British Airways is the largest full-service airline in the United Kingdom and flies to more destinations in the United States than any other European carrier.
The airline’s loyalty program, British Airways Executive Club, uses Avios as its currency.
With a substantial U.S. route network, excellent airline partners and a loyalty currency that is easy to earn and redeem, British Airways Executive Club should be on your radar, even if you aren’t traveling to the U.K. Unlike the major U.S. loyalty programs, Executive Club does not operate using dynamic pricing, though there are discounts for off-peak travel dates. Provided there is availability, you will always know what you will need to pay with no unexpected surprises or 300,000-point flight redemptions.
Here are the best ways to redeem British Airways Avios.
Related: 5 reasons why you should care about British Airways Avios
Book short-haul flights in Europe using Avios
Short-haul tickets flying on British Airways, Iberia or Aer Lingus are arguably the best British Airways Avios redemptions. They start at just 4,750 Avios plus 17.50 British pounds (about $23) for an off-peak award flight that’s 650 miles or less in distance. One example would be a flight between London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), which can regularly cost over $100 if purchased as a cash fare.
Partner awards, including those operated by Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Japan Airlines, start at 6,000 Avios but exclude flights within North America.
Unfortunately, while using Avios to book short-haul flights operated by American Airlines and Alaska Airlines was previously a great way to redeem Avios, recent devaluations mean prices now start from 12,000 Avios for the shortest domestic flights. This is not a terrible price, but it is higher than other programs charge for flights this short.
Thanks to British Airways’ Reward Flight Saver offer, Executive Club members also have the option to choose to pay more Avios to reduce the (already reasonable) taxes and fees.
Related: How to book award flights using British Airways Avios
Use Avios to island hop through the Caribbean
Here is a neat trick to experiencing more of the Caribbean once you are there.
While flights between islands in this region can be expensive, British Airways operates several fifth-freedom routes where, for example, a British Airways flight originating in London will fly from Antigua’s V.C. Bird International Airport (ANU) to St. Kitts’ Robert L. Bradshaw Airport (SKB) several times per week.
You can book just the short hop between the islands, and British Airways prices these short flights like its European short-haul flights. Using the Reward Flight Saver offer, redemptions start from just 4,750 Avios each way plus 17.50 British pounds (about $23) on off-peak dates. Award availability is usually outstanding in all classes on these fifth-freedom flights, as many passengers disembark at the first stop, leaving plenty of empty seats for the second, short leg.
If you can’t decide between two islands in this beautiful part of the world, consider using Avios to cheaply hop between both.
Related: How to fly to Hawaii starting at just 13,000 points each way
Book domestic business class on American Airlines using Avios
Although American Airlines calls its domestic premium-class cabin “first class,” it is possible to redeem Avios for this product at business-class-level rates.
The real kicker is that American Airlines regularly flies internationally configured wide-body aircraft, including Boeing 777s and 787s, on domestic routes. For example, American’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner operates some flights between Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and Miami International Airport (MIA), a 1,013-mile journey.
You could book a business-class award on this flight for only 32,000 Avios. That’s a decent deal for a proper lie-flat bed.
Pay for West Coast flights to Hawaii using Avios
Since we’re on the subject of American Airlines, another sweet spot with Avios is the ability to fly from major West Coast cities to the Hawaiian Islands for just 20,000 Avios each way, thanks to the Avios distance-based chart. That beats the award rate for many U.S. airline programs.
But in this case, it’s not just about American’s route network. Alaska Airlines is also a British Airways partner, which means you have access to Alaska’s flights to Hawaii, though you’ll need to call to book Alaska flights with Avios since they aren’t searchable on the British Airways website. That opens up routes that American doesn’t serve but Alaska does, such as San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in California to Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Maui’s Kahului Airport (OGG).
So, if you live almost anywhere on the West Coast — or can easily position yourself there — Avios can be your friend to Hawaii.
Related: Save money: How you can book flights to Hawaii using points and miles
Book Aer Lingus with Avios at off-peak prices
If you can travel during off-peak dates — which cover roughly eight months of the year — you can fly to Dublin from a handful of U.S. cities, including ones as far west as Chicago. This award will set you back just 26,000 Avios round-trip in economy or as few as 50,000 Avios one-way in business class.
Suppose you live in the South in a city like Orlando or Miami or on the West Coast in Los Angeles or San Francisco. In either of those cases, the prices would only increase to 32,500 Avios round-trip in economy and 62,500 Avios one-way in business class. Those are still great deals considering how long these flights are.
Best of all, you won’t be charged fuel surcharges when redeeming British Airways Avios for Aer Lingus flights.
Reserve Iberia business-class seats to Spain using Avios
You can book Iberia flights between the following city pairs for just 34,000 Avios each way in business class, plus modest taxes and fees:
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) or Dulles International Airport (IAD) near Washington, D.C., to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD)
- BOS or JFK to Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN)
This remains one of the best sweet spots of any loyalty program and an incredible price to Europe.
While flights from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to MAD are slightly outside this distance range, they also price at 34,000 Avios one-way in business class, which is an excellent deal.
How to earn Avios
The easiest way to earn a meaningful number of Avios for everyday spending is by applying for the British Airways Visa Signature® Card.
This card offers new applicants the chance to earn 75,000 Avios after they spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. TPG values Avios at 1.4 cents each, per our September 2024 valuations, making the full bonus worth $1,050.
The British Airways Visa Signature has a $95 annual fee and earns 3 Avios per dollar spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Level. Plus, you can earn 2 Avios per dollar spent on hotel accommodations booked directly with the hotel. All other purchases earn 1 Avios per dollar spent.
Remember that Avios can be transferred at a 1:1 rate between the different programs that use this currency. So, you might also want to consider the Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card or the Iberia Visa Signature® Card, which each offer 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening, plus generous earning rates and a low annual fee.
Because Avios partners with many transferable credit card currencies, the following cards all currently offer strong welcome bonuses that you could easily convert to Avios:
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $20,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership.
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.
- American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases (up to $100) within the first six months of card membership. Terms apply.
- 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.
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: Earn 90,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Bottom line
You may wonder why we didn’t mention using Avios for transatlantic flights on British Airways metal or redeeming Avios for nonflight redemptions such as hotels and cars. Since British Airways insists on tacking huge surcharges onto its award tickets, using Avios for transatlantic flights on the carrier itself usually makes little sense. As for hotel stays and car rentals, the value you’ll get from using Avios to pay for them often isn’t worth the cash you’re saving in the first place.
Now that you know the best uses, you can get terrific value from your Avios regardless of whether you prefer flying in economy or a premium class and whether you most frequently take international or domestic flights.
