Quick Overview
- Shared rewards currency: Avios is used by British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, Qatar Airways, and more.
- Earning Avios: Earn Avios by flying with Avios-participating airlines, oneworld Alliance members, and other partners—or through travel bookings, eligible credit cards, and partner shopping.
- Avios value: Avios value ranges from 1 to 1.4 cents each for standard economy, but can be worth up to 2+ cents with premium cabin redemptions.
- Flexible transfers: You can freely transfer Avios between British Airways and other Avios-participating airlines, provided your accounts are linked.
- Credit card partners: Earn British Airways Avios directly or indirectly with all major U.S. programs—AMEX, Chase, Citi, Capital One, and Bilt—via welcome offers and everyday spend.
Top Partner Cards To Earn British Airways Executive Club Avios Fast
These partner cards offer the best sign-up bonuses for British Airways Executive Club. View card details through our partners or use our calculators to estimate total value.
How to earn British Airways Avios
British Airways Avios are earned primarily on paid flights with British Airways, oneworld Alliance partners, and other select airlines.
For British Airways flights, you'll earn Avios based on the price of your ticket and any eligible add-ons including baggage, cabin upgrades, and even carrier surcharges. That eligible spend is then multiplied by your Executive Club tier—Blue: 6 Avios/£1, Bronze: 7 Avios/£1, Silver: 8 Avios/£1, Gold: 9 Avios/£1.
Do note that non-airline taxes and fees, such as airport charges and government taxes, will not earn you Avios.
Other ways to earn
- Avios credit cards: Earn directly with co-branded cards from British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways, and Aer Lingus.
- Transfer partner credit cards: Build Avios via AMEX, Chase, Citi, Capital One, and Bilt—use welcome offers and category spend, then transfer when you’re ready.
- Vacation packages: British Airways Holidays awards Avios on the full package price and earns Tier Points toward status.
- Hotels: Book via Avios Hotels or choose Avios with hotel partners.
- Shopping: Use the BA shopping portal and select retail partners for extra Avios.
- Car rentals: Collect Avios with Avis and Budget.
- Buying Avios: Purchase Avios to top off a redemption when you’re just short.
British Airways Avios value & best uses
You’ll usually get the best value from Avios on award flights with British Airways and partner airlines. For everyday bookings, Avios tend to be worth about 1.0–1.4 cents each (e.g., 10,000 Avios ≈ $100–$140 in flight value).
Value can climb to 2+ cents per Avios on well-priced premium-cabin awards—think Business/First and standout products like Qatar Qsuite.
Other redemption options (typically lower value)
- Upgrades: Use Avios to upgrade an existing cash booking to the next cabin with British Airways, Iberia, and American Airlines.
- Seats and baggage: Pay for seat selection (when applicable) and checked bags with Avios.
- Vacation packages: Book flights or holidays with Avios or Avios + Money.
- Hotels and car rentals: Redeem for lodging and cars—typically around 0.6–0.7 cents per Avios.
- Transfers to Avios partners: Move Avios to Iberia, Aer Lingus, Qatar, Finnair, Vueling, and others to access additional award charts and sweet spots.
Looking for an easy way to find the best award flights for British Airways? Check out Reward Flight Finder! It shows the next 355 days of British Airways Avios reward flight availability in one view, for every route.
If you're an RFF member, you can also receive alerts when new reward seats become available.
British Airways transfer partners
British Airways Avios is a direct 1:1 transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Bilt Rewards—so 1,000 points/miles to 1,000 Avios. Because Avios move freely between Avios programs, you can also route Citi ThankYou Points to Qatar Airways Avios and then shift them to British Airways Avios for an effective 1:1 path.
The net result: you can earn Avios through every major U.S. bank program, stacking welcome offers and strong category earn, then transfer when you’re ready to book.
See our full guide to Avios transfer partners, best conversion paths, and use the transfer calculator to estimate how many Avios you’ll receive before you move points.
Credit card that earn Avios
British Airways offers a co-branded card that earns Avios on everyday spending. You can also earn Avios with other Avios co-brands (Iberia, Aer Lingus, Qatar, etc.) and then move those Avios to your British Airways Executive Club account. If you fly BA—or any Avios airline—regularly, a co-brand can be a straightforward way to boost your balance and enjoy a few airline-specific perks.
Here are the Avios cards available:
Earn 3 Avios for every $1 spent on Iberia, British Airways, and Aer Lingus flight purchases.
Earn 2 Avios for every $1 spent on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel.
Earn 1 Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
Annual $1,000 Airfare Discount Voucher after spending $30K
Get a 10% discount on airfare
Earn 3 Avios for every $1 spent with Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia flight purchases.
Earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel.
Earn 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases.
Economy Companion Ticket each year after spending $30K
Priority boarding for cardholder and authorized users
No foreign transaction fees on card purchases
Earn 3 Avios for every $1 spent on British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia flight purchases.
Earn 2 Avios for every $1 spent on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel.
Earn 1 Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
Travel together ticket after spending $30K
Up to $600 Reward Flight Statement Credits
10% off British Airways flights starting in the US
Earn 4X Avios on Qatar Airways purchases.
Earn 2X Avios on dining.
Earn 1X Avios on all other purchases.
Privilege Club Silver the first year
Earn 2 Qpoints for every 2,000 Avios earned using the card
Earn 5X Avios on Qatar Airways purchases.
Earn 3X Avios on dining.
Earn 1X Avios on all other purchases.
Privilege Club Gold the first year
Earn 2 Qpoints for every 1,500 Avios earned using the card
Purchase & travel insurance
British Airways credit card partners
Because Avios is supported by all major U.S. transferable-points programs (AMEX, Chase, Citi, Capital One, Bilt), you can mix and match bank cards to rack up points from welcome offers and category spend, then transfer to Avios when it’s time to book. For most travelers, pairing one Avios co-brand (for airline benefits, if interested) with one or more transferable-points cards (for accelerated earn) delivers the best flexibility.
Explore current credit card offers and program details from BA's top partners:
British Airways elite status
British Airways elite status (Executive Club) is earned by frequent flyers who book BA or credit partner flights to BA. Benefits step up by tier and can include priority check-in/boarding, extra baggage, free or earlier seat selection, lounge access from mid-tiers, and oneworld recognition—handy upgrades for any regular BA traveler.
Status is earned over your membership year using Tier Points (not Avios), with a small BA-flight requirement at higher tiers.
Tiers & how to qualify
- Blue (base): Free to join; no qualification needed.
- Bronze — 300 Tier Points + 2 BA flights: priority check-in/boarding, earlier seat selection, and a small Avios earn boost. Maps to oneworld Ruby.
- Silver — 600 Tier Points + 4 BA flights: lounge access on eligible oneworld itineraries, extra baggage, Business check-in/priority security where offered, and better seat selection. Maps to oneworld Sapphire.
- Gold — 1,500 Tier Points + 4 BA flights: First-class check-in, premium security where available, broader lounge access (including First lounges where permitted), extra baggage, and the highest priority services. Maps to oneworld Emerald.
Tier Points vary by cabin and distance (premium cabins earn more). Some benefits differ on partner airlines and specific fare types. Any excess Tier Points above your threshold help with re-qualification later in your membership year.
