British
The It You Knowing how to use it can go a long way toward getting maximum value for your Avios.
In this guide, we’ll examine how this works so you can redeem British Airways Avios for your next trip.
How to earn Avios
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
There are many ways to earn Avios for your next trip, even if you aren’t planning any British Airways (or other Oneworld carrier) flights soon.
Credit cards
Applying for the
British Airways Visa Signature(r) Card
is one of the easiest ways to earn a meaningful number of Avios for everyday spending.
This card — issued by Chase and, therefore, subject to the 5/24 rule — is currently offering new applicants 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. T You All other purchases earn 1 Avios per $1 spent.
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Transferable rewards cards
Savvy TPG readers know that we usually recommend sticking with cards that earn transferable points because of their added flexibility. If Capital Plus, you’ll get a 5,000-Avios bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred.
The following cards all currently offer strong welcome bonuses that you could easily convert to Avios:
American Express(r) Gold Card
: Earn 60,000 points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases (up to $100) within the first six months of card membership.
The Platinum Card(r) from American Express
: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Check to see if you’re targeted for a 175,000-point welcome offer through CardMatch (offer subject to change at any time).
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
: Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening, plus a $250 Capital One Travel credit in the first cardholder year.
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred(r) Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve(r): Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Ink Business Preferred(r) Credit Card: Earn 120,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- If you don’t have enough Avios, you can also purchase Avios.The basics
- ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUYAs noted above, British Airways uses an unpublished distance-based formula to calculate the number of Avios needed for a given flight. To maximize value with this chart type, you must take a different approach than zone-based charts or dynamic pricing.
- British Airways Avios are typically most valuable on short, nonstop routes where cash fares are expensive. The Instead of focusing on specific countries or even entire continents, distance-based sweet spots tend to be individual city pairs close enough to avoid bumping into the next pricing tier — especially if cash tickets are usually pricey on those routes.Related: Is British Airways premium economy worth it on the Boeing 777-300ER?
British Airways Avios award charts
With this in mind, let’s dive into specific award charts. The Each price is in Avios and applies to one-way flights.
Zone (distance in miles)
Economy (off-peak)
Economy (peak)
Premium economy (off-peak)
Premium economy (peak)
Business class (off-peak)
Business class (peak)
| First class (off-peak) | First class (peak) | Zone 1 (1 to 650) | 4,750 | 5,250 | — | — | 8,500 | 9,750 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | Zone 2 (651 to 1,151) | 7,250 | 8,250 | — | — | 13,500 | 15,750 |
| — | — | Zone 3 (1,152 to 2,000) | 9,250 | 10,750 | — | — | 17,750 | 18,350 |
| — | — | Zone 4 (2,001 to 3,000) | 10,000 | 12,500 | — | — | 31,250 | 37,500 |
| — | — | Zone 5 (3,001 to 4,000) | 13,000 | 20,000 | 26,000 | 40,000 | 50,000 | 60,000 |
| 68,000 | 80,000 | Zone 6 (4,001 to 5,500) | 16,250 | 25,000 | 32,500 | 50,000 | 62,500 | 75,000 |
| 85,000 | 100,000 | Zone 7 (5,501 to 6,500) | 19,500 | 30,000 | 39,000 | 60,000 | 75,000 | 90,000 |
| 102,000 | 120,000 | Zone 8 (6,501 to 7,000) | 22,750 | 35,000 | 45,500 | 70,000 | 87,500 | 105,000 |
| 119,000 | 140,000 | Zone 9 (7,001 and up) | 32,500 | 50,000 | 65,000 | 100,000 | 125,000 | 150,000 |
| 170,000 | 200,000 | Note that there are different prices for peak and off-peak dates. Peak dates are generally during the summer and school holidays, while off-peak pricing usually applies during the fall and winter months. | You will also be given the option to redeem more Avios toward fees, taxes and carrier-imposed surcharges thanks to the Reward Flight Saver offer. | Next, look at the award chart for flights operated by a single partner airline (other than Aer Lingus and Iberia, who use the chart above, and American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, who we will discuss below): | Zone (distance in miles) | Economy | Premium economy | Business |
First
Zone 1 (1 to 650)
6,000
| 6,750 | 12,500 | 24,000 | Zone 2 (651 to 1,151) | 9,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11,250 | 16,500 | 33,000 | Zone 3 (1,152 to 2,000) | 11,000 |
| 15,000 | 22,000 | 44,000 | Zone 4 (2,001 to 3,000) | 13,000 |
| 25,000 | 38,750 | 51,500 | Zone 5 (3,001 to 4,000) | 20,750 |
| 40,000 | 62,000 | 82,500 | Zone 6 (4,001 to 5,500) | 25,750 |
| 50,000 | 77,250 | 103,000 | Zone 7 (5,501 to 6,500) | 31,000 |
| 62,000 | 92,750 | 123,750 | Zone 8 (6,501 to 7,000) | 36,250 |
| 72,250 | 108,250 | 144,250 | Zone 9 (7,001 and up) | 51,500 |
| 100,000 | 154,500 | 206,000 | For flights in zones 1-4 operated by American and Alaska, Executive Club prices are as follows: | Zone (distance in miles) |
| Main cabin economy | Domestic first class | Zone 1 (1 to 650) | 12,000 | 24,000 |
Zone 2 (651 to 1,151)
| 16,000 | 32,000 | Zone 3 (1,152 to 2,000) |
|---|---|---|
| 18,000 | 40,000 | Zone 4 (2,001 to 3,000) |
| 20,000 | 50,000 | Follow the regular partner chart above for flights over 3,000 miles operated by American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. |
| For both of the above award charts, pricing applies to each flight in an itinerary. Business British Airways prices every segment individually, so you’ll want to stick to nonstop routings whenever possible. | Related: 5 versions of Avios: When to use Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, Finnair, Iberia and British Airways | For example, say you wanted to fly from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). According You In that case, you’d fly 89 more miles but pay 50% more Avios for your trip. |
| Here’s how the pricing works: | Fort Lauderdale to Charlotte: Covers 632 miles (12,000 Avios) | Charlotte to Philadelphia: Covers 449 miles (12,000 Avios) |
Total cost: 24,000 Avios
As such, the best value tends to come from nonstop flights.
Redeeming Avios within the US
MARKUS MAINKA/SHUTTERSTOCK
While short-haul domestic flights are not as good a value as they used to be following several devaluations, you could find good value in short-haul international flights.
- For example, you could fly American Main Cabin for just 12,000 Avios from Miami International Airport (MIA) to the following destinations:
- Providenciales International Airport (PLS) in Turks and Caicos
- Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX) in St. Croix
Cozumel International Airport (CZM) in Mexico
Read more: Why Avios are my favorite type of rewards as a South Florida resident
Domestic lie-flat business class
American routinely flies internationally configured, wide-body jets on domestic routes.
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
- For instance, some daily routes between Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and Miami are often operated by a 777-200. This West Alaska In addition to Los Angeles, Alaska Airlines also flies nonstop to multiple Hawaiian airports from San Diego International Airport (SAN), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Portland International Airport (PDX) — among others.
- Redeeming Avios outside the US
- JIMMOYHT/SHUTTERSTOCK
British Airways’ international partners span the globe, so some of the best British Airways redemptions are bound to come from international travel.
6,000-Avios awards
These low-priced awards are especially useful in pricey markets, such as European or Asian travel. The As a result, nonstop flights between the East Coast and Chicago to Ireland have become incredibly attractive, with transatlantic economy awards starting at just 13,000 Avios each way on off-peak dates.
You can book a round-trip, nonstop flight from multiple U.S. cities to Ireland starting at 26,000 Avios, which is phenomenal.
Multicity trips using Avios
As highlighted above, British Airways charges separately for every segment. Even However, this pricing approach allows you to book unlimited stopovers or open jaws on your award tickets.
Multicarrier awards exception
It’s important to note that British Airways has yet another award chart that only applies to award tickets with two or more Oneworld airlines. Unlike the standard award prices above, these multicarrier reward flights use cumulative distance to determine how many Avios you need.
While this typically offers a poor value proposition for simple itineraries, there are times when you should use it — like if you’re booking a round-the-world ticket.
Bottom line
When people think of British Airways’ loyalty program, many assume you’d want to use Avios for premium-cabin transatlantic trips to Europe. But that’s not necessarily the best way to use them.
