The Ultimate Avios Guide

The British Airways Executive Club is one of the most popular frequent flyer programs in the world. The Executive Club offers exclusive, members-only deals on flights, hotel bookings, car rentals, and more. Avios is the official “currency” of the program – as well as four other carriers. Read on in this ultimate guide to learn everything you need to know.

What Are Avios?

Avios is the collective name for a group of loyalty programs from several Oneworld partner airlines. The following airline partners make up the loyalty program group:

The above team also refers to the points system that makes up each program; they are the shared rewards currency that the above airlines use. Collecting Avios is easy – you’ll earn them from flights, hotels, car hires, retail purchases, and more. Rewards can be redeemed towards flights on any of the above partner airlines, connecting you to hundreds of destinations around the world. And, unlike other programs, there are no elite status tiers to worry about.

How to Earn Avios

Frequent flyers with airlines that are part of the network earn rewards when flying with their preferred carrier or any other partner member of the program. Once you’ve signed up for an airline’s loyalty program, you’re ready to begin collecting Avios with of hundreds of partners on a variety of products and services.

Earning Avios with Flights

Earning points with Avios is dependent on the carrier operating the flight. Rewards are typically earned either for euros spent on flights, miles flown, or flights purchased – or a combination of the three. To ensure that they earn Avios, passengers must check that one of the five Avios members markets the trip. This is verifiable by checking the two-letter airline code before the flight number.

Earning Avios with flights is based on the airline with which you book. The breakdown is as follows:

• When you book Aer Lingus flights to and from Ireland, and on to North America, you’ll earn at least three Avios for every Euro you spend.
• When booking flights with British Airways, you’ll earn up to three Avios for every mile you fly on flights to hundreds of destinations worldwide, including places like Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Hawaii, and more.
• Collect up to 2.5 Avios for every mile flown with Iberia on flights within Europe, to North and South America, Africa, and the Middle East.
• Explore destinations across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East as you book with Vueling and collect at least three Avios per euro spent.
• Members who purchase flights with Air Italy will collect at least 125 Avios for every flight booked to and from Italy and Sardinia.

As these rates vary based on the carrier, it is advised that you check with your airline before booking any travel to see if your flight is eligible to earn Avios.

Earning Avios with Partners

Earning rewards is easy; just browse each program’s list of partner brands and choose your favorites from among over 100 different retailers.

Hotels

Members that enjoy hotel stays with spacious rooms, top-quality food, high-speed internet, and other amenities can earn rewards when booking hotels directly through the Avios portal. Members earn 15 Avios for every euro spent when booking a hotel through the portal. You can also earn directly with hotel partners, or when you book a hotel through Expedia.com. Highlights include:

• Best Western® Hotels & Resorts: Earn 500 miles each time you book via bestwestern.co.uk; additionally, if you’re a Best Western Rewards® member, you can change your existing points into Avios at a rate of 1,000 for every 5,000 Best Western Rewards® points transferred.
• Meliá Hotel & Resorts: Guests can enjoy stays at over 360 hotels and resorts in more than 40 countries, and you’ll earn rewards with each visit at a rate of three for every euro spent. Additionally, MeliáRewards points are transferable to Avios.
• com: Collect four points for every Euro spent with hotels.com and choose from over 280,000 hotels in more than 60 countries.
• Agoda: When booked via the Agoda site, you’ll collect up to 10,000 points per night on over 875,000 hotels, villas, and apartments across the globe.

Car Rentals

• Avis: Program members can collect three for every euro spent to hire a rental car at any Avis location worldwide.

Other Avios Partners

Customers can also earn rewards with a variety of retail partners; highlights include:

• Nike: Earn six Avios per U.S. dollar spent at Nike’s U.S. website.
• Bed Bath & Beyond: Collect four Avios per U.S. dollar spent with Bed Bath & Beyond.
• Macy’s: Earn seven Avios per U.S. dollar spent on your favorite clothing and gifts from Macy’s.
• Bloomingdale’s: Collect seven Avios per U.S. dollar spent at Bloomingdale’s.

What Are Avios Worth?

Do Avios Expire?

Avios points remain active as long as you collect, spend, buy or share at least one Avios every 36 months — any longer, and your Avios will expire and be removed. There are lots of simple ways to ensure you’ll never lose the Avios you collect, including shopping with partners, buying points, or other applicable methods.

Redeeming Avios

Members may redeem rewards accrued for flight awards, seat upgrades, and even airport lounge access. These also apply to hotel bookings, car hires, and even activities and experiences at your destination.

Redeeming for Air Travel

Members can easily book an award flight on Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia. Go to Avios.com, use their airline search engine, check out the award charts, and select the flight(s) you’d like. Next, sign in to your account, where you’ll see how many Avios you have at your disposal.

If you find yourself short, you do have the option to purchase more so you can redeem them towards your next vacation (or business trip). Keep in mind that points might not cover any additional tax or fees.

Other Ways to Redeem

Using the airline program’s portal, members can redeem rewards towards more than just airfare.

Hotels

Just as Avios members can collect them through booking hotel stays with partners, they can also redeem them towards stays at hotel properties across the world. There are thousands of offers each day, with deals available at over 100,000 hotels and resorts across the globe. From B&Bs to unique boutiques, major chains to full-service resorts, your Avios can be used to book your accommodation no matter your destination.

Car Rentals

Exploring your vacation destination is always more comfortable with a car rental. Avios can be utilized to hire a quality car from international airport car rentals across the globe, so you’ll save money as you get out and explore.

Activities and Experiences

Once you’ve checked into your hotel, it’s time to get out and have a look around. Every destination is unique and offers different experiences. No matter where you are, however, you’ll have the option to redeem rewards towards memorable adventures. Explore your options by logging into your Avios portal.

Current Avios Credit Card Offers

There are plenty of airline rewards credit cards from a wide selection of credit card issuers. Credit cards that allow you to earn Avios, however, are only issued by one bank: Chase.

Chase Bank issues all three credit cards that earn Avios directly: