Updated: 14 September 2026
This page is part of our Airport Travel Hub, which brings together all our guides to making your journey through the airport easier.
Club Avolta: World Duty Free Discounts, Avios & Lounge Benefits
If you shop at World Duty Free when travelling through UK airports, Club Avolta is a free loyalty programme that’s worth knowing about.
Avolta is the company behind World Duty Free but actually operates over 5,100 outlets across more than 1,000 locations in 70 countries. Its Club Avolta loyalty programme (formerly known as Red by DuFry) provides members with 5–10% off shopping, good discounts at participating airport restaurants and lounges, and opportunities to earn Avios.
It’s free to join at the entry-level Silver tier, while frequent shoppers can progress to Gold and Platinum. There is also a status match which could allow airline and hotel status holders to skip straight to a higher tier.
In this guide, we’ll explain how Club Avolta works, where you can use it and how to combine its benefits to get even more value
Club Avolta Status Levels
| Â | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requirement | Free to join | 2,000 points | 5,000 points |
| Approx. qualifying spend | none | around £350 | around £870 |
| Shopping discount | 5% | 7% | 10% |
| Dining discount | 5% | 5% | 5% |
You earn 5 points per €1 (or currency equivalent). Your membership year starts when you join the scheme and if you reach a higher tier you remain at that level for the remainder of that membership year plus the following 12 months before dropping down.
There are some restrictions on usage (discounts are only available to departing passengers and tobacco is excluded in many locations).
Locations
World Duty Free is present in most UK airports (Aberdeen, Belfast City, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Glasgow Prestwick, Humberside, Jersey, Liverpool, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London Southend, London Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Southampton and Teesside). They also have shops at St Pancras International Train Station, LeShuttle at Folkestone and the ports of Dover, Hull and Cairnryan.
Coming home from holiday or a business trip? Avolta have an extensive range of duty free stores & other shops at many airports across the world where you can get your discount. Just download the app for more details.
Dining discount
In addition, all members get a 5% discount at participating dining locations. UK options vary massively here, there are 12 different dining options at Manchester, seven at Stansted and six at East Midlands (note all part of Manchester Airports Group) and a few places at other airports. Check the app for full details.
How to Earn Avios with Club Avolta
If you link your account to your BA or or Iberia account on the Club Avolta app, you can double-dip to also get 1 avios per £1/€1 spent in World Duty Free (Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh only) or in Spain Duty Free. They are also currently offering 250 bonus avios when you link your Club Avolta account to your BA or Iberia account and make your first purchase.Â
When you have linked your BA/Iberia account, you have the possibility to redeem Avios at Heathrow and various Spanish Airports although this is not recommended as the conversion rate is around 0.5p per point and no better than converting to Nectar for use in Sainsburys.
Triple Dip at Heathrow
Heathrow provides an opportunity to potentially earn three different rewards from the same World Duty Free purchase:
- Receive your Club Avolta membership discount
- Earn Avios through your linked British Airways Club or Iberia Club account
- Collect Heathrow Rewards points too.
How to Get Club Avolta Gold or Platinum with a Status Match
If you have status in any major airline or hotel chain, you can status match to Club Avolta Gold – this gives you 12 months status, click here for details. I have done this status match myself after posting this, it was confirmed within 4 minutes of submitting – the email confirmation said I was matched to Gold but the card in my Apple wallet clearly says I am now platinum!
Discounted Lounge Access
Club Avolta Members can get discounted Airport lounge access. Â
- Dragonpass – Pay $31 USD for access (max 3 times a year) – read our guide here
- Plaza Premium – Save 25% on lounge entry ( max 3 times a year)
- No1 Lounges – Save 15% off bookings and 10% off walk in rates
The Dragonpass offer covers a huge range of airports all over the world and is worth considering into if you are booking a lounge on your next trip.Â
Is Club Avolta Worth Joining?
For most travellers, there’s very little downside to joining Club Avolta because membership is free and even entry-level Silver members receive a 5% shopping discount.
It becomes particularly worthwhile if you regularly shop at World Duty Free, use participating airport restaurants or can obtain Gold or Platinum through a status match.
However, a Club Avolta discount doesn’t automatically mean airport shopping represents good value. A 5%, 7% or even 10% discount is only worthwhile if the resulting price is competitive with buying the same product elsewhere.
Our Take
Club Avolta is one of those loyalty programmes that many UK travellers may already have opportunities to use without realising it. World Duty Free has stores at airports across the country, yet joining Club Avolta can immediately give you a 5% discount without any previous spending. In addition, the Dragonpass discounts can offer very competitive prices on lounge enntry.
The scheme gets considerably more interesting when you combine its benefits. At selected airports you can receive your Club Avolta discount while earning Avios, while Heathrow passengers can potentially collect Heathrow Rewards points from the same transaction as well.
The status match is another reason to investigate the programme. If you already hold eligible airline or hotel status, you may be able to access the higher Club Avolta tiers without meeting the normal spending requirements.
We’d still recommend comparing prices rather than assuming that duty free plus a Club Avolta discount automatically represents the cheapest option. But if you’re going to make the purchase anyway, there’s little reason to turn down a free discount and additional rewards.
Given that Club Avolta is free to join, we’d recommend signing up before your next trip if you’re likely to shop at World Duty Free or another participating Avolta outlet.
Further Reading
- Take a look at our research on airport pricing in Boots & WH Smith
- Read about the 90+ other ways you can earn Avios
