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Avios have quietly become one of the most powerful and flexible currencies in the travel rewards world. Once limited to a handful of British Airways loyalists, seven airlines now use the Avios program: Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Loganair, Qatar Airways, and Vueling.
The shared currency means you can move Avios instantly between programs, consolidating balances, unlocking better award pricing, or taking advantage of lower taxes and fees. Whether you prefer Qatar Airways’ premium cabins, Iberia’s off-peak business class awards, or British Airways’ vast network, you can earn in one program and redeem in another.
And thanks to the new unified Avios platform, transferring points between these airlines is now faster and easier than ever. Here’s how to use it.
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Which Airlines Can You Transfer Avios Between?
While you can eventually get Avios between any of the seven Avios-earning programs, not all transfers can be done directly. To move points between certain programs, you have to move them to one program first before transferring them to their final destination. You can move your Avios to/from British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling, and Loganair by using the dedicated platform (more on that below).
If you want to transfer to Qatar or Finnair, you'll need to first transfer to British Airways Club and then use the same platform to complete the transfer. If you have a small Avios balance in each of these loyalty programs, the opportunity to combine them to one account can let you leverage your Avios for a more lucrative redemption.
How To Use the New Avios Transfer Platform
There is now a dedicated portal for transferring your Avios between accounts. It's incredibly easy to use — all you need to do is link your accounts and complete the desired transfer. To start, go to the dedicated Avios transfer page.
Select where you want to transfer Avios from and click “next.” You will be redirected to log in to that loyalty account.
Select which loyalty program you want to transfer Avios to. Click “next,” and you'll be redirected to log in to your receiving account. In this case, I'd like to transfer Avios from Iberia to British Airways.
Enter the amount you wish to transfer. There's no minimum, but you can transfer a maximum of 999,999 Avios at a time. So, Avios millionaires will have to make a couple of transfers. Click “transfer,” and you're all set.
Luckily, you'll only need to link your accounts once. Then, when you log in to the Avios website, you can freely transfer Avios between accounts as you wish.
Transfer Avios Between British Airways and Qatar or Finnair
To transfer your Avios between British Airways and Qatar or Finnair, you'll essentially follow the same steps. You'll go to the same Avios transfer page as above, and scroll past the section titled “Where do you want to transfer Avios from?” Then, you'll see the following section, which allows you to transfer Avios between British Airways and Qatar or Finnair.
You'll need to link your accounts if this is the first time you've attempted the transfer through the portal. Then, you can complete the transfer in seconds.
You'll follow the exact same process for Finnair transfers.
Throughout the linking process, you'll notice lots of two-factor authentication. Your initial transfer might be a bit more time-consuming since you're linking all of your accounts, but then you shouldn't have to worry about it again.
Price Arbitrage Between Avios Programs
When Qatar originally joined the Avios program, Qatar modified its award pricing to mostly harmonize with British Airways and eliminate arbitrage options. So, you'll generally pay the same amount of Avios whether you book it via the British Airways or Qatar Airways website.
With that said, you can sometimes find a price arbitrage between programs — especially when one program devalues routes while another program delays a devaluation. Keep in mind that taxes and fees on award redemptions can vary significantly between programs.
For instance, Qatar tends to have lower taxes and fees than the outrageous surcharges BA often levies on award flights. So, even when the Avios price may be the same, there could be a substantial saving on taxes and fees by booking through Qatar Airways Privilege Club. However, make sure to account for the ‘per segment' award booking fee with Privilege Club.
Great Credit Card Transfer Options
The ability to transfer Avios between Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Loganair, Qatar, and Vueling has opened up many opportunities to transfer credit card points between airlines.
For example, British Airways and Iberia are transfer partners of American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Wells Fargo Rewards. Qatar isn't a transfer partner of any of those programs, but it's the only Avios-earning program that's a Citi ThankYou transfer partner. Using this tool, you could transfer your ThankYou points to Qatar, then move them to British Airways or Iberia to book a given flight.
Here are all of the transfer options for U.S. travelers:
And here are the known transfer options for travelers outside the U.S.:
These transfer options also mean that credit cards earning any of these currencies could be used with the other programs. You could earn a sign-up bonus from one of these cards and then transfer those Avios to any of the other programs, earning in a four-pronged approach.
- Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card — Earn 100,000 Avios after you spend $7,500 on purchases within the first six months of account opening.
- British Airways Visa Signature® Card (Rates & Fees) — Limited-Time Offer: Earn 85,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- Iberia Visa Signature® Card — Earn 100,000 Avios after you spend $7,500 on purchases within the first six months of account opening.
- 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
- 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
- 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
Our Take
Avios have evolved from a single-airline loyalty currency into a global points ecosystem that offers flexibility few programs can match. With seamless transfers between seven airlines and multiple transferable point currencies feeding into the system, Avios are now easier to earn, move, and redeem strategically than ever before.
Whether you’re consolidating balances from old accounts, chasing lower redemption surcharges through Qatar, or topping up Iberia for a sweet-spot business class award, the ability to move Avios freely and instantly is a genuine game-changer.
As more airlines and partners join the Avios network, this shared currency is becoming a blueprint for how airline rewards should work — simple, flexible, and rewarding for travelers who know how to use it.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: British Airways Visa Signature® Card (Rates & Fees)
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