British Airways Avios can be redeemed for flights, seat upgrade, hotels, and car rentals. You will get the best value when redeeming them for flights with British Airways and their airline partners.
British Airways Avios value
Avios are worth around 1 cent each for economy flights, but you can get as much as 2 cents or more for business class flights. This means 10,000 Avios can be worth anywhere from $100 to $200 on average depending on how you use them.
Here's The Point Calculator's valuations for British Airways Avios:
| Redemption option | Redemption value in cents |
|---|---|
| Business and first class flights with British Airways and oneworld partners | 1.8 - 2.2 |
| Standard flight redemptions with British Airways and oneworld partners | 0.8 - 1.2 |
| Redeeming points for hotels and car rentals | 0.6 - 0.7 |
Redeeming Avios for Reward Flights
Avios will have the best value when redeemed for reward flights. Your standard economy flights will get you anywhere from 0.8 to 1.2 cents per Avios on average while business class flights will be around 2 cents each.
Listed below are a few of the best ways to get the most value out of your flight redemptions.
Short-haul flights
One of the best way to use British Airways Avios is for short-haul flights on British Airways and partner flights. This is due to British Airways having a distance-based award chart.
Short-haul one-way flights of up to 651 miles to, from, or within North America will cost you 7,500 Avios while the same flights everywhere else will cost you at 6,000 Avios.
You can also fly a farther distance of between 651 and 1,151 miles for 9,000 Avios.
Since American Airlines and Alaska Airlines are oneworld partners, you can use the British Airways website to book short-haul flights with these airlines.
In Canada, for example, you can fly from Toronto (YYZ) to Boston (BOS) using American Airlines for 7,500 Avios.
Or Vancouver (YVR) to Los Angeles (LAX) for 9,000 Avios.
It's also useful for bouncing around Oneworld hubs in other places around the world. For example, you can fly from Hong Kong (HKG) to Taipei (TPE) on Cathay Pacific Airways, a oneworld partner, for 7,500 Avios plus taxes/fees.
West Coast flights to Hawaii
If you're on the West Coast of the United States, you can fly from major West Coast cities to the Hawaiian Islands for 13,000 Avios one-way. This is due to the Avios distance-based chart and both American Airlines and Alaska being a oneworld partner.
Qatar Flights
British Airways Avios can be converted to Qatar Airways Avios at a 1:1 ratio which opens up all of the best options for Qatar Airways. This can be done by linking your British Airways Executive Club and Qatar Privilege Club accounts through the Combine my Avios option under Manage My Account.
Qatar doesn't have the best redemption options, but there are a few sweet spots in the program if you're looking to fly first or business class with Qatar.
- Qatar: U.S. to Doha, 70,000 Avios in Business Class, one-way
- Qatar: Europe to Doha, 64,500 Avios in First Class, one-way
You can also use Qatar Avios to fly first and business class with partner airlines, though it will cost you astronomical amounts of Avios. For example, there's a few select routes you can use to fly in Qantas First Class to Australia starting at 225,000 Avios.
Iberia Flights
British Airways Avios can be converted to Iberia Avios at a 1:1 ratio through the Combine my Avios option. This isn't necessarily a top-tier option, but it's worth mentioning if you find a good award redemption through Iberia Plus.
Upgrading flights with Avios
British Airways Avios can be used to upgrade a cash booking to the next cabin whenever there's availability. This can be done on British Airways, Iberia, and American Airline flights.
You can upgrade an existing booking or upgrade at the time of booking and it doesn't matter if it's a one-way or roundtrip.
The cost of the upgrade will vary, but it will be based on the Avios costs for reward flights in the cabins you are upgrading from and to. It will also depend on whether your flight is scheduled on a peak or off-peak date.
You can search your flight and look at the cost in Avios between the class you're in and the one you'll be upgraded to. That will give you an idea (if not the exact) cost of the upgrade.
Using Avios as part payment
When making a cash booking with British Airways, you'll be given the chance to use your Avios to reduce the price of your flight. This can be done on all British Airways flights, American Airlines flights between the UK and North America, and on British Airways codeshare flights with the following airlines:
- Air Baltic
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- Bangkok Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- China Eastern
- China Southern
- Fiji Airways
- Finnair
- Flybe
- Japan Airlines
- LATAM
- Loganair
- Qantas
- Qatar
- S7
- Vistara
When booking your cash flight, you'll be able to choose the option you want (assuming you have enough Avios). The value you get out of this option will vary, but you will typically get more value when you choose to redeem less Avios.
Redeeming Avios for hotels and cars
British Airways Avios can be used to book hotels and rent cars through the British Airways Hotels and Cars Portal. Hotels will give your British Airways Avios around 0.6 cents in value while car rentals average out around 0.7 cents each.
When selecting a hotel through the portal, you'll be shown the average cost per night in Avios for the hotel along with a bunch of Avios & Money options. The majority of the Avios & Money options seem to give a lower value.
Some options that I tested gave me as low as 0.1 cents per Avios which is quite terrible, but I was also able to find some that gave value as high as 0.7 cents per Avios and actually came out better than paying all Avios.
If you plan on using your British Airways Avios to book a hotel stay and you want the best value, you'll want to calculate the value of each option because you never know which one could be a winner.
Renting cars through the portal will behave the same as booking hotels. After doing a search, you'll be shown the cost of the rental in all Avios as well as be given several Avios & Money options to choose from.
With the car rental options, I found the Avios & Money options to still give around the same value as paying all Avios.
Still... you'll want to calculate the value of the Avios & Money options one-by-one if you want to make sure you're getting a great deal.
You can use the Avios & Money Calculator to calculate the cash value you'll get out of these redemptions.
Calculator: Convert Avios to dollars
Use the Avios Value Calculator to determine the average dollar value of British Airways Avios when used for flights, hotels, and car rentals. This will give you an idea of how much your Avios are worth.
Avios Points Value Calculator
Enter any amount of Avios to calculate the average dollar value.| Redemption options | Average dollar value |
|---|---|
| Business and first class flights with British Airways and oneworld partners | $0 - $0 |
| Standard flight redemptions with British Airways and oneworld partners | $0 - $0 |
| Redeeming points for hotels and car rentals | $0 - $0 |
Avios & Money Calculator
When redeeming Avios for hotel, car rental, and flight options, you're given the option to pay with a mix of Avios and cash. Depending on the redemption, you'll usually get a better option when paying Avios & Money compared to paying all Avios.
If you know the full cost of the redemption in cash (including fees/taxes), you can enter in the Avios & Money amounts in the table and it will output the value of your Avios. This will help you easily calculate which redemption gives you the best value.
Finding the best credit card for British Airways Avios
The best travel card for earning British Airways Avios in Canada will be an American Express Membership Rewards credit card, RBC Avion credit card, or co-branded British Airways credit card.
American Express Membership Rewards
Membership Rewards points can be converted into British Airways Avios at a rate of 1:1. This makes AMEX's program one of the best for earning Avios on everyday spend due to their solid earning rates and high intro bonuses.
Here are the Membership Rewards credit cards that American Express offers:
- Earn 2X points on dining and food delivery purchases in Canada
- Earn 2X points on travel
- Earn 1X points on all other purchases
- $200 Annual Travel Credit, $200 Annual Dining Credit, and $100 CAD NEXUS statement credit
- Access 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide with American Express Global Lounge Collection
- Enroll in complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status and Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
- Top notch travel and purchase insurance
- Plus Fine Hotels & Resorts, The Hotel Collection, Global Dining Collection, benefits at Toronto Pearson, and much more
- $799 annual fee
- Card Value & AMEX Platinum Points Calculator
- Earn 2X points on travel, including flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and more
- Earn 2X points on eligible gas, grocery and drugstore purchases in Canada
- Earn 1X points on everything else
- Annual $100 CAD Travel Credit and $50 CAD NEXUS Statement Credit
- Priority Pass and Plaza Premium Lounge access
- Access to hotel benefits when booking through The Hotel Collection
- Top notch travel and purchase insurance
- $250 annual fee
- Card Value & AMEX Gold Points Calculator
- Earn 5X points on eligible restaurant and grocery stores in Canada, including food and grocery delivery
- Earn 3X points on streaming subscriptions with select providers in Canada
- Earn 1X points on all other purchases
- Access to hotel benefits when booking through The Hotel Collection
- Travel & purchase insurance
- $12.99 monthly fee ($155.88 annually)
- Card Value & AMEX Cobalt Points Calculator
- Earn 1X points on all card purchases
- Earn 1 additional point on eligible hotel and car rental bookings through AMEX Travel Online
- $0 annual fee
- Card Value & AMEX Green Points Calculator
- Earn 1.25X points on all card purchases
- Access 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide with American Express Global Lounge Collection
- Up to $820 in annual credits
- Complimentary Marriott Gold Bonvoy Elite status and Hilton Honors Gold status (enrollment required)
- Top notch travel and purchase insurance
- Plus Fine Hotels & Resorts, The Hotel Collection, Global Dining Collection, International Airline Program, benefits at Toronto Pearson, and much more
- $799 annual fee
- Card Value & Business Platinum Points Calculator
- Earn 1X points on everything
- Earn 10,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points when you spend $20,000 in net purchases each calendar quarter (up to 40K points annually)
- Travel & purchase insurance
- $199 annual fee
- Card Value & Rewards Calculator
- Earn 3X points on eligible office supplies & electronics, rides & gas, and eats & drinks
- Earn 1X points on all other purchases
- Spend $3,000 or more in Card purchases each monthly billing period to earn a Monthly Spend Bonus, up to 12,000 bonus points a year
- $99 annual fee
- Card Value & Business Edge Points Calculator
RBC Avion Credit Cards
RBC Avion Elite points can be converted into British Airways Avios at a 1:1 rate meaning that every 1,000 RBC Avion Elite points you transfer will give you 1,000 Avios. RBC earning rates are relatively low, but you can still earn a solid amount of points especially with their great intro bonuses.
Here are the RBC credit card that earn Avion Elite points:
Co-branded British Airways Cards
British Airways has one co-branded credit card available in Canada and that is the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card. It's a solid choice if you want to earn Avios directly on your spend.
Here is that card:
| Credit Card | Benefits |
|---|---|
RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card
|
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FAQ
How much are Avios points worth?
Avios points have an average value of 1 cent each for standard economy flight redemptions, but can be worth as much as 2 cents or more for First and Business class flights.
What's the best use of British Airways Avios?
Avios are best used for short-haul trips due to the British Airways flight chart being distance based.
Can you use British Airways Avios for car rentals or hotels?
Yes. You can rent cars and book hotels through the British Airways Hotels and Cars portal.
How much are 250 Avios points worth?
250 Avios are worth about $2.50 for economy flights and $5 for First and Business class flights.
How much are 1,000 Avios points worth?
1,000 Avios are worth about $10 for economy flights and $20 for First and Business class flights.
How much are 15,000 Avios points worth?
15,000 Avios points are worth about $150 towards economy flights and $300 towards First and Business class flights.
How much are 20,000 Avios points worth?
20,000 Avios points are worth about $200 towards economy flights and $400 towards First and Business class flights.
Check out these credit cards from our partners:
- Best for U.S. Dollar purchases: Rogers Red World Elite® Mastercard®
- Best for everyday spending: Rogers Mastercard®
- Best travel card for cash back: Tangerine World Mastercard®
- Best for customizable 2% back: Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card
