by Krish Patel

Avios are the points currency used by the airline loyalty programs of British Airways Executive Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Aer Lingus AerClub, Iberia Plus, and Finnair Plus. You can transfer Avios at a 1:1 ratio between each of these loyalty programs. Of these airlines, British Airways has the largest route network and flies to many destinations in Europe, the U.S., and worldwide. Flying isn’t the only way to earn Avios points. You can spend on credit cards, buy Avios, and make purchases with retail partners.

How Do You Earn Avios with Credit Cards?

Avios can be earned with the right credit card, which is also the case with other points and miles programs. If you want to earn rewards, you have a variety of cards to choose from, however, the most popular option is the British Airways Visa Signature Card. Some other Avios-earning credit cards include the Aer Lingus Visa Signature Card and the Iberia Visa Signature Card. Each of the three credit cards come with a $95 annual fee.

The cards just mentioned come with the same earning rates:

• 3 Avios per dollar spent on purchases with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and LEVEL 

• 2 Avios per dollar spent on hotel stays that are booked through the hotel directly

• 1 Avios per dollar spent on all other purchases

Having a credit card that earns transferable rewards is useful when it comes to earning points and miles, including Avios. Several hotel points and credit card points currencies transfer to British Airways, some of which are listed below:

• American Express Membership Rewards (1:1 ratio)

• Bilt Rewards (1:1 ratio)

• Capital One Miles (1:1 ratio)

• Chase Ultimate Rewards (1:1 ratio)

• Marriott Bonvoy (3:1 ratio, with a 5,000 Avios bonus for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred)

The following credit cards come with good welcome bonuses that can easily be converted to Avios points:

• The Platinum Card from American Express

• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

• Chase Ink Business Preferred Card

• American Express Gold Card

• Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card

Buying Avios is Also an Option

British Airways Executive Club sells Avios directly, however, purchasing Avios at a full price isn’t usually worth it. Sometimes, the price of Avios is discounted through bonus offers. 

How Do You Earn Avios by Flying? 

Avios can be earned by crediting flights operated by BA and flights operated by OneWorld and codeshare partners to your account with British Airways Executive Club.

The earning rates for Avios points on British Airways flights is based on your level of status in the Executive Club program:

• BA Blue Members: Earn 6 Avios per British pound (approx. $1.26) spent

• BA Bronze Members: Earn 7 Avios per British pound spent

• BA Silver Members: Earn 8 Avios per British pound spent

• BA Gold Members: Earn 9 Avios per British pound spent

In the U.S., earning Avios is possible on OneWorld partners American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. The earning rates for AA flights are the same as those for BA, while flights operated by Alaska earn Avios at the amounts shown below: 

• Economy (Q, O, G, X) 25% Avios

• Economy (K, M, L, V, S, N) 50% Avios

• Economy (Y, B, H) 100% Avios

• Business (J, C, D, I) 125% Avios

How Do You Earn Avios with the Avios Retail Partners?

In a similar way to many major airlines, British Airways has a variety of shopping and retail partners that allow travelers to accumulate more Avios.

Convert Heathrow Rewards to Avios

BA has a partnership with Heathrow Rewards, allowing you to earn Avios whenever you shop, dine, or park at London’s Heathrow Airport. You’ll earn one Avios point per British pound spent at most retailers. Heathrow Rewards can be converted to Avios at a ratio of 1:1.

Rental Cars

British Airways partners with Budget and Avis, which gives you the opportunity to earn Avios by renting cars. You’ll earn three Avios per dollar spent with Avis, however, you’ll only earn one Avios point per dollar spent with Budget. 

Book a Vacation Package

Booking a vacation package through British Airways Vacations earns one Avios point per dollar spent. Plus, British Airways has several hotel partners. By booking vacation packages and hotels through British Airways, it’s possible to earn Avios across several expenses of your trip.

Buy via the Shopping Portal

British Airways has its own shopping portal that allows you to earn bonus Avios points from several online merchants. Note that some online merchants can offer you 10 Avios (possibly more) per dollar spent. 

Filling out Surveys 

BA Executive Club has partnered with Avios for Thoughts and e-Rewards to allow customers to earn Avios points for filling out surveys, and both sites offer 600 points once you’ve submitted your first survey.

Earn Avios with Lounge Pass

British Airways has partnered with Lounge Pass to allow customers to earn five Avios per British pound spent on a club lounge membership. Lounge Pass entitles members to access hundreds of lounges across the globe.  

Conclusion

British Airways offers its customers several ways to earn Avios points that include traveling, making purchases, and transferring points. Because of the many ways there are to earn points with British Airways Avios, it’s a program that any points and miles enthusiast should look into to earn points that can be used for travel.