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Offers for the Aer Lingus
One of my favorite award currencies out there is British Airways Avios. And some of my favorite redemptions have come through the program, especially since it has traditionally been distance-based.
Avios are also relatively easy to earn and can be used for more than just British Airways flights. That makes understanding the best ways to earn and redeem them especially useful.
How To Earn British Airways Avios
Travelers have many ways to earn British Airways Avios. For most people, using an Avios credit card or flying on British Airways or its partners will be the simplest.
Other options, including transferable points programs and hotel partners, can also help you build your balance.
Earn British Airways Avios by flying
The most straightforward way to earn British Airways Avios is to fly the airline itself or one of its many airline partners. You can fly to a good portion of the world from British Airways' hub in London or leverage Oneworld and non-alliance partners to fly from almost anywhere.
In late 2023, British Airways adopted a revenue-based Avios earning model for its own flights. Gone are the days when you earned Avios based on the distance flown. It's now largely about how much you spend on your ticket.
On British Airways-marketed flights, Blue members of the British Airways Club earn 6 Avios per qualifying £1 spent (~$1.32). If you hold status, you'll earn the following:
- Bronze members: 7 Avios per qualifying £1 spent
- Silver members: 8 Avios per qualifying £1 spent
- Gold members: 9 Avios per qualifying £1 spent
Qualifying spending includes your fare, carrier-imposed charges, upgrades, paid seat selection, and additional baggage. Government and airport taxes and fees are not part of qualifying spending.
When the fare paid isn't available, some tickets instead earn Avios based on the distance and cabin flown. British Airways Holidays bookings can also earn bonus Avios. Members earn 1 bonus Avios per $1 spent on flight-and-hotel or flight-and-car packages, as well as hotels, cars, and sightseeing booked separately or added to a flight booking.
British Airways also has over a dozen partner airlines that let you earn Avios when you fly. Not every partner uses the same earning method, so it's worth confirming your earning rate before flying to avoid any surprises when the Avios post to your account.
Earn Avios with credit cards
Another great way to earn Avios is by spending on various credit cards. The easiest way to accumulate British Airways Avios via credit card is by earning the welcome offer on the British Airways Visa Signature® Card.
- Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- Earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL.
- Earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel.
- 10% off British Airways flights starting in the US when you book through the website provided in your welcome materials.
- Every calendar year you make $30,000 in purchases on your British Airways Visa card, you'll earn a Travel Together Ticket good for two years.
- Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad.
- Simply tap to pay with your contactless British Airways Visa Signature Card. Just look for the contactless symbol at checkout. It's fast, easy and secure!
- Member FDIC
- 3X Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL
- 2X Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations
- 1X Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases
If you're a new applicant, you'll bank 75,000 bonus Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. In recent redemptions, AwardWallet users have redeemed Avios at an average of 2.55¢ per point, which can make the 75,000 bonus Avios quite lucrative.
The British Airways Visa Card carries a $95 annual fee and earns 3X Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL, 2X Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations, plus 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases. Since Chase issues the card, it's subject to the 5/24 rule.
Move transferable points to British Airways Club
If you prefer earning transferable points, British Airways gives you plenty of options. Its U.S. transfer partners include
That gives you access to numerous credit cards that may fit your wallet better than earning only Avios with a co-branded British Airways credit card.
Convert hotel points to Avios
You can also convert several hotel currencies to British Airways Avios, including
Transfer Avios from other programs
Avios is the shared loyalty currency of several different airline programs, including Aer Lingus, Finnair, Iberia, Loganair, Qatar Airways, and Vueling. It's possible to transfer Avios between each of these programs, giving you another great way to build your British Airways Avios balance.
That can also make cards such as the Aer Lingus Visa and Iberia Visa useful for British Airways flyers, since Avios earned through those programs can be moved to your British Airways Club account.
$95
- 3X Avios per $1 spent on purchases with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and LEVEL
- 2X Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations
- 1X Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases
$95
- 3X Avios per $1 spent on purchases with Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and LEVEL
- 2X Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations
- 1X Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases
Earn Avios by spending with select partners
You can also earn Avios in some seemingly random ways, including:
- Airbnb stays
- Filling out surveys
- Shopping through the British Airways shopping portal
- Renting cars
- Booking experiences
- Heathrow Express rail transfers
- Duty-free shopping inside London Heathrow airport
You can check out the complete guide of earning partners on the British Airways website.
Redeeming British Airways Avios
Once you've built up a balance of Avios, the creativity can start flowing as you figure out what to do with them. You'll generally get the best value from your Avios by redeeming them for flights — especially on partner airlines — but that's not all you can do with the currency.
Redeem Avios for flights on British Airways
British Airways flies to hundreds of destinations worldwide, giving you plenty of options for putting your Avios to use. And when you redeem Avios for flights on the carrier, you can sometimes get decent value.
Be mindful of carrier-imposed surcharges, which are some of the industry's most significant. Peak and off-peak pricing also complicate matters, giving prospective bookers more to wrangle.
British Airways doesn't publish a traditional award chart for its own flights.
Instead, the number of Avios required depends on your route, date, and cabin. For example, reward flights within Europe, the U.K., and Ireland currently start at 10,000 Avios plus £2.50 each way. Premium cabins and longer flights require considerably more Avios.
Check out our complete guide on how to search and book British Airways Avios award flights.
Redeem Avios for flights on partner airlines
British Airways also doesn't publish one universal award chart covering all single-partner awards. Pricing varies by partner, route, distance, and cabin, so there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Award pricing can vary by partner airline, route, distance, and cabin.
- Awards that involve travel on two or more Oneworld airlines are priced differently.
- Premium-cabin award availability can be difficult to find on some partners.
American Airlines - Carrier-imposed surcharges can make some partner awards significantly more expensive.
Check out our complete guide to redeeming Avios on British Airways partners for award charts for each individual partner airline.
Other ways to redeem Avios
Outside of redeeming Avios for flights on British Airways or partner airlines, you also can use them for the following:
- Upgrading an eligible booking
- Rental car reservations
- Hotel stays
- Experiences
- British Airways Holidays
You generally won't get the most out of your Avios by redeeming them outside of flights, but these options can still be useful in the right situation.
Final Thoughts
British Airways Avios is a useful airline currency that you can earn in various ways and redeem through even more avenues. No matter your travel plans, Avios can likely get you there, courtesy of British Airways' extensive partner network and global connectivity.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: British Airways Visa Signature® Card (Rates & Fees)
