BA reward flights may be the pinnacle of loyalty club earnings, however, there’s some way to go before you can start cashing them in.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best ways to earn and burn your BA Avios points - the currency of its loyalty club.
Get Earning BA Avios points
To no surprise, the best way to earn BA Avios points is by flying with the airline. Avios members will collect a minimum of 125 points per flight, up to a maximum of 1,500 depending on their cabin. These points are not just for British Airways, but also on its OneWorld partners, which include; American Airlines, Qatar, Cathay Pacific, to name a few.
You’ll also benefit from additional BA Avios points if you book experiences or accommodation through the airline direct. This includes holidays, hotels and even car hire. It’s worth signing up to BA alerts to keep an eye on Avios promotions too – if you book at the right time, you’ll get far more points for your custom.
Another popular way to earn BA Avios points is through credit cards. The airline has teamed up with American Express to offer Avios points, usually for new cardholders. Typically, this works out at 1 Avios point per £1 spent. Look out for different promotions too, many which offer companion BA Avios flights or ‘2 for 1’ offers periodically. Just be sure to read the small print, as there’s often a minimum spend involved.
If you’re keen to clock up as many points as possible for a BA reward flight, then it’s time to get points savvy. Here’s some of the other popular ways to earn BA Avios points:
- Some cashback websites (like Topcashback)
- Car hire companies such as Budget
- In exchange for Tesco Clubcard points
- Some subscriptions (such as The Economist and Financial Times)
- On the Avios e-store
Spending BA Avios points
There’s nothing like cutting loose on your BA Avios points, and there’s plenty of ways to cash them in. British Airways reward flights are a popular choice, but notoriously difficult to redeem since they go as quickly as they appear. Using SeatSpy’s reward flight finder tool and alert notification gives you a head-start and is worth signing up for.
You’ll need at least 4,000 points to redeem Avios flights, all the way up to 200,000 points for premium seats.
If you don’t have enough points for BA Avios flights, you could opt for an upgrade on BA, Iberia and American Airlines flights, one-way or return. Keep in mind that as well as points, you will need to put cash towards the cost, as well as any extra taxes, fares and carrier charges.
BA Avios points can be used in part against the cost of a flight, which can result in some decent savings. For instance, 8,000 points can save you £45. BA Avios points can also be redeemed against; hotels, experiences, car hire and more available on ba.com. Just be sure to do the maths beforehand, as some offer better value than others.
Although most people save points for British Airways reward flights, there’s plenty of other ways you can ‘burn’ your points, here’s just a few:
- On Marks and Spencer food and drink on board flights
- Activities and experiences on avios.com
- Wine, beers and spirits, on avios.com
- Through selected hotel and car hire companies