AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
British Airways Avios are a popular way for frequent flyers to book award travel — both for travel within North America and overseas. Travelers have plenty of ways to earn Avios. But if a friend or family member's Avios balance still comes up short, you might wonder about sharing Avios with their British Airways Executive Club account.
That's possible to do. However, British Airways charges a fee for sharing Avios with another Executive Club member. That fee is only waived for Executive Club Gold members.
The good news: British Airways recently slashed these Avios transfer fees by up to 90%. Here's what this means for travelers wanting to move Avios between accounts.
Sharing Avios With British Airways Executive Club Members
Like most major frequent flyer programs, British Airways lets members share Avios with other members. If a friend or family member needs additional Avios, you can transfer your spare Avios to their Executive Club account. However, British Airways will charge you a fee for doing so.
In the past, Executive Club members would have to pay up to £175 (~US$210) in sharing fees to transfer Avios between accounts. While high transfer fees are common practice across major frequent flyer programs, these fees obviously cut into the value you get from these Avios.
Luckily, British Airways recently slashed these transfer fees.
Newly Reduced British Airways Avios Sharing Fees
In a change first caught by Head for Points, British Airways reduced the fees associated with sharing Avios by up to 90%.
Rather than the previous schedule of fees, British Airways Executive Club now charges a flat fee for transferring anywhere between 1,000 and 27,000 Avios. The fee for sharing Avios depends on where your account is registered:
- $20 for US members.
- £15 for UK members.
- €20 for EU members.
That means if you share the maximum of 27,000 Avios, U.S. members will pay just 7/100ths of a cent (0.074 cents) per Avios shared.
This is fantastic news for Executive Club members as it drastically reduces the fees associated with sharing Avios. Executive Club members with Gold status can still transfer Avios without a fee.
Ways to Avoid British Airways Avios Sharing Fees
$20 is a much more palatable transfer fee. But, you might be able to avoid even this fee. Here's a few tricks on how to do so.
Family and Friends Avios Pooling
Like a few other major programs, the British Airways Executive Club program lets family (and friends) pool their points. In the case of British Airways, travelers can set up a points pool with up to five other Executive Club members.
In a pool, status and tier points are earned individually, while Avios are earned as a group. Using a points pool is a great way to avoid having to transfer Avios between accounts.
For more details on creating or participating in an Executive Club household account, click this link to visit British Airways' official website.
Related: The Basics of The British Airways Avios Rewards Program
Transfer Avios From Another Airline
Just because you don't have enough Avios in your British Airways Executive Club account doesn't mean you're necessarily short on Avios. Remember that you can now freely transfer Avios between British Airways, Iberia, Qatar, or Aer Lingus accounts. Avios transfer between airlines at a 1:1 ratio, with no limit, and at no cost.
Transferring Bank Points
Travelers can also avoid sharing Avios between British Airways accounts by transferring points from a transferrable points program instead. You can transfer points to British Airways from the following programs:
- American Express Membership Rewards (1:1)
- Capital One Miles (1:1)
- Chase Ultimate Rewards (1:1)
- Bilt Rewards (1:1)
- Marriott Bonvoy (3:1)
Most bank programs let you transfer points to authorized users or household members. So, you may be able to avoid British Airways Avios sharing fees by transferring bank points instead.
Bottom Line
These days, good news related to airline frequent flyer programs seems quite rare. However, British Airways just made it much less expensive to share Avios with other Executive Club members by slashing Avios transfer fees by up to 90%.
Now, Executive Club members can share as little as 1,000 Avios or as many as 27,000 Avios for a flat fee of $20 (£15 for UK members or €20 for EU members).
Have you ever transferred points or miles between accounts? What do you make of this improvement to the British Airways Executive Club program?
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.