Avios is the currency of the

British Airways Executive Club

, which is the airline’s frequent flier program. The currency has also been adopted by Iberia, which is owned by the same parent company as BA, Qatar Airways, which is a fellow

oneworld

Alliance partner, Aer Lingus, Finnair, and Vueling. The British Airways Executive Club has more than 1,500 partners in fashion, travel, and finance. Through the program, Avios points can be earned through traditional ways, like flying, purchasing flights, and credit card spending.

Increasing Avios balances

Members who want to add points can do so in three different ways, which are listed below. Points can be bought, the balance can be boosted on purchases made within 30 days, or members can sign up for a subscription, which earns Avios on a monthly basis.

Buy

Boost

Subscribe

Credit to account

Instant

Instant

Instant, then recurring

Price per Avios from*

£0.0177

£0.0092

£0.0099

Applicability

Applies to transactions from the last 30 days

1 subscription per member

Minimum amount

2,000 Avios

1 Avios

1,667 Avios per month

Maximum amount

200,000 Avios

Unlimited

200,000 Avios per year

Avios can be purchased starting at £0.0177 per point and British Airways requires all purchases to be a miniumum of 2,000 points. But the fewer the number of points purchased, the more expensive they are, per point. For example, the Executive Club price for 2,000 points is £49, which means each point is £0.0245. The first few options for points purchases go up in increments of 1,000 points, but after 10,000 points, options jump by 5,000 points. The maximum purchase is 200,000 points, which costs £3,539, which comes out to £0.17695

It is important to note that in order to purchase points, members need to have at least one point in their account.

Certain transactions are eligible for boosts within a 30 day period, and can be increased by 1x, 2x, or 3x. As the chart above shows, there is no limit as to how many transactions can be boosted, but only up to 300,000 points an be boosted at the cheapest rates. After that, the price increases. Boosting is a simple three-step process:

  1. Select transactions – Log in to view your eligible transactions and choose which ones you want to boost.
  2. Choose a multiplier – You can boost your transactions by 1x, 2x or 3x.
  3. Pay for boost – Once you’ve paid, your Avios will be in your account within 3 days.

Finally, the last option is a monthly subscription to purchase Avios, with an annual cap of 200,000 points. There are four different options:

Voyager

Traveller

Explorer

Adventurer

20,000 Avios / year

50,000 Avios / year

100,000 Avios / year

200,000 year

Earn 1,667 / month

4,167 / month

8,334 / month

16,667 / month

Price: £26 / month

£55 / month

£105 / month

£ 199 / month

British Airways, American Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic aircraft in London shutterstock_2454166267

Photo: Ceri Breeze | Shutterstock

Every once in a while, British Airways will run promotions, offering bonuses on Avios purchases. For example, according to Award Wallet, in December, the airline was offering a 40% bonus. It was not the best promotion from the airline, but still enough to be taken advantage of.

Limited award availability

Different from other airline programs, British Airways limits the number of award seats available on each flight. According to its website, the minimum number of seats guaranteed per flight are just 14 leaving London Heathrow and London Gatwick. The breakdown is as follows:

  • Eight seats in economy (Euro Traveller and World Traveller)
  • Two seats in premium economy (World Traveller Plus)
  • Four in business (Club Europe and Club World)

On flights that leave from London City Airport, British Airways guarantees:

  • Two reward seats in business (Club Europe)
  • Two reward seats in economy (Euro Traveller)

Avios-only flights

Limited availability means that even more than normal, one should consider other airline programs and/or check for award availability before purchasing additional points. Though most flights have limited award availability, British Airways does operate a number of Avios-only flights, as does its subsidiary Euro Flyer. These flights are limited and members are encouraged to check Club Updates to know when flights are available.

A British Airways jet at LAX

Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock

Recently, British Airways released a number of flights for Easter 2025, including those to Faro and Abu Dhabi. The current list has the following flights available:

Date and time

Flight number and route

24 August 2024, 11:55

BA654 London Heathrow – Corfu (LHR-CFU)

24 August 2024, 12:55

BA450 London Heathrow – Palma (LHR-PMI)

15 February 2025, 13:30

BA155 London Heathrow – Barbados (LHR-BGI)

22 February 2025, 20:25

BA154 Barbados – London Heathrow (BGI-LHR)

22 February 2025, 11:05

BA740 London Heathrow – Geneva (LHR-GVA)

1 March 2025, 14:45

BA741 Geneva – London Heathrow (GVA-LHR)

18 April 2025, 13:10

BA594 London Heathrow – Faro (LHR-FAO)

18 April 2025, 22:25

BA73 London Heathrow – Abu Dhabi (LHR-AUH)

26 April 2025, 11:55

BA505 Faro – London Heathrow (FAO-LHR)

26 April 2025, 10:10

BA72 Abu Dhabi – London Heathrow (AUH-LHR)

Prices vary per route. For example, the flight to Palma has a standard round-trip price of 25,000 Avios and a tax of £1, while the flight to Barbados is 70,000 Avios and a tax £150. The airline does have options that combine points and cash, which on the flight to Abu Dhabi would be 11,550 Avios + £620 for World Traveller (economy), instead of 55,000 Avios + £100.


  • British Airways Tile

    British Airways

    IATA/ICAO Code:
    BA/BAW

    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier

    Hub(s):
    London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport

    Year Founded:
    1974

    Alliance:
    oneworld

    Airline Group:
    IAG

    CEO:
    Sean Doyle

    Country:
    United Kingdom

    Loyalty Program:
    British Airways Executive Club

    Region:
    Europe

  • Executive Club Tall-2

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