| Airlines In Program | British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Vueling |
|---|---|
| Loyalty Program | Avios |
| Currency | Avios Points |
| Average Value of 1 Avios | 1.2p |
| Alliance |
|
The Avios program is a shared awards program owned by British Airways and is also used by Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Vueling. All of these programs allow you to earn Avios, but the act of earning and redeeming them will differ depending on which rewards program you sign up for.
British Airways is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom and the primary holder of the Avios rewards currency. Their main hub is located at London Heathrow and they have a secondary hub located at Gatwick Airport. British Airways serves over 160 destinations and codeshare with 20 airlines. British Airways is part of the oneworld alliance.
Iberia is the flag carrier of Spain and their hub is based out of Madrid-Barajas Airport. They fly to 26 domestic and 63 international destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. Ibera codeshares with more than 20 airlines and is part of the oneworld alliance.
Aer Lingus is the flag carrier of Ireland and their primary hub is at Dublin Airport. Aer Lingus serves 93 destinations along with an more than 100 additional destinations with their codeshare agreements. They do not partner with any major alliance.
Vueling is a Spanish airline based at El Prat de Llobregat in Greater Barcelona with hubs in Barcelona–El Prat Airport and Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy. They fly to over 140 destinations making it the largest airline in Spain. Vueling is not part of any alliance but they do codeshare with five airlines.
Avios Credit Card Points
American Express offers three credit cards for earning British Airways Avios on everyday spending. This consits of two personal cards and one business card.
Best For British Airways Travelers
- Get a Companion Voucher when you spend £10,000 each membership year on the Card, which you can use to take a companion with you on the same flight and cabin when you redeem Avios for a British Airways reward flight. Taxes, fees and carrier charges apply per person.
- Collect 1.5 Avios for every £1 spent on purchases, and 3 Avios for every £1 spent with British Airways or BA Holidays
- Add family members or a partner to your Account and earn Avios faster with complimentary supplementary cards.
- Use Avios to redeem against part of the flight, or upgrade to business or first class
Best For No Annual Fee
- Get a Companion Voucher when you spend £20,000 each membership year on the Card, which you can use to take a companion with you in the same flight and cabin when you redeem Avios for a British Airways reward flight. Taxes, fees and carrier charges apply.
- Add family members or a partner to your Account and earn Avios faster with complimentary supplementary cards.
- Use Avios to redeem against part of the flight, or upgrade to business or first class
Best For British Airways Business Travelers
- Earn 1.5 Avios for every eligible £1 spent on your Credit Card and 1.5 On Business Points for every eligible £1 spent with British Airways.
- Earn an extra 3,000 On Business Points annually when you spend £20,000 or more by your Card anniversary.
- On Business Points can be redeemed on any available flight across British Airways, Iberia and American Airlines routes. Or you can use your On Business Points to upgrade your seat on British Airways and Iberia routes.
- Your Credit Card gives you access to up to 56 calendar days without interest (when you pay your balance in full) or the choice to pay over time with interest.
Other Great Credit Cards For Avios
British Airways Executive Club is a direct transfer partner of several UK rewards programs including American Express Membership Rewards and HSBC UK. This opens up a handful of other credit cards you can use to rapidly add to your Avios balance.
Listed below are a few of the best partner credit cards for earning Avios.
Best Flexible Travel Rewards Card
- Deliveroo Benefit Exclusively For Gold Cardmembers - Enrol to enjoy all your favourite dishes Deliveroo’d to your door, and get £5 back. Twice every month.
- Take advantage of two complimentary Priority Pass lounge visits per year at over 1200 airport lounges globally.
- Earn an additional 10,000 Membership Rewards points each year when you spend at least £15,000 within the 12-month period of your Card anniversary.
- Transfer your Membership Rewards® points to 12 airline partners' loyalty programmes including British Airways Executive Club, Emirates Skywards, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
- Use your Membership Rewards® points to make eligible purchases at merchants such as Amazon.co.uk and Ticketmaster.
- Purchase Protection and Refund Protection covers eligible items purchased using the Card.
Best For International Spending
- This card is available exclusively for existing HSBC Premier customers and HSBC Jade customers.
- Every 2 points are worth the equivalent of 1 frequent flyer mile. A spend of just £9,000 for example converted into Frequent Flyer miles could be enough to fly to Paris.
- With membership in the LoungeKey programme, just show your Premier Credit Card to gain access to over 750 airport lounges worldwide. Please note, lounges charge £20 per person per visit, subject to availability.
- Get a unique collection of special discounts and experiences exclusively for HSBC Premier credit card customers.
- Access thousands of experiences at over 45 destinations worldwide with Mastercard® Priceless® Cities.
Avios Points Value
The Point Calculator values British Airways Avios at an average of 1.2p per point when redeemed for award flights with Avios-earning airlines and their partners.
Avios Transfer Partners
Each Avios-earning airline has different transfer partners so you'll want to consider this when choosing to sign up for the Avios rewards program.
American Express Membership Rewards, HSBC UK Premier Rewards, and several other programs are direct transfer partners of Avios. This gives you a handful of additional credit cards you can use to earn Avios through credit card intro bonuses and credit card spending.
Buying Avios
If you're short on Avios, you can buy them to top off your account. Buying Avios will differ between the programs so you'll want to make sure you're on the right portal.
