using a British Airways co-branded credit card, using business partners in the program, and transferring points from American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards and various hotel programs (e.g., Marriott Bonvoy).

Another great perk of Executive Club is that you can pool Avios points with up to six other people who live with you into a household account , making family vacations more rewarding. This is a great move if you’re short on points for an award since you can rely on loved ones to get you closer to a redemption.

» Learn more: The best airline credit cards right now

Earn when you fly

British Airways is part of the Oneworld alliance, which totals 13 airlines, and also has independent relationships with other airlines. You can use your British Airways Avios to book award flights through Oneworld and other airline partners .

When it comes to earning elite status, you can earn Tier points (as well as Avios) with the following airlines:

The number of Avios and Tier points you earn will vary by airline, type of ticket and fare class. Keep in mind, award tickets do not earn points. Members with elite status may earn a percentage of bonus Avios when they fly with some airlines as well. 

On any given flight, the minimum number of Avios you can earn is 125.

» Learn more: Oneworld alliance pros and cons

Earn with British Airways’ other business partners

Members can collect Avios points when spending on partner hotels, car rental companies, airport parking services, Heathrow Express tickets and the British Airways shopping mall. You can even earn points by taking surveys. Here’s a handy guide on all of the ways to earn British Airways Avios .

Collect Avios with a British Airways credit card

British Airways offers a Chase-issued credit card specifically for U.S. residents: British Airways Visa Signature® Card .

This card comes with a $95 annual fee and offers the following sign-up bonus: Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.

You’ll also earn Avios when you spend in the following categories:

Earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia.

Earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when the purchase is made directly with the hotel.

Earn 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases.

You can also receive up to $600 in-flight statement credits each year to cover the cost of taxes, fees and other charges on award flights to London. You will receive $100 for economy and premium economy flights and $200 for business and first class, up to three times per year. This is a nice perk to offset the high taxes and surcharges levied on British Airways award tickets .

If you travel frequently on British Airways, these statement credits offer compelling reasons to consider this card.

» Learn more: The best travel credit card welcome bonuses right now

Transfer points from credit cards to British Airways

British Airways is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards , Chase Ultimate Rewards and Capital One Miles, which means that you can move points from those programs to Avios at a 1:1 ratio. This must be done in increments of 1,000.

These credit card programs sometimes run transfer bonuses, which could provide a nice boost to your balance if you move points at the right time.

» Learn more: AmEx points vs. Chase points

American Express Cards

Personal cards.

The Platinum Card® from American Express (annual fee: $695 ): Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

American Express® Gold Card (annual fee: $250 ): Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

American Express® Green Card (annual fee: $150 ): Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.

The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express (annual fee: $95 ): Earn 15,000 Membership Reward® points after you use your new Card to make $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. Terms Apply .

Amex EveryDay® Credit Card (annual fee: $0 ): Earn 10,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you use your new Card to make $2,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms apply.

Chase Credit Cards

Personal credit cards.

Chase Sapphire Reserve® (annual fee: $550 ): Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (annual fee: $95 ): Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

» Learn more: Chase Sapphire Preferred Review: A must-have for travelers

Business credit cards

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (annual fee: $95 ): Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠.

If you already have any of the cards mentioned above, you can apply for one of the following no-fee cards with Chase. The cash-back you earn can be combined with earnings from other cards as Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Having these cards in addition to the premium travel cards is a great way to increase your Chase Ultimate Rewards point balance.

No-fee personal credit cards

Chase Freedom Flex℠ (annual fee: $0 ): Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

Chase Freedom Unlimited® (annual fee: $0 ): Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

No-fee business credit cards

Ink Business Cash® Credit Card (annual fee: $0 ): Earn $350 when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months and an additional $400 when you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months after account opening.

Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (annual fee: $0 ): Earn $750 bonus cash back after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Convert hotel points to Avios

If you’re flush with hotel points, British Airways has several partners that allow you to convert hotel points to Avios:

The most favorable ratios are with Accor (2:1), Hyatt (2.5:1) and Marriott (3:1), with the latter two providing transfer bonuses for converting a certain number of points. For example, transferring 60,000 Marriott points nets 25,000 Avios, including a 5,000-point bonus. Hyatt adds a 5,000-point bonus when transferring 50,000 Hyatt points, resulting in 25,000 Avios.

Moving hotel points to Avios may not be for everyone. But, if you find more value in a flight redemption than a hotel room, it can be advantageous, especially if there is a transfer bonus to sweeten the deal. 

Here’s a list of Hyatt and Marriott credit cards that could be used to earn points, which you could then transfer to Avios.

Hyatt Credit Card

World of Hyatt Credit Card (annual fee: $95 ): Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 More Bonus Points by earning 2 Bonus Points total per $1 spent in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 Bonus Point, on up to $15,000 spent.

Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards

Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card (annual fee: $0 ): Earn 30,000 Bonus Points after spending $1,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card (annual fee: $95 ): Limited time offer! Earn 5 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (annual fee: $650 ): Earn 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (annual fee: $125 ): Earn 3 Free Night Awards after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Each Free Night Award has a redemption level up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points, for a total potential value of up to 150,000 points, at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees. Terms apply.

British Airways provides plenty of sweet spots if you know where to look. Of course, you can also redeem Avios on its two U.S. Oneworld partners: Alaska and American Airlines. It also has plenty of airline partners where you can take advantage of Avios points to get near or far.

British Airways’ Avios is also the program shared among three other airline loyalty programs: Aer Lingus AerClub, Iberia Plus and Qatar Privilege Club. This means you can transfer points between all four programs at a 1:1 ratio . Since each of these carriers has its own award charts, be sure to have a redemption in mind before transferring your points.

» Learn more: How to redeem British Airways Avios for maximum value

British Airways Award chart

British Airways relies on the distance between two cities to determine the number of Avios needed. This type of distance-based award system means that short-haul flights (like between Atlanta and Washington, D.C.) will cost fewer Avios than longer flights (like Boston to Seattle).

Because the program computes the award cost based on the distance between two destinations, if you have a stopover, each flight will be priced separately, potentially increasing the cost, which is important to keep in mind.

Like other airlines, British Airways has chosen to make things less transparent and no longer publishes an award chart. The cost in Avios, as well as any taxes, is based on the destination, date and class of travel, and you’ll have to do individual searches on its website to see the latest rates.

Best use of Avios for award flights

British Airways is notorious for the high taxes and fuel surcharges it tacks onto some award tickets, with seats in the premium cabin being the most expensive. 

Since the airline uses a distance-based award system, shorter distances cost fewer Avios points than on other airlines that use a region-based award chart, like American Airlines. Consider where you are traveling to determine which miles or points to redeem.

Avios also has promotional prices on off-peak awards and Reward Flight Savers, lowering the cost of award tickets even more. Reward Flight Savers offer discounts on award tickets available on round-trip British Airways flights, including to the U.S.

Sometimes, the price of a premium cabin ticket on a British Airways flight can be costly (factoring in the taxes), but it’s also possible to purchase an economy ticket and use Avios to upgrade . If you’re looking for the British Airways sweet spots , it requires taking into account all of these considerations.

Off-peak economy British Airways award from East Coast North America to Europe

The distance between the northeast U.S. and the U.K. is short enough to qualify for a lower award rate than flights from the West Coast.

For an off-peak award in economy class between New York and London, it only costs 13,000 Avios + $64 in taxes. On Oneworld partner American Airlines, it costs 22,500 miles for an off-peak award (or 30,000 miles for a peak award) between the continental U.S. and Europe, no matter the distance. In this example, using Avios is a better deal, and you can transfer points from a credit card program if you need more to make the redemption. If there’s a transfer bonus, then that’s even better.

In another example, say you want to fly from Los Angeles to Athens via London. For that trip, it would make sense to use American Airlines miles since the cost remains the same between the continental U.S. and Europe, no matter the distance. Taking such a route on British Airways would be more expensive (both because of distance and because Avios points are charged per segment), while American's awards would remain at the same price (because it is region-based).

West Coast U.S. to Hawaii

Another sweet spot using British Airways’ distance-based system is between Los Angeles and Hawaii on a one-way ticket. The British carrier charges only 13,000 Avios for an economy ticket. A redemption on American starts at 20,000 miles in the same cabin, and Oneworld partner Alaska charges 15,000 miles.

Cost in British Airways Avios:

Cost in American Airlines miles:

Using British Airways’ distance-based award system makes sense on both of these Oneworld partners since fewer miles are needed.

Sydney to Adelaide in economy and business class

Using Avios to book a one-way, economy class ticket from Sydney to Adelaide on Qantas Airways costs 9,000 Avios + $27 in taxes, while a business class award is 16,500 Avios + $27 in taxes. No matter which cabin you book, the taxes are the same in this example.

Watch for award ticket taxes and surcharges

The downside of using Avios is that British Airways premium economy , business and first-class awards can tack on high taxes and fuel surcharges, which makes using them on many itineraries less enticing. For an off-peak flight between New York and London in British Airways business class , it would cost 50,000 Avios + $679 in taxes. Region-based award charts (like American Airlines) tend to make more sense on premium cabin redemptions.

How to avoid fuel surcharges on awards booked with Avios

Using Oneworld airlines that avoid fuel surcharges can save you quite a bit of cash when it comes to taxes and fees. You’ll notice that on certain routes, Avios holds off on excessive fuel surcharges, like on domestic Australia flights using Qantas, domestic Japan flights using Japan Airlines, Aer Lingus or Iberia awards to the U.S. and some flights between Asia and Europe. In these instances, Avios can be a good use of miles without the excessive taxes.

Avios + cash

If you don't have enough points, you can also pay with a combination of points and cash, which provides flexibility to members. When doing so, you’ll also cash in on another benefit: the ability to earn Avios and Tier points, since it counts as a revenue ticket.

This option to use both points and cash works on all British Airways and American Airlines flights between the U.K. and North America as well as British Airways codeshare flights on partner airlines.

While this may seem like a great idea, it can represent a poor value of Avios points on a per-point basis, so be sure to calculate the true cost of the ticket first.

Within the British Airways Executive Club program, there are four elite status tiers: Blue (entry), Bronze, Silver and Gold.

These levels are achieved by collecting a minimum number of Tier points and paid, flown flights or a set number of eligible flights alone.

Here's how to earn elite status on British Airways:

New members automatically receive Blue status, which allows you to choose a seat 24 hours before departure (except when traveling on a basic fare) and provides member-only travel and shopping offers. Bronze, Silver and Gold status levels offer more perks.

British Airways Bronze

British Airways Bronze members receive:

25% bonus Avios points on flights.

Priority check-in and boarding.

Free seat selection starting seven days before the flight.

The ability to keep status for maternity, paternity or adoption leave.

Oneworld Ruby status match .

British Airways Silver

British Airways Silver members get:

All of the Bronze perks plus the ability to choose a seat for free at the time of booking.

A 50% bonus in Avios earnings.

Lounge access when flying on British Airways or one of its partners.

Extra baggage allowance on checked bags.

Oneworld Sapphire status match.

British Airways Gold

British Airways Gold members get:

All of the Silver perks plus a 100% Avios bonus on flights.

Access to the British Airways First lounge.

The ability to earn upgrade vouchers.

Additional availability on reward tickets.

Oneworld Emerald status match.

Tier points

Tier Points reset at the end of each membership year when members go back to zero to earn for the next year’s status. Once you reach a particular elite tier, you will keep that status for the rest of that membership year and all of the next membership year.

Tier Points expire each year, but they do get cumulatively added to your Lifetime Tier Points balance. If you want Gold membership, it’s yours once you have earned 35,000 Lifetime Tier Points.

British Airways’ Executive Club and its Avios program can be quite rewarding. Be sure to take advantage of its sweet spots, but don’t forget to keep an eye on when Avios points expire to avoid losing them. If you’re interested in understanding more about frequent flyer programs and if it’s worth the effort, see our beginner's guide to frequent flyer programs .

To view rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express , see this page . To view rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card , see this page . All information about the Amex EveryDay® Credit Card has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card is no longer available through NerdWallet. To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card , see this page . To view rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card , see this page .

Photo courtesy of British Airways.

All information about The Platinum Card® from American Express , The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express , Amex EveryDay® Credit Card and Chase Freedom® has been collected independently by NerdWallet. The Platinum Card® from American Express , The Amex EveryDay® Preferred Credit Card from American Express , Amex EveryDay® Credit Card and Chase Freedom® are no longer available through NerdWallet.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

On a similar note...

British Airways Visa Signature ® Card

Turn your daily shop into a beach hop, earn up to 100,000 avios with the british airways visa signature® card.

Boost your Avios balance by earning 75,000 Avios when you spend $5,000 within the first 3 months of account opening. And a further 25,000 Avios when you spend $20,000 within the first 12 months of account opening.

$95 annual fee.

Plus enjoy benefits like

1.  10% off British Airways operated round-trip flights departing from the United States.

2. You will also earn:

•  3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases made directly with British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus.
•  2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when booked directly with the hotel.
•  1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases.

3. A Travel Together Ticket after you spend $30,000 in purchases each calendar year on your British Airways Visa Signature® Credit Card to experience with someone else or pay 50% of the Avios fare when travelling solo.

Avios and rewards to explore the world

Experience more with oneworld.

The power of the one world global network is yours granting you exclusive member airline access, over 900 destinations worldwide, and so much more.

Choose your reward with Avios

Use your Avios to upgrade an existing flight or at time of booking. And with Reward Flight Savers you can even buy flights for a fixed Avios price plus a lower cash amount to cover charges. 

Reward Flight Statement Credit

Statement credits $100 for Economy & Premium Economy or $200 for Business and First Class – 3 times per year, up to $600, when you book a reward flight to London and pay taxes, fees and charges with your card.

Avios exclusive events

As a cardmember, gain access to truly unique experiences designed for you.

Refer a friend

Earn 10,000 bonus Avios (up to 50,000 Avios a year) for each friend who gets the British Airways Visa Signature® Card.

Terms and Conditions apply.

Find out more

Collecting avios, spending avios, buying avios.

British Airways Executive Club: Everything You Need to Know

By: Author Harry Thomas

Posted on Last updated: January 14, 2024

British Airways Executive Club is the loyalty program of British Airways. The program has a comprehensive range of benefits and perks for frequent fliers, that may suit you best if you fly British Airways or oneworld partners regularly. The best part is you don’t need to be UK-based to take advantage of the benefits on offer, earn tier points or to earn or redeem British Airways Avios (the name British Airways’ name for miles). In fact, if you are US-based and fly American Airlines regularly, it is worth considering whether British Airways Executive Club may be better suited to your needs. More on that later.

In this ultimate guide, we’ll take a deep dive into the British Airways Executive Club and show you how to make the most of it. You’ll learn everything from how to earn and redeem Avios (British Airways’ name for miles), earn tier points (status credits towards frequent flier tiers), how to make the most of your Avios redemptions, how to gain frequent flyer status with British Airways, credit card options to earn British Airways Avios and much more.

What is the British Airways Executive Club?

The British Airways Executive Club is British Airways’ loyalty program designed to reward their frequent flyers with perks and benefits to make their travel experience smoother and more enjoyable. As a member of the British Airways Executive Club, you can earn Avios points by flying with British Airways or their partner airlines, by using their co-branded credit cards (such as the American Express Premium Plus), or shopping through the British Airways Executive Club shopping portal. These Avios points can then be redeemed for flights, flight upgrades, hotel stays, car rentals, and more.

In addition to earning Avios points, when flying with British Airways or another oneworld carrier, members can also earn tier points based on the flight distance and the cabin class/fare class in which they fly. Once you have enough tier points within your membership year, you move up to the next tier, with additional perks and benefits.

Below is the minimum tier points required for each tier:

Overall, the perks and benefits of the British Airways Executive Club are well worth it if you fly regularly with oneworld carriers. With a range of benefits available across all tiers and earning opportunities both in the air and on the ground, there’s never been a better time to join this expansive loyalty program if you aren’t a member already!

What are British Airways Avios?

British Airways Avios are the British Airways Executive Club’s version of airline miles. These points can be redeemed for a range of benefits, including flights, free upgrades, and hotel stays, although the best redemptions are definitely for flights and flight upgrades. One of the biggest advantages of earning Avios is that British Airways allows you to redeem them not only on British Airways flights, but also with its partner airlines, notably oneworld carriers, which include American Airlines , Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines and Qantas to name a few. Check out my other article here on the oneworld alliance , and all the airlines within it.

Earning Avios

Earning Avios is super easy, as Avios can be collected by flying with British Airways or any of its oneworld partners. Additionally, you can earn Avios through credit card spending on co-branded credit cards such as the American Express Premium Plus in the UK, or credit cards with rewards schemes that partner with British Airways as a redemption partner such as American Express in the US.

There are also hotel partners such as Marriott Bonvoy, IHG, Accor and even Airbnb whereby you can earn bonus Avios just by linking your British Airways Executive Club membership number. Additionally, another way to book hotels is through the British Airways Avios Hotels portal which currently offers 15 Avios per £1 spent, which is a great way to earn Avios and much higher than most Avios partners with much greater choice. If you are booking car hire, British Airways partners with Avis, Budget and Zipcar. For UK-based travelers, linking your Nectar account and doing your grocery shopping at Sainsburys will be a fast way to accumulate Avios. Overall, this means that the more you travel and shop with these partners (make sure your Executive Club membership number is linked), the more Avios you will earn.

Redemption Value of Avios

One important thing to note with Avios redemptions is that the value of an Avios point varies depending on how it’s being redeemed. It’s always a good idea to do some research before deciding how to use them so that you get maximum value out of them, including Avios versus cash redemptions. The best way to do this is to use the following formula to confirm alternative redemption opportunities:  

Cash price minus any co-payment (Fees and taxes) divided by the number of Avios required for redemption .

Check out the “British Airways Reward Flights: How to Book and Redeem” section below and my other article “British Airways Rewards Flights: Sweet Spots and Travel Hacks” for more tips and tricks. To find out the longest British Airways flights within each Distance Band , check out my article here .

Best Ways to Earn British Airways Executive Club Miles/Avios

There are many ways to earn British Airways Executive Club miles, also known as Avios, which you can later be redeemed for award flights, free cabin upgrades, hotel stays, car rentals, and more. One of my favourite ways to use Avios is for last-minute Rewards Flight Saver flights within Europe, which often can be very expensive. Below are some of the best ways to rack up your Avios balance.

Flying with British Airways or Partner Airlines

Earn miles by flying with British Airways or its partner airlines such as American Airlines , Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, and Japan Airlines. The amount of miles you earn depends on your fare class and distance traveled. As a general rule of thumb, the higher your fare class and longer your distance flown, the more miles you earn.

Credit Card Signup Bonuses

Applying for a co-branded credit card such as the British Airways Visa Signature Card and earn a generous signup bonus after meeting the minimum spending requirement within the first few months of account opening. You can also earn additional miles per dollar spent on eligible purchases using these cards.

Shopping through the British Airways Shopping Portal

Shop online through the BA Shopping Portal at hundreds of merchants including Apple Store, Macy’s, Sephora and earn Avios per dollar spent. You can also take advantage of special promotions offered from time to time where you can earn bonus Avios.

Rental Car with Avis/Budget

Rent cars with Avis/Budget using your BA membership number and get up to 5 Avios per $1 spent in addition to discounted rates.

Book Hotels direct with Avios Partners

British Airways partners with Accor, Marriott, IHG, Hyatt, Hilton, Melia and Radisson, so you can earn rewards points by booking direct with these hotel partners, then convert your points to British Airways Avios.

If you frequently use Airbnb’s for accommodation (I definitely do), the great news is that British Airways partners with them. Simply click through the link on this  page  and enter your British Airways Executive Club membership number to earn 3 Avios per $/£/€. Even better, Airbnb Experiences is also included, which is a great way to explore local cities whilst travelling.

Using a Carshare service

British Airways partners with Zipcar, so make sure you link your membership number if you use them (they operate globally including the US, Canada and UK) for 50 Avios per booking.

Taking Advantage of Sales and Promotions

Keep an eye out for British Airways sales, often in shoulder months or around the winter holiday season to earn Avios at cheaper cash fares. This is also a great strategy to accumulate tier points cheaply, and a great excuse to make mileage runs if you need to in order to reach the next membership tier.

In all, there are plenty of ways to earn British Airways Avios, both directly through flying with British Airways, or indirectly through partner airlines, hotel partners, credit card rewards programs, car rental partners and your everyday online shopping.

British Airways Reward Flights: How to Book and Redeem

Booking a reward flight through British Airways Executive Club is super easy. Simply log in to your British Airways Executive Club account on the British Airways website, select “Book” then “Book with Avios”. Here, you can search for available redemptions on a variety of routes, cabins and oneworld partners including availability in the highly-regarded Qsuites on Qatar Airways. You can then proceed to book online or if you prefer, via the Executive Club contact center.

Payment Options

Once you find the flight you want to book, select it and proceed to the payment page. British Airways has a unique co-payment system for airport fees and taxes, whereby you can select to pay with more cash or more Avios. Note, the value of the points redemption is not fixed and will change depending on how much cash you are willing to pay, so it is worth finding the sweet spot to maximise your points redemption value. You also have to option to pay with a combination of Avios and cash when booking a cash fare, but this isn’t usually a great use of Avios as the points redemption value is often low. Booking through the “Book with Avios” function usually has the best redemption rates.

Sweet spot British Airways Avios Flight Redemptions

I have another article here exploring sweet spot flight redemptions with British Airways, as well as the best Avios redemptions under 25,000 Avios , so check those out.

Availability and Flexibility

When redeeming rewards flights with British Airways, keep in mind that availability is not always guaranteed, especially during peak travel seasons, school holidays and on some long-haul routes due to high demand. It’s best to book early and be flexible with your travel dates if possible. British Airways does offer free cancellation up to 48 hours before departure for Avios redemption flights, so redeeming Avios can also make financial sense if there is redemption availability, and you need a flexible fare instead of paying cash for a flexi-fare.

On long-haul routes, post-COVID, there has been a lot of demand for redemption flights to Asia and Australia and so there are very few seats available on these routes currently. With British Airways flying hundreds of trans-Atlantic flights everyday, there is generally much greater reward availability to and from the USA to London and onto Europe. You can use this handy tool to search for British Airways reward flight availability on different routes, times of year and cabins, but unfortunately it does not show availability for partner airlines.

Overall, British Airways Avios are a great way to score cheap flights with co-payments starting at just $1/£1 and comprehensive availability across the British Airways and oneworld network. Redemption rates versus other airline programs are fairly reasonable, and taking advantage of the many sweet spot redemption opportunities is a great way to maximise your travel experience for less.

British Airways Rewards Flights: Sweet Spots and Travel Hacks

There are so many great British Airways Avios redemptions that it’s too hard to write within this article without summarising, which just wouldn’t give you the full picture on what to look for and how to book these sweet spot redemptions. In some cases, you must book over the phone and thoroughly plan your redemption route, cabins and dates around current availability before calling so it is better to cover this in a separate article. Please see my  other article here  for a detailed guide on sweet spot British Airways Avios redemptions and travel hacks.

Also, to see sweet spots within each distance band to fit your Avios balance, check out the full list here .

British Airways Loyalty Program: The Insider’s Guide

There are so many great sweet spots to explore within the British Airways Executive Club and Avios that it is too much to cover in this article, so I wrote a separate article on it here so I could cover each point in-depth.

British Airways Executive Club Status Tiers

Once you earn coverted tier points on British Airways and oneworld partner operated flights, you are eligible to upgrade to British Airways Executive Club frequent flyer elite status tiers when you reach certain tier point thresholds, which unlock additional perks and benefits the more often you fly. Each tier is based on achieving a minimum number of tier points and achieving a minimum number of “eligible” flights.

There are five frequent flyer tiers in the British Airways Executive Club frequent flyer program: Blue, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Gold Guest List. Below, we will go through each of the different status tiers, how to earn them and the benefits and perks they provide when you fly. It is important you evaluate the different perks and benefits available against how much you fly and your individual travel budget, as some of the top tiers may not be worth striving to achieve if you don’t frequently fly long-haul or to destinations with oneworld Emerald (first-class) lounges. If you are just short of the next tier and want to boost your tier point balance before your membership tier year ends, take a look through my mileage run article here for some ideas.

British Airways Executive Club Blue

Blue is is the entry-level tier of the British Airways Executive Club loyalty program. You will get this status as soon as you join, and will have this until you have enough tier points to move up to the next tier, Bronze.

Blue essentially enables you the ability to earn Avios and tier points.

British Airways Executive Club Bronze

British Airways Executive Club Bronze is the second tier in the rewards program, requiring a minimum of  300 tier points  to be earned within your membership year, or take 25 “ eligible flights ”. The tier point threshold is easier (and usually cheaper) to reach than the eligible flight threshold , but it’s a good option if you need to fly for work or business regularly and only fly Economy. Once you achieve Bronze status, you get the access to the following benefits:

• Seat Selection (7 days prior to flight departure)
• 25% bonus Avios on British Airways, oneworld and Partner Airline Flights
• Priority check-in
• Priority Boarding

British Airways Executive Club Silver

British Airways Executive Club Silver is the third tier of the loyalty program, and where perks and benefits start to get interesting. In my opinion, this is the best value British Airways Executive Club tier, and if you fly frequently, the British Airways status tier you should aim for. To qualify, you must earn a minimum of 600 Tier Points, including 4 eligible flights , or take 50 eligible flights within your membership year. Once you achieve Silver status, you get access to the following perks and benefits:

• Seat Selection (At booking)
• 50% bonus Avios on British Airways, oneworld and Partner Airline Flights
• Additional baggage allowance
• Fast-track at London Heathrow Terminal 3 and Terminal 5
• Access to British Airways Business Class/Galleries Lounges worldwide when flying British Airways or oneworld Partners + 1 guest
• Access to over 600 oneworld Sapphire Lounges worldwide when flying British Airways or oneworld Partners + 1 guest
• Dedicated British Airways Support Line

This is essentially the same ground experience as Club Europe or Club World, which makes travel so smooth when you fly Economy or Premium Economy.

British Airways Executive Club Gold

British Airways Gold is the ultimate tier status in the British Airways Executive Club Loyalty Program. This is for the most frequent of frequent flyers and will often require mileage runs to achieve (unless you fly super regularly for work). You must achieve 1,500 tier points within your membership year, including 4 eligible flights . This is a fairly tall-ask for most people, so will likely need to include several long-haul trips per year in Club World or First to achieve.

Once you achieve British Airways Executive Club Gold, you gain access to the following perks and benefits:

• 100% bonus Avios on British Airways, oneworld and Partner Airline Flights
• First Class check-in (where available, such as at London Heathrow Terminal 5)
• Priority (First Class when available) Boarding
• Fast-track at London Heathrow Terminal 3
• Dedicated Security Channel at London Heathrow Terminal 5
• Access to British Airways First Lounges worldwide when flying British Airways or oneworld Partners (Concorde Room is excluded) + 1 guest
• Access to British Airways Arrivals lounge after long-haul flights (no guest access)
• Access to 26 oneworld Emerald First Class Lounges worldwide when flying British Airways or oneworld Partners
• Extra Avios flight redemption availability
• Ability to Transfer Avios to other British Airways Executive Club members for free

British Airways Gold frequent flyer status is a frequent flyer’s dream, and is often a collector’s item amongst globetrotters. If you are interested in achieving Gold status and don’t fly Club World or First regularly, check out my other article here on mileage runs .

British Airways Executive Club Gold Guest List

British Airways Gold Guest List is a secret tier within Gold, for the top, top, top British Airways frequent flyers. To achieve Gold Guest List status, you must earn over 5,000 tier points within your membership year. To renew your status, only 3,000 tier points is needed, however this is still a very tall ask for most flyers. So with all that long-haul flying, how does British Airways reward you?

In addition to the Gold perks above:

• Twice per year, you can request BA open up Avios flight redemption availability on any flight (with cash availability) in any cabin, for up to five reward seats
• Dedicated Gold Guest List 24-hour British Airways Support Line
• Access to British Airways Business Class/Galleries/First Lounges + 5 Guests 
• Access to British Airways Arrivals Lounge + 1 guest
• Concorde Room Access at London Heathrow Terminal 5 + 1 guest (when flying any class on British Airways or any other oneworld carrier )
• Ability to gift British Airways Executive Club Gold Partner status to one person, and British Airways Silver status to two more people
• Free Hilton Honors Diamond Status
• Complimentary upgrade to 1 st  class on the Heathrow Express

My Thoughts on Gold Guest List

5,000 tier points is a tall-ask for even the most frequent of frequent flyers. If you fly very frequently long-haul for work and these perks are worthwhile to you, a strategic mileage run or two (or three) may be worthwhile in order to obtain Gold Guest List status. With careful route planning and a suitable budget, it is absolutely possible to achieve. Gold Guest List is the ultimate British Airways’ fan collector’s item. Additionally, the lower renewal requirements of 3,000 tier points make it easier to renew in subsequent years. Bear in mind that once you reach a total of 35,000 lifetime tier points, British Airways will gift you Lifetime Gold status.

British Airways Executive Club Partner Airlines

One major advantage of being a member of the British Airways Executive Club is the ability to earn and redeem Avios on partner airlines. British Airways is part of the oneworld alliance , giving you access to earn Avios and tier points, redeem Avios and receive frequent flyer benefits based on your elite status on 13 airlines that fly to over 900 destinations worldwide. British Airways also partners (codeshares) with Aer Lingus, Bangkok Airways, China Southern, airBaltic, Fiji Airways, Kenya Airways, Airlink, Loganair, Vueling and Vistara. Earning and redemption opportunities, as well as frequent flyer status benefits vary from airline to airline, so best to check before you book.

Can you earn Avios and Tier Points on non-British Airways flights?

These partner airlines ( oneworld and codeshare partnerships) mean that even if you’re not flying with British Airways, you may still be able to earn miles/Avios on your flights and use them towards future flights or other Avios redemptions, as well as earn tier points.

New Destinations and Connecting Routes

Partner airlines give you access to unique destinations with no direct flights by British Airways. These could include flying from Omaha, Nebraska to London, or Osaka to Helsinki. Booked on the same ticket, the transfer would usually be seamless, allowing you to enjoy your time at the stopover airport instead of worrying about your luggage.

Additionally, partner airlines open up more flight options on key routes. This includes the key transatlantic route between New York and London. You could fly to London on British Airways, and back on American Airlines if the flight times work better for your schedule. All whilst still earning Avios and tier points.

More Avios Redemption Flight Availability

Partner airlines are also super helpful for Avios redemption flights. There is a greater chance that there is reward flight availability on the date and route you are after if there are multiple flights per day flown by multiple partner airlines.

In all, British Airways’ Partner Airlines provide you access to more flights, more destinations and more routes than British Airways’ own flight network to get you where you need to go faster.

How to join the British Airways Executive Club

Not a British Airways Executive Club member yet? Signing up is easy.

If you are based in the USA, simply click on the registration form on the British Airways website here and enter your details.

If you are based in the UK, click on the registration form on the British Airways website here .

It really is that simple. Once you have signed up, you will receive your British Airways Executive Club membership number. Adding this membership number to any upcoming oneworld flights or British Airways flights you are either about to book or have booked, means you will start earning Avios and Tier Points right away.

Conclusion: Is British Airways Executive Club Right For You?

In conclusion, British Airways Executive Club is a great frequent flyer program for those of you based in the UK, Europe or US with regular European, domestic UK or Transatlantic travel with oneworld partners. There are plenty of low-cost Avios and tier point earning opportunities no matter where you are located in the world. 

The limiting factor is the minimum “ eligible flights ” for higher tier status with British Airways, so do bear that in mind if you are looking at attaining BA Silver or Gold with British Airways. 

For US-based oneworld frequent flyers who have the occasional trip across the Atlantic (at least once a year), it can be a great option, that will give you American Airlines Admiral Club access if you hold BA Silver or above. This contrasts to American Airlines’ own frequent flyer program , in which you don’t get domestic lounge access until the very, very top tiers of the program.

If you haven’t already, join the British Airways Executive Club today.

An excellent use of Avios: British Airways’ Reward Flight Saver redemptions

Avios, the rewards currency of the British Airways Executive Club program, are easy to earn and redeem even if you don't travel to the United Kingdom.

Long-haul premium cabin redemptions booked through the Executive Club program can also require significant fees, taxes and surcharges, making this currency appear less valuable.

However, Reward Flight Savers are a fantastic use of Avios, as they allow you to pay less than $1 per flight in fees, taxes and surcharges. That's about as close to free travel as you can get.

Reward Flight Savers are available on all British Airways-operated flights worldwide in all cabins except first class.

Related: Lower fuel surcharges: Reward Flight Saver rolled out on all British Airways flights

Reward Flight Saver basics

Reward Flight Savers are priced per flight, not per journey. So, if you are flying from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Geneva via London on British Airways, the award is priced based on the distance per segment. Since you'll have a stopover in London, it may be more convenient and a better value to book a paid ticket on another airline with a direct flight.

As well as having the Avios available in your Executive Club account, you must have earned at least 1 Avios in the 12 months before booking in order to take advantage of Reward Flight Saver.

Reward Flight Savers can be especially valuable for last-minute flights, as their fixed prices keep costs low. I have regularly used Reward Flight Savers for flights less than 650 miles a few days in advance when revenue fares were more than $200. That's a fantastic use, based on TPG's Avios valuation .

Reward Flight Saver awards are marked with a blue starburst with a bank note icon above the flight number.

Reward Flight Saver for short-haul flights

Reward Flight Savers are an especially great deal for short-haul flights operated by British Airways to or from the U.K. and within the Caribbean . You will need just 50 British pence (about $0.62) per flight plus Avios for flights less than 2,000 miles.

This is a great option if you are Avios rich. Remember, all Avios redemptions include free checked luggage . You can also use any elite benefits with Oneworld partner airlines like American Airlines .

You can also elect to pay more cash and fewer Avios, if you wish. To get the best redemption value for your Avios, the sweet spot on short-haul redemptions is choosing the 17.50 British pounds ($21.90) option in economy or 25 British pounds ($31.30) in business class.

Reward Flight Savers for long-haul flights

Standard Avios pricing for long-haul flights on British Airways can allow you to fly to Europe in business class for as little as 50,000 Avios each way. There's only one catch: There are very high carrier-imposed fuel surcharges .

If you instead choose the Reward Flight Saver option, you will pay more Avios in exchange for reducing the surcharges to a more reasonable level.

Whether you want to part with more cash or more Avios, the choice is yours.

Here's how the Reward Flight Saver pricing breaks down on two popular routes from the U.S. to Europe with return flights on off-peak dates.

Related: British Airways' Club Suites don't disappoint: On board a retrofitted 777 from London to New York

How to earn Avios

Credit cards.

The easiest way to earn a meaningful number of Avios for everyday spending is by applying for the British Airways Visa Signature Card .

This card — issued by Chase and therefore subject to the 5/24 rule — currently offers 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. TPG values Avios at 1.5 cents each, making the full bonus worth $1,125.

The British Airways Visa Signature has a $95 annual fee and earns 3 Avios per dollar spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Level. Plus, you can earn 2 Avios per dollar spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel. All other purchases earn 1 Avios per dollar spent.

Transferable rewards cards

Savvy TPG readers know that we usually recommend sticking with cards that earn transferable points because of their added flexibility. This strategy still applies if you're trying to accrue Avios. British Airways is a transfer partner of Capital One , Chase Ultimate Rewards , American Express Membership Rewards , Bilt Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy , making Avios one of the easiest currencies to earn .

Most points transfer from Chase, Bilt and Amex at a 1:1 ratio (in addition to occasional transfer bonuses of up to 40%). Meanwhile, Marriott points transfer to Avios at a 3:1 ratio. Plus, you'll get a 5,000-Avios bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred.

The following cards currently offer strong welcome bonuses that you could easily convert to Avios:

• American Express® Gold Card : Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. Terms apply.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express : Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Check to see if you're targeted for a 125,000-point welcome offer through CardMatch (offer subject to change at any time). Terms apply.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card : Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card : Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card : Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve : Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Ink Business Preferred Credit Card : Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

You can also purchase Avios, which sometimes go on sale .

Bottom line

British Airways rightfully has a bad reputation for its surcharges on redemptions in all classes. The airline has addressed this by allowing Executive Club members to use more Avios in exchange for lower surcharges by way of Reward Flight Savers. On short-haul flights, the option of paying less than a dollar plus Avios on a full-service airline across Europe is tough to beat.

For longer-haul flights, travelers with large Avios balances may wish to take advantage of this option to lower the cash cost of their next redemption.

• Book Travel
• Credit Cards

British Airways Executive Club

Best ways to earn:

Best ways to redeem:.

British Airways is the flagship carrier of the United Kingdom and a member of the Oneworld airline alliance.

British Airways Executive Club is the loyalty program for the airline, through which members can earn and redeem British Airways Avios for British Airways award flights, and for award flights with partner airlines.

The British Airways Executive Club has become a popular loyalty program to invest in due to the many redemption options on partner airlines and the ease of earning points through credit cards and transfer partners.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything there is to know about British Airways Executive Club, including the best way to earn Avios and how to get the most out of your Avios redemptions.

Earning British Airways Avios

There are many ways to earn British Airways Avios, and in fact, British Airways Executive Club is one of the easiest loyalty programs to access in Canada and the US through credit cards and transfer partners.

You can also earn British Airways Avios by flying with British Airways and Oneworld Alliance partners, and by shopping, booking travel, and purchasing Avios directly from British Airways.

Canadian Credit Cards

In Canada, the fastest way to earn Avios is through credit card loyalty programs that allow you to transfer their points currency to the Avios program.

There are two available credit card program options: American Express Membership Rewards and RBC Avion Rewards.

Points from both programs can be transferred to British Airways Executive Club at a rate of 1 point = 1 Avios.

Additionally, there are frequent transfer bonuses, especially from the RBC Avion Rewards program. These bonuses can be anywhere from 10–50%; though, a 30% transfer bonus is the most common.

For earning American Express Membership Rewards points, there are many credit cards that allow you to build up a healthy balance in a short amount of time.

You can fasttrack your way to a large points balance with welcome bonuses, and then continue to pad your balance by spending on cards with category multipliers.

The RBC Avion program also has a solid lineup of Avion-earning credit cards. The most popular card is the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite† , which consistently offers a welcome bonus of between 35,000–55,000 Avion points.

A welcome bonus of 55,000 RBC Avion points could be converted to 71,500 British Airways Avios if transferred during one of the many 30% transfer bonus periods.

RBC also offers the RBC® British Airways Visa Infinite† Card. You’ll earn Avios through the card’s welcome bonus and through everyday spending.

The welcome bonus for this card has consistently been around 50,000 Avios, with an additional 10,000 points upon card renewal for a second year.

The RBC® British Airways Visa Infinite† Card offers the following earning rates:

• 2 Avios per dollar spent† on British Airways flights and vacations
• 1 Avios per dollar spent† on all other purchases

US Credit Cards

In the United States, British Airways Executive Club is a transfer partner with the following transferable points currencies at a 1:1 ratio:

• American Express US Membership Rewards
• Bilt Rewards
• Capital One Miles
• Chase Ultimate Rewards

What’s more, Chase offers the co-branded British Airways Visa Signature Card which typically comes with a welcome bonus of up to 75,000 Avios.

With this card, you’ll also earn Avios on purchases at the following rates:

• 3 Avios per dollar spent (USD) on British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia flights
• 2 Avios per dollar spent (USD) on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel
• 1 Avios per dollar spent (USD) on all other eligible purchases

Keep in mind that it’s also possible to earn more Avios on your day-to-day expenses by using an American Express, Capital One, Chase, or Bilt card with their higher category multipliers, and then transferring points over to British Airways Executive Club.

Similar to Canada, there are often promotions in the US through which you can get an extra 30–50% when you transfer other loyalty program points to Avios.

These bonus offers tend to come around a few times a year, and if you’ve got your eye on a redemption from your Executive Club account, it’s a great way to maximize your account balance.

Flying with British Airways and Partner Airlines

You can earn Avios by crediting any paid flights with British Airways or other partner airlines to your British Airways Executive Club account.

On British Airways-marketed flights, you’ll earn Avios based on the amount you spend in British pounds (GBP) on the base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges.

In addition, you’ll earn Avios on ancillary costs such as baggage, seat selection, and cabin upgrade fees.

The number of Avios you’ll earn on British Airways flights is dependent on your British Executive Club status level, with the levels and corresponding earn rate as follows:

• Blue: 6 Avios per £1 spent
• Bronze: 7 Avios per £1 spent
• Silver: 8 Avios per £1 spent
• Gold: 9 Avios per £1 spent

With partner airlines, including Oneworld alliance carriers, the number of Avios you earn on any given booking depends on several factors, including the class of service flown, the fare booked, and the airline with which you flew.

There’s a handy calculator on the British Airways website which you can use to help determine how many Avios you’ll earn on a British Airways or Oneworld airline flight.

Transferring from Other Avios Loyalty Programs

One of the unique characteristics of Avios is that there are other Avios “flavours” with different airline loyalty programs – especially those belonging to the members of the International Airlines Group (IAG).

Avios can be transferred 1:1 among programs that use them as currency. Aside from British Airways, the following programs also accrue Avios:

• Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Iberia Plus
• Aer Lingus AerClub
• Vueling Club

This means that if you’re sitting on a stash of, say, Qatar Airways Avios, you can move them to your British Airways Executive Club account instantly, where they become British Airways Avios.

Transferring from Marriott Bonvoy

The Marriott Bonvoy program also partners with British Airways Executive Club, which means that you can convert Bonvoy points to British Airways Avios at a rate of 3 Marriott Bonvoy points = 1 Avios.

You’ll also get an additional 5,000 Avios for every 60,000 Bonvoy points you transfer at one time.

However, it’s worth noting that you can usually get better value by redeeming your Bonvoy points for hotel stays; therefore, unless you’re in urgent need of Avios and have no other way to earn them, it’s likely best to save your Bonvoy points for stays instead.

Travel Bookings

British Airways offers bonus Avios when travel is booked with a range of partners.
 For example, you’ll earn an extra 1 Avios per dollar spent through British Airways Holidays.

You can also earn Avios with major hotel chains, such as Accor, IHG, and Marriott, as well as on bookings made through the British Airways hotel portal. For Airbnb bookings, you can earn 3 Avios per US dollar/British pound/Euro spent.

Budget and Avis also have a partnership with British Airways, and for car rentals with these partners, you’ll earn 5 Avios per £1 spent with Avis and 2 Avios per £1 spent with Budget.

Avios Shopping Portal

British Airways also offers the opportunity to earn Avios online through their shopping portal.

By beginning an online shopping session in the portal, you can earn up to 10 Avios per dollar spent on eligible purchases (with the occasional offer for an even higher earn rate).

Buying Avios

Lastly, the quickest possible way to rack up British Airways Avios is to purchase them directly from British Airways.

Generally speaking, there are two scenarios in which buying points might make sense.

First, if you’re a few Avios short for a particular redemption, you might consider buying points to top up your account so you can immediately enjoy the redemption you want.

Second, sometimes buying points and redeeming them for a business class or First Class flight is actually less expensive than paying cash for the same flights.

If you’re going to pay cash for a specific flight regardless, it’s worth exploring whether there’s an opportunity to save money. In this case, be sure to find award availability first, and then compare the cost of buying points versus paying cash for the booking outright.

If the cost of purchasing the points is less than the cash cost of the fare, you can buy the required points and book the award fare to save some money.

Redeeming British Airways Avios

The way to get the most value out of your British Airways Avios is by redeeming them for flights.

British Airways Executive Club uses a distance-based award chart for redeeming Avios on British Airways and partner airlines award flights.

There are two different charts for reference; one chart is for one-way flights booked on British Airways, and the other is for one-way flights booked on most other partner airlines.

To figure out how many Avios you’ll need for an award flight with British Airways, you‌ can reference the following chart.

Keep in mind that redeeming Avios on British Airways flights tends to come with prohibitively high taxes, fees, and carrier-imposed surcharges; however, by using British Airways’ Reward Flight Saver pricing, you can choose to redeem additional Avios to help cover these costs.

Alternatively, it’s often better to use British Airways Avios to book award flights with partner airlines.

British Airways is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance. To determine the cost of redemptions with Oneworld partner airlines, you can reference the corresponding distance-based award chart.

Oneworld partner airline award bookings typically have a higher cost in points than British Airways, but the taxes and fees tend to be significantly lower.

It’s worth noting that the cost in Avios for flights with Iberia and Aer Lingus may differ than those on the above charts.

Flight Upgrades

You can also use Avios to upgrade an existing British Airways, Iberia, or American Airlines flight by upgrading cash bookings as well as award flight bookings.

The number of Avios required is simply the difference in the cost of Avios between the cabin you want to upgrade to and the cabin you’re currently booked in.

You can upgrade a previously booked flight, or you upgrade at the time of booking with British Airways directly.

Other Ways to Redeem British Airways Avios

British Airways Executive Club members have many other non-flight options for redeeming Avios; however, it’s worth mentioning again that you’ll get the most value out of your Avios by booking award flights.

That said, if you have no plans to ever fly again, there are options available for you to use up your Avios.

You can redeem Avios for hotels, car rentals, experiences, and more through British Airways travel portal.

When redeeming this way, you’ll get around 0.6 cents (USD) per Avios point, which is significantly lower than our valuation of Avios at 1.5 cents (USD) each.

Lastly, you can also transfer Avios to another British Airways Executive Club member.

With this option, you can transfer up to 60,000 Avios at a time and up to 200,000 per year. Executive Club Gold members can transfer for free, and for other members, each transfer will cost 50 USD/GBP/EUR, depending on where your account is based.

British Airways Executive Club Sweet Spots

The British Airways Avios program offers up a ton of value and some incredible sweet spots.

In this section, we’ll go over some key areas you’ll want to be aware of if you’re hoping to maximize the value of your points.

Qatar Airways Flights

One of the most popular redemptions with Avios is to book business class and First Class flights with Qatar Airways.

Notably, partner redemptions on Qatar Airways don’t follow the partner award charts listed above, and, in fact, they don’t follow any award chart at all.

Rather, since Qatar Airways joined the Avios program and Avios became transferable 1:1 between British Airways Executive Club and Qatar Airways Privilege Club, British Airways has matched award pricing with what was previously the Qatar Airways Qmiles program.

This has led to some incredible redemption opportunities on Qatar Airways’s spectacular Qsuites business class.

To give you an idea of what type of Qatar Airways award flights are available, here are a few examples of potential bookings:

• One-way business class from North America to Doha for 70,000 Avios
• One-way business class from North America to the Maldives for 85,000 Avios
• One-way business class from the Middle East to Europe for 45,000 Avios

When booking award flights on Qatar Airways, you’ll want to compare the pricing on the British Airways Executive Club website as well as Qatar Airways’s own Privilege Club program, and then book with whichever program is cheaper.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to link your British Airways and Qatar Airways accounts first; this way you’ll be able to move Avios around freely between the two.

It’s also worth noting that you may see more award availability for Qatar Airways flights when you’re searching in the Qatar Privilege Club booking portal.

This can be certainly be helpful if you’re struggling to find award availability through British Airways, but you’ll want to compare the cost to make sure they’re still providing good redemption value.

Short-Haul Flights

Another sweet spot with British Airways Avios comes when you redeem points for short-haul flights that are close to the upper limit of the flight chart’s distance band.

Due to the nature of the distance-based award chart, you’ll get the most value out of an award flight booking when the flight’s distance is close to the upper limit of any given zone.

For example, Zone 4 with partner flights covers a distance of 2,001–3,000 miles, and flights from the west coast of the US to Hawaii are close to but still under the 3,000-mile distance.

This means that a one-way economy flight on this route can be booked for as little as 13,000 Avios.

Multi-Carrier Award Chart

British Airways has an entirely separate award chart for booking flight itineraries with two or more Oneworld airlines.

The British Airways Avios Multi-Carrier Award chart is certainly more complicated to understand and book than a standard one-way flight; however, you can get a lot out of your Avios if you’re willing to spend the time searching for flights and then calling in to make the booking.

Tips and Tricks

There are a handful of things you can do within the British Airways Executive Club program to get the most out of your Avios. In this section, we’ll take a look at a few tips and tricks that can help improve your points experience.

Transferring Avios to Other Programs

By transferring Avios from British Airways to Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, or Iberia Plus, you’ll have access to more redemption options.

For example, by transferring Avios and booking with Aer Lingus, you can‌ save on the heavy taxes and fees normally charged by British Airways.

By transferring Avios to Qatar Airways, you’ll have access to more business class and First Class award availability with Flexi Awards.

That said, it’s always best to compare the prices between British Airways Executive Club and other Avios currency programs; often the prices will be similar across the programs, but sometimes it’ll make the most sense to book through a specific program.

British Airways Companion Award eVoucher

British Airways Companion Award eVouchers can be earned through select co-branded credit cards, and with a companion voucher, you can save a lot of Avios on award flights.

In fact, despite the name, companion vouchers can be redeemed for a solo booking, reducing the cost in Avios by 50%.)

Pooling Points

Lastly, British Airways allows family members to share Avios with a household account.

With this option, if you don’t want to pay to transfer Avios to a family member, you can form a household account and pool your Avios together.

When taking advantage of this feature, there are a few key rules to be aware of: members of a household account can’t redeem their Avios for anyone outside of the account, changes to the registered household account address can only be made once every six months, and Executive Club Members must be 18 years or older before they can spend their Avios.

British Airways Executive Club Elite Status

British Airways Executive Club has four elite status levels: Blue, Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

Every British Airways Executive Club member start at the Blue level, and you can reach higher elite status by earning Tier Points and by flying on eligible flights.

The yearly requirements for each status level are:

• Bronze:  300 Tier Points and two eligible flights, or 25 eligible British Airways flights
• Silver:  600 Tier Points and four eligible flights, or 50 eligible British Airways flights
• Gold:  1,500 Tier Points and four eligible flights

Tier Points are earned when you fly on cash bookings with British Airways or with a Oneworld airline partner, and you attach your British Airways Executive Club number to the reservation.

The amount of Tier Points you’ll earn will depend on the route, airline, and fare class. You can use British Airways’s flight calculator to figure out how many Tier points you’ll earn from any given flight.

In addition to earning Tier Points, you’ll need to fly on eligible flights, defined as:

• A flight operated or marketed by British Airways, including its franchisees, such as BA CityFlyer
• A flight operated and marketed by Iberia, including its franchisees, such as Iberia Regional by Air Nostrum

This means that even if you’ve earned enough Tier Points for a given status level, you’ll still have to fly with British Airways or Iberia to‌ earn the corresponding status, and unfortunately, reward bookings don’t count as eligible flights.

Each status tier comes with better benefits than the status before, and you can find all of the benefits, including priority check in, priority boarding, free checked bags, and much more.

Silver and Gold elite status members will enjoy lounge access when flying with British Airways and partner airlines.

Gold elite members have access to additional reward flight availability in economy and the use of First Class check-in desks in addition to other benefits.

Each Executive Club status tier also matches to a Oneworld alliance elite status which comes with additional benefits when flying with partner airlines.

• Bronze members match to Oneworld Ruby level
• Silver members match to Oneworld Sapphire level
• Gold members match to Oneworld Emerald level

British Airways Avios is a powerful program because it fulfills a need that few other programs serve.

As frequent travellers, we often need to get between neighbouring cities quickly and efficiently, and often times buying a ticket with cash outright can be quite expensive for such a short flight.

That’s where Avios comes in, meeting this need perfectly with its distance-based award chart.

The fact that there’s some more sweet spots in the award chart, such as flying Qatar Airways QSuites to the Middle East, is just the icing on the cake.

British Airways Executive Club Limits Japan Airlines Award Flight Availability

• British Airways Executive Club is experiencing Avios redemption issues on partner airlines, especially Japan Airlines.
• These issues only affect BA, with other one world carriers reportedly being able to book using miles.

British Airways' loyalty program, called the Executive Club, allows frequent flyers to gather Avios on all airline flights and one world partner flights. These miles keep accumulating on the passenger's account and can be redeemed in various ways, such as upgrades or seat selection. The most popular use, however, is award redemption, when an itinerary is booked using the airline's mile currency instead of cash.

According to Loyalty Lobby , the British flag carrier has been experiencing issues with Avios bookings on partner airlines. Initially, difficulties were reported when booking award flights on partner airline Cathay Pacific (CX) based in Hong Kong. However, more recent research suggests that the availability of flights operated by Japanese flag carrier Japan Airlines (JAL) has been limited.

This is surprising, as airlines can typically make award bookings available for partner airlines, especially those in the same alliance. This is the case for both JL and CX. While frequent flyers of the respective airlines are typically given priority over other alliance flyers, it is unusual to see them restricted entirely.

The article cites examples of JAL bookings from Hong Kong to Tokyo and on the popular domestic route of Tokyo Osaka. Redemption is available for AAdvantage members and Alaska Airlines, but not with the Executive Club. This only affects British Airways customers.

How Does The British Airways Executive Club Work?

BA has a strong community of frequent flyers, whom it seeks to make more loyal through punctuated exclusive flights bookable only through Avios; therefore, it seems surprising that redemption is limited, especially on popular premium-heavy partners in Asia. Simple Flying has reached out to BA for comment.

Changes are coming to Avios

Some avid readers will remember our recent article on IAG, in which British Airways, with Iberia and Vueling, rebranded the frequent flyer program, Avios . To keep up with the competition, like Flying Blue, the group updated the website to allow customers to create an account with the member airline of their choice.

They can then gather the currency and book reward flights on member airlines that share it, like Qatar Airways or the more comprehensive one world network. While the process does not yet include a unified account like some competitors, it allows prospective users to find information on a unified website, creating a more streamlined experience.

Bottom line

Overall, frequent flyer programs allow their members flexibility when trying out new airlines. However, there can be limitations and technical difficulties from time to time. So travelers must bear that in mind when hunting for coveted redemption flights on the airline or alliance of their choice.

Have you experienced issues with booking redemption flights with your airline recently? How was it resolved? Also, what has been your most memorable flight booked with miles so far? Let us know in the comments below!