British Airways Club Hub
Whether you’re new to the British Airways Club or looking to maximise your Avios and status, this hub brings together our comprehensive guides to help you get the most from the programme.
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New to the BA Club
The British Airways Club (formerly known as the British Airways Executive Club) is the loyalty programme of BA. It is free to join and has more than 13 million members around the world.
Earning Avios
Members of the BA Club earn Avios points for each flight taken with BA or its partner airlines. Avios can also be earned in many other ways such as with car rentals, hotel stays and financial services.
Banking Avios
As well as BA, other airlines such as Iberia, Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, Finnair and Loganair also use Avios for their frequent flyer programmes. Members can move Avios between individual airline accounts to spend as they wish.
Burning Avios
Avios can be redeemed for reward flights with British Airways and a wide range of partner airlines. This can be an excellent way of getting to places at times of high demand or for flying long-haul business class – often for much less than the price of a cash ticket.
Earning Status
Based on their activity with BA and its partners, frequent flyers can also earn status within the British Airways Club which entitles them to enhanced Avios earning levels plus extra benefits such as fast-track security, business lounge access and flight upgrades.
Earn More Avios (without flying)
As well as flying, there are many other ways to earn Avios and get closer to that dream reward flight.
Here are our 10 easy ways to earn Avios without flying:
- Open either a British Airways American Express card that issues Avios or an American Express card that awards Membership Rewards points which can be converted into Avios. There are several different cards to choose from and introductory bonus point offers can be very generous.
- Open a Barclaycard Avios Mastercard. There are two different products on offer, usually with introductory bonuses. Alternatively HSBC Premier credit cards earn rewards points that can be converted to Avios.
- Link your Nectar and British Airways Club accounts to earn Avios on your spend at Sainsbury’s and Argos. See how a typical family can earn over 20,000 avios a year on their supermarket spend.
- When you fill up the car, make sure you take the opportunity to earn Avios on fuel purchases. Swipe your Nectar card at Esso and Sainsburys, plus join BPme Rewards and convert points earned at BP Filling Stations to Avios.
- Use hotels that issue Avios for stays and also hotels that allow transfers of their own loyalty points into Avios
- Link your Uber and British Airways accounts to earn Avios on rides and Uber Eats.
- When you hire a car, make sure you earn Avios on your rental.
- Join Heathrow Rewards and convert points into Avios
- Join Club Avolta and get bonus Avios on Duty Free spend
- If you are planning a holiday, take a look at British Airways Holidays which all earn bonus Avios – plus you can often find their flight + hotel packages to be very competitive.
Overall, there are a huge number of ways in which you can earn Avios and our article shows over 90 different methods of growing your Avios balance.
Why join the British Airways Club?
- Free to join
- Earn Avios
- Redeem Avios for flights and upgrades
- Spend Avios on hotels and car hire – or even convert them to Nectar and use in Sainsbury’s
- Elite status benefits
Our Guides to the BA Club
Earning Avios by Flying
Flying is one of the quickest ways to earn Avios, but it’s far from the only one. British Airways awards Avios flights, while more than 35 other partner airlines including Iberia, Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, Finnair and Loganair also use Avios as their loyalty currency which widens the opportunity for members to grow their points balance. Read our detailed guide to earning Avios with BA and its partner airlines.
Redeeming Avios for Flights
Booking a reward flight with Avios can be a fantastic way to pay for a flight at times when cash prices are expensive or to fly in long-haul business class. Read about spending Avios on reward flights, the impact of taxes & charges, and when you should & shouldn’t use your Avios on flights.
Using Avios for Flight Upgrades
As an alternative to a Reward Flight, Avios can be used to upgrade standard flight tickets to the next cabin up. Our article discusses the pros & cons of using Avios to upgrade, including real life examples.
Using Avios in Part Payment for Flights
In addition to redeeming for reward flights and upgrades, Avios can be used in part payment towards a cash flight. We explain the best use of Avios in this situation.
Earning Status & Status Benefits
The BA Club rewards frequent flyers with additional entitlements based on their travel with BA and its partner airlines. Status members get enhanced benefits such as free seat selection, additional luggage allowances, business lounge access and complimentary flight upgrades.
Spending on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card can also help members get to the next status tier or retain status for the following 12 months. Read our guide to earning status in the BA Club here
British Airways Household Accounts
Family members can pool their Avios together in a household account which enables members to book reward flights when they do not have enough miles in their individual accounts. Household accounts also allow under 18s to collect Avios too. We have all the details here.
British Airways Holidays
Booking a flight + hotel or flight + car package with British Airways Holidays can often be a cheaper option than paying separately. In addition BA Holidays offers bonus Avios and great Tier Point earning opportunities, plus you can secure your trip with a low deposit and pay the balance before you leave. We cover all you need to know here.
New Cabins and Lounge Refurbishments
BA are planning to completely refurbish all their Airbus A380 planes with very impressive new cabins for first class, Club World, World Traveller Plus and World Traveller. Time will tell if this will be rolled out across the entire fleet.
In addition, there are some exciting developments on the lounge front with extensive improvements planned at Heathrow Terminals 3 and 5.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is an Avios worth?
The generally accepted value of Avios is 1p each. However you can often get much better value than that, but often this depends on the cash price you personally would be prepared to pay for the flight if you were not using your points. In any situation, Avios are always worth a minimum of 0.5p each – this is the value of spend you would get at Sainsbury’s or Argos by converting Avios into Nectar points.
Do Avios expire?
Avios expire after 36 months of no account earning or spending activity. The exception to this is any Avios held with Finnair which expire after 18 months without any activity.
Can family members combine Avios?
Yes, you can set up a British Airways Household Account where all Avios earned by the participating members can pool their Avios for future flights. Whilst each member retains their own Avios balance, any Avios redemptions are paid for amongst all the people in the household account on a pro-rata basis, according to the number of Avios each person holds. In addition, being part of a Household Account is the only way under 18s can earn Avios when flying.
Can I transfer Avios?
Yes, Avios can be transferred to other members, up to a maximum of 200,000 Avios a year. There is a fee of £50 per transfer unless you are Gold member. Transfers can be done online at avios.com
Do I have to pay Taxes & Fees on Reward Flights?
Yes, however BA have a system called Reward Flight Saver which can cap the amount of Avios required to £2.50 each way for a short-haul economy flight. See our guide to redeeming Avios for flights.
Can I upgrade any ticket with Avios?
Apart from the very cheapest economy fares, most tickets on BA can be upgraded using Avios. See our article on upgrading for more details.
How do I earn Tier Points?
Tier points are earned based on either the amount spent on the ticket or a combination of distance flown & cabin class. See our guide to earning status on BA.
Is the British Airways Club free?
Yes it is free to join – you can join on the BA website.
Use your Avios to see the World
Collecting Avios has enabled us as a family to visit many places we would not have ever had the opportunity of going to, such as Hong Kong, Dubai, Cape Town, Las Vegas and Singapore – flying in premium cabins which would have previously not been an option for us.
Recently I used my Avios to fly to the US to watch the World Cup, a points redemption that made perfect sense financially – plus we were able to fly business class both ways too. Read about how we managed to find the flights here.
