Headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport, British Airways is one of the UK’s largest airlines owned by IAG. The airline was created in the 1970s through a combination of mergers and government privatization. Its loyalty program, called British Airways Avios, is part of a larger loyalty program through IAG who also owns Aer Lingus and Iberia.
British Airways is a founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance and flies to more than 160 destinations, including 26 cities in the US. Being part of an alliance means your British Airways Avios can be used to book flights with other members like American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Japan Airlines.
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Best Credit Cards to Earn British Airways Avios
British Airways is an airline partner of Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy. This means that the credit card points that you earn can be transferred directly to British Airways Avios. Amex and Chase points transfer instantly at a 1:1 ratio, while Marriott points transfer in three days a 3:1 ratio. With every 20,000 Marriott points that you transfer, you receive a 5,000-mile bonus.
Some of my favorite cards from these programs include the Amex Gold Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. You earn 4x points at restaurants and US grocery stores with the Amex Gold Card. The Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3x points at restaurants and on travel. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant cardmembers earn 6x points at Marriott.
British Airways also has a co-branded credit card in the British Airways Visa Signature card. Cardmembers earn Earn 5x Avios (miles) on British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia airfare purchases within the first 12 months from account opening, and then 3x Avios thereafter. You also earn 3x Avios at hotels within the first 12 months from account opening, and then 2x Avios thereafter.
Additional Ways to Earn British Airways Avios
Not only can you earn British Airways Avios (miles) from credit card spending, but you can also earn British Airways Avios in other ways. As you’ll see, it’s likely going to be relatively easy for you to earn the Avios you need to book your next award flight.
Flying British Airways flights and/or its partner airline flights is the first way to earn British Airways Avios. When flying a partner airline flight like American Airlines, simply credit that flight to your British Airways account. Before doing so, go to wheretocredit.com to see if crediting these partners’ flights to your British Airways account makes sense.
A second way to earn British Airways Avios is by shopping through its shopping portal. Head to the British Airways shopping portal, click through the merchant of your choice and earn Avios with your spending. It’s as easy as that.
Hotel and car rental partners offer another way to earn British Airways Avios. Book your next hotel stay and/or car rental through British Airways and you earn Avios with your spending.
Basic British Airways Avios Redemption Rules
Unfortunately, British Airways no longer publishes an award chart, joining the likes of Delta Air Lines, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, and United Airlines. However, the legacy pricing generally still holds true. So, if you’re looking to use British Airways Avios, here are a few of the most important rules to know:
- When flying British Airways/its partner airlines:
- Fuel surcharges when flying British Airways are high
- Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia have off-peak and peak award pricing
- All other partner flights use peak award chart pricing
- Award prices are based on the total distance of each segment
- American Airlines flights less than 651 miles use the zone 2 pricing
Using British Airways Avios Award Charts
British Airways no longer publishes an award chart, however, the award charts noted above offer a barometer for what you’d expect to pay. Most recently as noted by OMAAT, British Airways increased the number of miles required on short-haul British Airways flights between Zones 1-3 for economy and business class by 750 Avios. For example, a British Airways zone 1 off-peak flight increased from 4,000 to 4,750 Avios.
Top 5 Best Uses of British Airways Avios
1. British Airways/Oneworld Zone 1
Taipei, Tokyo, and Sydney are some of the best cities in the world to visit. What makes these cities even better is the fact that you can redeem Avios to book award flights to see nearby destinations.
With 4,500-4,750 British Airways Avios, you can book a one-way economy flight on British Airways or its partner airline flights. This redemption is ideal for flights out of hubs of Oneworld alliance airline partners. It’s important to note that the flights of less than 650 miles within the US are excluded from Zone 1. These flights will instead price at the Zone 2 partner award chart price.
Examples of flights you can book include:
- Hong Kong (HKG) > Taipei (TPE) – Cathay Pacific
- Tokyo (HND) > Sapporo (CTS) – Japan Airlines
- Brisbane (BNE) > Sydney (SYD) – Qantas
- Doha (DOH) > Muscat (MCT) – Qatar
- Colombo (CMB) > Malé (MLE) – SriLankan Airlines
2. Oneworld Zone 2 Economy
Miami’s South Beach, the Bangkok Floating Market, Tokyo’s Izakaya taverns, and a Buenos Aire’s Estancia day trip are a few experiences you can access with these zone 2 flights.
With 7,500 British Airways Avios, you can book a one-way economy flight on a partner airline like American Airlines. Business-class at 15,000 Avios can also represent good value.
Examples of flights that you can book in this zone include:
- Miami (MIA) > Aruba (AUA) – American Airlines
- Hong Kong (HKG) > Bangkok (BKK) – Cathay Pacific
- Tokyo (HND) > Shanghai (PVG) – Japan Airlines
- Amman (AMM) > Doha (DOH) – Royal Jordanian
- Buenos Aires (EZE) > São Paulo (GRU) – LATAM
3. Oneworld Zone 3 Economy
A Venice Beach stroll, the Imperial Palace Gardens, a Spain wine tasting trip, and Chilean empanada tasting offer a slice of what you can experience in cities accessible in the zone 3 award pricing.
With 10,00 British Airways Avios, you can book any one-way economy flight up to 2,000 miles in distance. Also, consider booking business-class in Zone 3 as this requires 20,000 Avios for a one-way flight.
Examples of flights on Oneworld partners include:
- Los Angeles (LAX) > Atlanta (ATL) – American Airlines
- Hong Kong (HKG) > Tokyo (NRT) – Cathay Pacific
- Helsinki (HEL) > Madrid (MAD) – Finnair
- Santiago (SCL) > Rio (GIG) – LATAM
- Perth (PER) > Melbourne (MEL) – Qantas
4. Zone 4 Economy
Reef & wreck diving, tango dancing, Tokyo whiskey bars, and dim sum are what you can experience in places like Bali, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. British Airways makes it relatively easy to access these places by flying Oneworld airline flights out of their respective hubs.
With 12,500 British Airways Avios, you can book a one-way Oneworld airline partner economy flight up to 3,000 miles in length. Check out pricing offered by American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Japan Airlines if you’re looking to fly business class.
Examples of flights in this mileage zone include:
- Phoenix (PHX) to Honolulu (HNL) – American Airlines
- Sydney (SYD) to Bali (DPS) – Qantas
- Buenos Aires (EZE) to Ecuador (UIO) – LATAM
- Tokyo (NRT) to Bangkok (HKG) – Japan Airlines
- Hong Kong (HKG) to Maldives (MLE) – Cathay Pacific
5. Zone 5 Economy
In Zone 5, you can fly up to 4,000 miles for a reasonable number of Avios. These can be 7.5+ hour flights that include ones between the US and Europe, Asia and Australia, and Asia and Africa.
With 20,00 British Airways Avios, you can book a one-way economy flight up to 4,000 miles. American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Japan Airlines may offer cheaper business class pricing so consider each program first before booking a flight with Avios.
Examples of flights in this zone include:
- New York (JFK) > Milan (MXP) – American Airlines
- Hong Kong (HKG) > Dubai (DXB) – Cathay Pacific
- Kuala Lumpur (KUL) > Brisbane (BNE) – Malaysia Airlines
- Sydney (SYD) > Singapore (SIN) – Qantas
- Doha (DOH) > Johannesburg (JNB) – Qatar
British Airways Avios FAQs
How many Avios points do I need for a BA flight?
4,750 is the least number of Avios required to a book a BA flight.
What does 50,000 Avios get you?
You can book any British Airways or partner economy flight in zones 1-7, premium economy flight in zones 1-6, off-peak British Airways business class flight in zone 1-5, Oneworld partner airline business class flight in zone 1-4, British Airways first-class peak flight in zone 1-4, and Oneworld partner airline first-class flight in zone 1-4 with 50,000 Avios.
How do British Airways Avios points work?
Earn Avios through flying, credit card spending, and/or its shopping portal. Once you earn enough Avios to book the flight that you want, head to britishairways.com, search for award flights, and complete your booking on the website.
How do I get Avios points on British Airways?
Tier points are what British Airways uses to determine your elite status qualification. The number of points you earn is driven by the airline that you fly, the distance of your flight, your cabin class, and your elite status tier. British Airways has a flight calculator that shows you how many Avios and points you earn with each flight.
Conclusion on British Airways Avios
Avios are relatively easy to earn because of the airline’s partnerships with Amex, Chase, and Marriott. Avios can also be earned by flying, the airline’s shopping portal, and its car rental and hotel partners. One of the primary downsides with British Airways is the fact that the airline has high taxes and fees when flying its own flights. However, if you’re willing to fly in economy on its partner airlines, you generally avoid high taxes and fees and have the opportunity to receive solid value.
What are your tips for how to use Avios? How do you like to use Avios? Please let me know in the comments below or by sending me an email on my contact page.
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