The 25 Best Ways To Earn Lots of British Airways Avios [2023]

British Airways is the U.K.’s flagship airline. As a part of the Oneworld alliance, British Airways offers flights to many locations around the world and has a popular loyalty program with rewards points called Avios.

Before you can figure out how to use Avios for award flights and upgrades, you have to learn how to earn them! We’ve put together a list of the best ways to earn British Airways’ valuable Avios, so check out our ideas below.

Sign Up for a British Airways Executive Club Account

Before you can start earning British Airways (BA) Avios, you must join the British Airways Executive Club. Executive Club is the miles-earning program for British Airways and does not require an affiliated reward credit card to start earning Avios right away.

To join Executive Club, you only need to fill out a short registration form.

As a member of the BA Executive Club, you can collect and redeem Avios and receive special promotions from British Airways and other Oneworld partners.

Earn British Airways Avios With Credit Cards

Before we get into the many ways you can earn British Airways Avios, let’s look at the different ways you can transfer points from other rewards programs into your Avios account.

In addition to a co-branded credit card, there are 5 transferable points programs that partner with British Airways:

• Amex Membership Rewards
• Bilt Rewards
• Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Capital One Miles
• Marriott Bonvoy

All of these programs offer the opportunity to transfer their respective points into British Airways Avios.

American Express Memberships Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer at a rate of 1:1. However, some of these programs occasionally run promotions that boost the transfer rate by up to 40%.

Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Avios at a rate of 3:1, and you can receive a bonus of 5,000 Avios if you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points at once. That means 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points can get you 25,000 Avios.

1. British Airways Visa Signature^® Card

The only rewards credit card that lets you directly earn British Airways Avios is the British Airways Visa card.

While you do get a decent Avios-earning rate for spending on the card, it doesn’t offer a ton of extra benefits. This is not a huge loss, but it’s important to note if you’re accustomed to using other airline cards.

The British Airways Visa card comes with a $95 annual fee, but you can earn a valuable welcome bonus by hitting the minimum spending requirement when you open the card.

One great feature of the card is the Travel Together Ticket — a companion ticket that you get after spending $30,000 per year on the card, good for any cash or reward flight, regardless of class! The companion ticket is subject to taxes and surcharges of up to $1,500 to $2,000.

Hot Tip: Another neat perk of the British Airways Visa card is the Reward Flight Statement Credit that offsets a portion of the fuel surcharges of your British Airways award ticket to London paid for with the British Airways Visa card. You’ll get statement credits of $100 for economy and premium economy or $200 for business and first class, 3 times per year, up to $600.

Need help booking British Airways with Avios? See our step-by-step guide for booking British Airways business class or first class.

2. American Express Membership Rewards Cards

As we mentioned above, Chase isn’t the only bank that can help you earn Avios. American Express cards that earn Membership Rewards can also boost your Avios collection.

Keep in mind that American Express occasionally runs promotions that improve the 1:1 transfer ratio by up to 40%. Keep an eye out for these opportunities if you need Avios!

Recommended Amex Cards (Personal)

There are a number of Amex business credit cards that also earn transferrable Membership Rewards points!

3. Bilt Rewards

You can transfer Bilt Rewards points, mainly earned through the Bilt World Elite Mastercard^® Credit Card, to British Airways at a 1:1 ratio.

4. Capital One Credit Cards

Transfer the Capital One miles you earn to British Airways at a 1:1 ratio.

Recommended Capital One Cards

5. Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards

Several other Chase cards can also help you earn British Airways Avios. All Chase cards that earn transferrable Ultimate Rewards points can help boost your collections of Avios. You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways at a 1:1 ratio.

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

If you’re a business owner, consider one of Chase’s business credit cards.

6. Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards

You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points and transfer those to British Airways at a transfer rate of 3:1. Plus, for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points that you transfer, you’ll receive an extra 5,000 Avios bonus.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

7. Non-U.S.-based Credit Cards

When you consider how connected London is to destinations around the world, you can begin to imagine how many international travelers are interested in earning British Airways Avios.

And this makes a lot of sense — co-branded opportunities are very lucrative for both the consumer and the credit card issuer, so there are a ton of official co-branded British Airways Avios credit card options across numerous banks around the world:

Flying with British Airways and Partners

8. Book Flights on British Airways

Once you are an Executive Club member, you can earn Avios on every flight you take with British Airways. The miles you earn per flight are determined by the distance you travel, the class of service, and your Executive Club membership level.

You can reference the below chart to figure out how many Avios you will earn.

9. Book Flights on Oneworld and Partner Airlines

Earn Avios when you complete a one-way or round-trip flight with any Oneworld alliance partner airline.

British Airways also partners with Aer Lingus and LATAM, which are not part of the Oneworld alliance. You won’t earn Tier Points or a tier bonus on flights with these airlines, but you will earn valuable Avios.

Bottom Line: Make sure to check how many Avios you will earn when flying with each partner.

10. Minimum Avios Guarantee

All British Airways flights earn a guaranteed minimum number of Avios based on the fare class. The lowest economy fares earn a minimum of 125 Avios, while a flexible first class fare earns a minimum of 1,500 Avios.

Many flights on partner airlines also include a guaranteed minimum, but you should check the appropriate partner-earning chart before booking.

11. Class of Service Bonus

When you book flights with British Airways in the lowest economy fare class, the number of Avios you earn is equal to 25% of the miles you fly. The lowest fare class in premium economy, business, and first earn 100%, 150%, and 250% of miles flown, respectively.

Flexible economy, premium economy, business, and first class fares earn 100%, 150%, 250%, and 300% of miles flown, respectively.

When flying with a partner airline, check the respective partner-earning chart to determine your class of service bonus.

12. Frequent Flyer Tier Bonus

If you have Executive Club status, you can earn even more Avios on your flights:

When you fly with partner airlines, be sure to check whether you will earn a tier bonus. You will earn a tier bonus with some partners, including American Airlines, but not others.

Reaching the Next Level of Status

The more you fly with British Airways (and some of its partners), the quicker you will earn the next level of status in Executive Club.

With higher status, you will receive perks that can include airport lounge access, priority check-in and boarding, and an additional baggage allowance.

Qualifying for Elite Status

To reach each level of Executive Club status, you must earn a set number of Tier Points. With 300 Tier Points, you earn Bronze status. With 600 Tier Points, you earn Silver status. To reach top-level Gold status, you must earn 1,500 Tier Points.

Oneworld Status

With Bronze, Silver, and Gold status, you also receive a corresponding Oneworld status (Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald) and the associated benefits when flying with Oneworld partner airlines.

Earn Avios Through Other Travel

British Airways has several partners in the travel industry that allow you to earn more Avios. If you’re looking for a way to boost your Avios earnings, consider these options when traveling.

13. British Airways Rental Car Partners — Avis and Budget

Avis and Budget are the only rental car partners of British Airways that will help you earn Avios. Although Avis and Budget are owned by the same parent company, the earning structures are different.

Every Avis rental will earn you 5 Avios per £1 spent, with a minimum of 500 Avios per rental. Additionally, if you pay with the British Airways Visa card, you will earn an additional 250 Avios per rental.

If you rent a car from Avis 4 times in a calendar year, you will also receive a bonus of 1,000 Avios. Occasionally, you will see promotions to earn even more Avios for renting a car from Avis, so keep an eye out for these special offers.

Every Budget rental will earn you 2 Avios per £1 spent with a minimum of 250 Avios per rental.

Hot Tip: If you book your Avis car rental plus flights using British Airways vacation packages, you can earn even more Avios!

14. British Airways Hotel Partners

You can earn tons of bonus Avios by staying with British Airways’ hotel partners. You can find all hotel partners listed on the British Airways website.

Each partner hotel offers a different Avios bonus based on either your nightly stay or the amount spent. For your calculations, please note some of the hotels earn Avios based on the currency of their location.

Several programs also offer the option to convert points to Avios, but we would not recommend this due to poor value.

15. Book With Airbnb

British Airways has a partnership with Airbnb that allows you to earn 3 Avios per £1/€1/$1. You must book via the British Airways Airbnb portal to earn Avios for your stay.

16. Earn Bonus Avios on Vacation Bookings

When you book a flight plus a hotel or a flight plus a rental car through British Airways Vacations, you will earn a bonus of 1 Avios per dollar spent. This is in addition to the Avios you would already earn on a flight or rental car.

With thousands of hotel options around the world, this is an easy to way earn some extra Avios!

17. Purchase a Lounge Pass

If you happen to be in a situation where you don’t have a credit card that offers lounge access or if you’re at an airport with a Lounge Pass lounge but not a Priority Pass lounge, you’ll want to consider booking a Lounge Pass through British Airways.

Why? You will earn 5 Avios per $1 spent when you book on the official British Airways Lounge Pass website.

You can book lounges up to 15 months in advance from $19 per person! There are over 600 non-British Airways lounges to choose from at over 350 airports worldwide.

18. Book Parking With ParkVia

Looking to book parking at or near an airport? ParkVia, formerly known as ParkCloud, offers an exclusive partnership with British Airways to earn 5 Avios per $1 spent, rounded down to the nearest dollar.

19. Get From Heathrow to Central London Using Heathrow Express

If you’re visiting the U.K. and are landing at London Heathrow Airport (LHR), you’ll be pleased to find that the most convenient transportation option from the airport to central London is via the Heathrow Express.

Heathrow Express is the airport rail link that connects London Heathrow Airport to London Paddington station, smack in the middle of central London. The ride takes 15 minutes and trains depart every 15 minutes.

You’ll collect 5 Avios per £1 spent on tickets, excluding delivery or amendment fees. To earn Avios, enter your Executive Club membership number when you purchase tickets using the dedicated Heathrow Express website.

Note that you can’t earn Avios on tickets purchased elsewhere, and to accrue Avios, the name on the ticket must match the name on the British Airways Executive Club account. Avios will be credited 3 months from the booked travel date.

Earn British Airways Avios by Shopping

From online shopping to individual business partnerships, there are many opportunities to earn British Airways Avios on your retail purchases.

20. British Airways Avios eStore Online Shopping Portal

Avios can be earned through the Avios eStore online shopping portal. There are over 400 participating online retailers and each purchase offers an opportunity to earn Avios — up to 12 Avios per $1 spent.

As you can see below, the offers vary depending on the retailer:

Once you have logged in to your Executive Club account at the Avios eStore shopping portal, you can search for and select the store where you’d like to shop.

After selecting a store, you will be taken to a page with the details of the offer to earn Avios. From there, you can select Shop Now. You will be prompted to confirm that you are leaving the shopping portal for the selected store’s website.

If you click to confirm, you will be taken to the store’s site where you can begin shopping and earning bonus Avios. Make sure you stay in the new window while you are shopping to ensure your purchases track and you earn your bonus Avios.

Before finishing your purchase, make sure you are still logged in to the store through the portal. Then complete your purchase and enjoy the bonus Avios you just earned!

If after 40 days your Avios have not posted to your account, report it. Use British Airways’ shopping portal contact form to request that the missing Avios be added to your account.

21. Other British Airways Retail Partners

Unfortunately, earning Avios with British Airways retail partners is limited unless you spend a lot of time in London Heathrow Airport or shopping around Europe. Alternatively, you’ll have to be an avid wine drinker or read select magazines to benefit from these offers.

London Heathrow Airport purchases include shopping, eating, drinking, parking, and using the Heathrow Express. This is especially great if you’re someone who flies frequently back and forth to London.

When you register for Heathrow Rewards, you’ll receive 100 points just for signing up.

You can transfer Heathrow Rewards points into Avios at a 1:1 exchange in increments of 250 points. In other words, reach 250, 500, or 750 Heathrow Rewards and you will be able to convert them into 250, 500, or 750 Avios. This is an easy way to earn Avios if you’re a frequent Heathrow visitor!

Hot Tip: The High Life Shop offers 2 Avios for every £1 you spend on products onboard British Airways flights. You can also preorder products to your seat before you arrive onboard. That’s a nice perk if you like what the High Life Shop offers. Check out the High Life Shop online to learn more.

22. Subscribe to The Economist

If you’re considering subscribing to one of the most renowned magazines in the world, British Airways is offering an excellent deal of up to 18,000 Avios for setting up your subscription with The Economist.

All you have to do is visit the official partnership subscription page for The Economist and enter your British Airways Executive Club account along with your payment information!

Other Methods

23. Earn Avios With Surveys

For U.K. residents, British Airways has chosen to partner with and to help customers earn bonus Avios. Note that both companies are owned by Dynata.

Participants at both of these companies will earn 600 Avios by signing up for a free account and completing 1 survey.

After that, a minimum of 25 Avios are rewarded for short surveys under 10 minutes, and a minimum of 50 Avios are rewarded for surveys taking 10 minutes or longer.

When you register, just be sure to choose British Airways as your earning program and include your Executive Club number.

When you’ve run out of options, taking a survey to earn as few as 25 Avios could mean the difference between losing them all and holding onto them until you’re ready to redeem!

Hot Tip: Surveys are an easy way to keep earning Avios during lulls in your spending and traveling, or to top up your Avios and stretch your redemptions. They are especially useful when your Avios are approaching their expiration date. Avios expire after 36 months of no activity in your account, and surveys count as qualifying activity, which will extend your Avios’ expiration.

24. Buy British Airways Avios

In some situations, you just need some extra Avios in order to book a specific redemption. This is probably the only situation that we’d recommend buying Avios as usually they aren’t good value to purchase (even if there’s a promotion running).

However, sometimes you can be a little short and so this could be worthwhile. Just don’t buy them on a whim as stockpiling points for 1 specific airline is risky due to (inevitable) devaluations.

British Airways Executive Club has sold Avios with a bonus as high as 75% extra Avios in the past, so wait for one of those to come by if you can!

25. Use Banked as Your Payment Method

Don’t have a credit card that earns British Airways Avios? Digital payments start-up Banked allows BA Executive Club members to earn 1 Avios for every £1 they spend with any merchant when they select Banked as the payment method at checkout.

Final Thoughts

Thanks to British Airways’ partnerships with American Express, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, and Marriott Bonvoy, you have plenty of opportunities to earn Avios through the British Airways Executive Club program. You can top off these earnings with British Airways’ travel partners, the online shopping portal, shopping partners, and surveys.

Using the British Airways Visa card is the most straightforward way to earn Avios. It also allows you to earn the Travel Together Ticket after spending $30,000 (or more) in a calendar year.

With strategic earning and use of your Avios, you’ll be on your way to some fun adventures! For redemption inspiration, make sure to read our guide to the best uses of British Airways Avios.

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