British Airways is the biggest full-service airline within the United Kingdom and flies to extra locations within the U.S. than every other European provider.
The airline’s loyalty program is at the moment known as Government Membership, and its forex is Avios. With a considerable world route community and a loyalty at the moment that’s straightforward to earn and redeem, it’s a program that needs to be in your radar, even in case you aren’t touring to the U.Okay.
Here is what you might want to learn about incomes and redeeming British Airways Avios for rewards and find out how to earn elite standing in Government Membership.
What are Avios?
Avios is the rewards forex utilized by the next loyalty packages:
- British Airways Government Membership
- Iberia Plus
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Vueling Membership
- Qatar Airways Privilege Membership
- Finnair Plus
Avios might be transferred between any of those packages at a ratio of 1:1, so every Avios is theoretically price the identical in every program. There are, nevertheless, other ways wherein Avios might be redeemed in every program. This implies the savvy traveler can obtain completely different values relying on which program the Avios are utilized in — and the way.
This information focuses on Avios earned and redeemed within the Government Membership program.
Learn how to earn elite standing within the British Airways Government Membership program
Tier factors rely towards standing, and there are 4 completely different standing ranges:
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- Blue — the extent the place everybody begins
- Bronze — achieved after 300 tier factors are earned by March 31, 2025
- Silver — achieved after 600 tier factors are earned by March 31, 2025
- Gold — achieved after 1,500 tier factors are earned by March 31, 2025
Like another airline packages, British Airways Government Membership additionally has two further ranges of standing that are not printed:
Previously, British Airways Government Membership members got a “Tier Level 12 months assortment finish date” that fell on the eighth day of the month following the date they joined the Government Membership. So, in case you joined the loyalty program on Aug. 14, 2023, you’d have till Sept. 8, 2024, to earn your required standing tier. That mentioned, this adjustments on April 1, 2025, when British Airways makes all tier level assortment finish dates March 31.
British Airways may even swap to a revenue-based elite standing mannequin April 1, 2025, because it renames Government Membership to The British Airways Membership. Whereas standing advantages won’t change, standing in “The Membership” will likely be awarded based mostly on spending (on flights marketed and operated by British Airways, American Airways and Iberia) reasonably than distance flown or fare class.
Beginning April 1, 2025, members will earn 1 tier level per British pound (about $1.24) spent on flights on these airways (together with these pesky carrier-imposed surcharges) and ancillary purchases like seat choice, extra baggage and sustainable aviation gasoline, excluding airport charges and authorities taxes.
Nevertheless, if the fare is unavailable or undisclosed (as typically occurs with trip packages), you may earn tier factors based mostly on a share of miles flown, your cabin class and reserving class. Likewise, you may earn tier factors based mostly on a share of miles flown, your cabin class and reserving class on flights marketed by companions in addition to American Airways and Iberia. You may examine the chances you may earn for every airline companion on British Airways’ web site.
Moreover, from April 1, 2025, the next tier factors will likely be wanted to earn standing in The British Airways Membership for the rest of the present tier level assortment 12 months and everything of the next tier level assortment 12 months:
- Bronze: 3,500 tier factors
- Silver: 7,500 tier factors
- Gold: 20,000 tier factors
- Gold Visitor Checklist: 65,000 tier factors (with at the very least 52,000 earned by means of British Airways-marketed flights and British Airways Holidays) to earn and 40,000 tier factors (with at the very least 32,000 earned by means of British Airways-marketed flights and British Airways Holidays) to resume
For many vacationers, Silver and Gold standing will likely be more durable to earn beneath The Membership than the prevailing Government Membership.
Blue advantages
- Gather Avios on income flights with BA or its companions
- Share Avios in a family account (as much as six members)
- Choose seats at no cost 24 hours earlier than departure (excluding exit-row seats and never together with journey on fundamental fares)
- Save preferences, similar to particular meals and seating
- Entry Reward Flight Savers
Bronze advantages (Oneworld Ruby)
- All of the Blue advantages
- Precedence check-in and boarding
- Free seat choice seven days earlier than departure
- Bonus Avios when flying British Airways or choose companion airways
- Standing freeze for maternity/paternity/adoption
Silver advantages (Oneworld Sapphire)
Silver is the equal of Gold on many different airways, the place the advantages actually kick in.
- All of the Bronze advantages
- Free seat choice on the time of reserving
- Further Avios when flying British Airways or choose companion airways
- Two 71-pound checked luggage in economic system (excluding fundamental economic system), relevant to everybody in your reserving
- Enterprise-class lounge entry (with one visitor) when flying BA and companion airways
- Precedence baggage supply
- Precedence cellphone assist
Gold advantages (Oneworld Emerald)
- All of the Silver advantages
- Free seat choice on the time of reserving, together with exit-row seats and unique entry to 1A and 1K in top quality
- Further Avios when flying British Airways or choose companion airways
- Further free checked bag in any class and a weight allowance of 71 kilos per bag, relevant to everybody in your reserving
- First-class check-in desk and lounge entry when flying BA and Oneworld airways (lounge entry consists of one visitor)
- Use of BA arrivals lounge at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) Terminal 5 after a long-haul flight (no friends)
- Entry to Gold Precedence Rewards, which lets you drive an Avios reward ticket by paying double Avios for flights (you will need to e-book greater than 30 days upfront)
- Further reward availability in economic system
Lifetime Gold is earned after accumulating 35,000 lifetime tier factors earlier than March 31, 2025, or 550,000 lifetime tier factors after April 1, 2025; there isn’t any restrict on the time you’ll be able to take to gather. Present lifetime tier level balances will likely be transformed April 1, 2025, so in case you’ve earned 50% of the tier factors required by March 31 (17,500), this will likely be transformed to 50% of the brand new necessities April 1 (275,000 tier factors).
Gold Visitor Checklist advantages (Oneworld Emerald)
- All of the Gold advantages
- First-class lounge entry when flying BA and Oneworld airways (with as much as 5 friends for BA-operated lounges)
- Entry to Gold Visitor Checklist redemptions, often known as jokers, which permit members to get BA to open up Avios redemption seats (for as much as 5 passengers), offered sure reserving lessons are nonetheless up on the market
- Precedence help helpline
- Concorde Room card for entry to the Concorde Room at LHR and John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) (with one visitor)
- BA arrivals lounge entry after a long-haul flight (with one visitor)
- Hilton Honors Diamond standing
- Improve to Enterprise First on the Heathrow Categorical
- Present one Gold and two Silver companion playing cards every membership 12 months
Requalifying for standing with British Airways requires the identical quantity of tier factors, aside from Gold Visitor Checklist. Nevertheless, BA has a “smooth touchdown” for members who do not retain the identical standing stage within the following membership 12 months. If members fail to take care of their standing, they will slip to the extent straight under, reasonably than having to start out once more.
What’s the distinction between Avios and tier factors?
Many frequent flyer packages differentiate between redeemable miles and elite qualifying miles. That is partly as a result of airways award multiples of precise miles flown to passengers in premium cabins or these with elite standing for redeeming, however they award progress towards standing based mostly on precise miles flown.
British Airways Government Membership has a break up. Slightly than having elite qualifying miles, BA awards tier factors, which rely towards standing. Typically confusingly for these new to the world of miles, BA calls its mileage forex — the rewards that may be redeemed for flights — Avios.
Avios
Avios are the air miles earned for flying, bank card spending and leveraging different companions. Due to this fact, Avios are the forex clients can use for reward flights, upgrades and different issues like reward vouchers.
You may earn Avios based mostly in your ticket worth and any add-ons whenever you fly, similar to provider prices, cabin upgrades, prebooked and pay as you go seats, and extra luggage.
Then, you’ll obtain further Avios based mostly in your elite standing. You’ll earn 7 Avios per British pound (about $1.24) spent as a Bronze member, 8 Avios per pound spent as a Silver member and 9 Avios per pound spent as a Gold member when flying with British Airways, American Airways and Iberia.
Tier factors
British Airways awards tier factors for all flights taken on British Airways, Aer Lingus or any of BA’s Oneworld companions, which rely towards standing in Government Membership. Till March 31, 2025, the variety of tier factors awarded will depend on your ticket kind and the category and distance flown.
Brief economy-class flights of lower than 2,000 miles can earn between 5 and 20 tier factors, relying on the fare class booked and the worth. The costlier the ticket, the extra possible you’ll earn extra tier factors. Brief-haul business-class flights (or home first-class flights within the U.S.) of lower than 2,000 miles usually earn 40 tier factors for every sector. So, taking many brief flights in premium cabins can rapidly earn elite standing.
Beginning in 2025, all Government Membership members’ tier level assortment years will start April 1 and finish March 31. Beforehand, standing years aligned with when the member joined Government Membership, however as talked about earlier, all members will comply with the identical dates beginning in April 2025.
From April 1, 2025, tier factors when flying BA, Iberia and American Airways will likely be awarded based mostly on the quantity spent reasonably than the space or fare class flown.
Associated: British Airways rebrands loyalty program, unveils new revenue-based system for incomes elite standing
Learn how to earn Avios
Bank cards
The simplest technique to earn a significant variety of Avios on on a regular basis spending is by making use of for the British Airways Visa Signature® Card.
This card — issued by Chase and, due to this fact, topic to the 5/24 rule — presents new candidates the chance to earn 75,000 Avios after spending $5,000 on purchases inside the first three months from account opening. In our January 2025 valuations, TPG valued Avios at 1.4 cents every, making the complete bonus price $1,050.
The British Airways Visa Signature Card has a $95 annual price and earns 3 Avios per greenback spent on British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Degree purchases. Plus, you’ll be able to earn 2 Avios per greenback spent on lodge lodging when bought straight with the lodge. All different purchases earn 1 Avios per greenback spent.
Playing cards with transferable rewards
Savvy TPG readers know we often suggest sticking with playing cards that earn transferable factors due to their added flexibility. This technique nonetheless applies in case you’re making an attempt to accrue Avios. British Airways is a switch companion of Capital One, Chase Final Rewards, American Categorical Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Wells Fargo Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy, making Avios one of many best currencies to earn.
Factors or miles switch from Capital One, Chase, Bilt, Wells Fargo and Amex at a 1:1 ratio (along with occasional switch bonuses), whereas Marriott factors switch at a 3:1 ratio. Plus, you may get a 5,000-Avios bonus for each 60,000 Marriott factors transferred.
The next playing cards all at the moment supply substantial welcome bonuses that you could simply convert to Avios:
- American Categorical® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 bonus factors after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership.
- The Platinum Card® from American Categorical: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards factors after you spend $8,000 on purchases inside the first six months of card membership.
- Capital One Enterprise Rewards Credit score Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases inside the first three months from account opening.
- Capital One Enterprise X Rewards Credit score Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases inside the first three months from account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Most well-liked® Card: Earn 60,000 Final Rewards factors after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Earn 60,000 bonus factors after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
- Ink Enterprise Most well-liked® Credit score Card: Earn 90,000 bonus factors after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Different methods to earn Avios embody:
- Buying Avios: They’re typically on sale.
- On-line buying portal: Earn bonus Avios from many on-line retailers, with some shops providing 10 or extra Avios per greenback spent.
- Trip packages: Ebook by means of the British Airways Holidays web site to earn an additional 1 Avios per greenback spent. BA additionally companions with main lodge manufacturers like IHG and Accor and cruise strains like Royal Caribbean, so you’ll be able to earn further Avios on nonair journey.
- Airbnb: Earn 2 Avios per greenback spent on trip leases.
- Automobile leases: Earn 3 Avios per greenback spent with Avis and 1 Avios per greenback spent with Finances.
- Uber: Earn 1 Avios for every pound spent for rides in the UK.
- Lounge Cross: Purchase entry to a membership lounge at over 350 airports worldwide and earn 5 Avios per greenback spent.
- Airport parking, Heathrow Categorical airport prepare and valet parking at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR): Earn 5 Avios per pound spent.
- Heathrow Rewards: Earn 1 level per pound spent whenever you store, dine or park at Heathrow Airport, British Airways’ main hub. You may then convert these Heathrow Rewards factors to Avios at a 1:1 ratio.
- Surveys: Members can use e-Rewards and Avios for Ideas to earn Avios for finishing surveys, together with 600 Avios whenever you full your first survey.
Which airways can I e-book with Avios?
British Airways is a founding member of Oneworld, a world alliance of greater than a dozen airways.
Assuming there’s award availability, you need to use your Avios out of your British Airways accounts for flights on any Oneworld airways:
- Alaska Airways
- American Airways
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Fiji Airways (Oneworld Join companion, changing into a full member in 2025)
- Iberia, together with Iberia Categorical and Air Nostrum
- Japan Airways
- Malaysia Airways
- Oman Air (becoming a member of in 2025)
- Qantas, together with QantasLink and Jetconnect
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Jordanian
- Royal Air Maroc
- S7 Airways (at the moment suspended)
- SriLankan Airways
Along with the Oneworld companions listed above, you may also use Avios from British Airways Government Membership to redeem for flights on:
- Aer Lingus (additionally an incomes companion)
- Vueling
- Solar-Air, a BA franchise companion in Scandinavia
Hawaiian Airways is about to hitch the Oneworld alliance following the Alaska Airways-Hawaiian Airways merger.
What number of Avios will I would like?
Although British Airways Government Membership doesn’t publish an official redemption chart, TPG has discovered that the airline follows this award pricing for one-way Avios redemptions operated by British Airways:
| Zone
(distance in miles) |
Financial system, off-peak | Financial system, peak | Premium economic system, off-peak | Premium economic system, peak | Enterprise, off-peak | Enterprise, peak | First-class, off-peak | First-class, peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1
(1-650) |
4,750 | 5,250 | N/A | N/A | 8,500 | 9,750 | N/A | N/A |
| Zone 2
(651-1,151) |
7,250 | 8,250 | N/A | N/A | 13,500 | 15,750 | N/A | N/A |
| Zone 3
(1,152-2,000) |
9,250 | 10,750 | N/A | N/A | 17,750 | 18,350 | N/A | N/A |
| Zone 4
(2,001-3,000) |
10,000 | 12,500 | N/A | N/A | 31,250 | 37,500 | N/A | N/A |
| Zone 5
(3,001-4,000) |
13,000 | 20,000 | 26,000 | 40,000 | 50,000 | 60,000 | 68,000 | 80,000 |
| Zone 6
(4,001-5,500) |
16,250 | 25,000 | 32,500 | 50,000 | 62,500 | 75,000 | 85,000 | 100,000 |
| Zone 7
(5,501-6,500) |
19,500 | 30,000 | 39,000 | 60,000 | 75,000 | 90,000 | 102,000 | 120,000 |
| Zone 8
(6,501-7,000) |
22,750 | 35,000 | 45,500 | 70,000 | 87,500 | 105,000 | 119,000 | 140,000 |
| Zone 9
(7,001-plus) |
32,500 | 50,000 | 65,000 | 100,000 | 125,000 | 150,000 | 170,000 | 200,000 |
British Airways launched Reward Flight Savers on all BA-operated routes. This program permits Government Membership members to pay extra Avios in alternate for decreasing the numerous gasoline surcharges, a number of the trade’s highest.
Right here is the companion award chart for flights operated by companion airways, excluding American Airways and Alaska Airways Zone 1-4 (all flights are charged on the peak worth):
| Zone
(distance in miles) |
Financial system | Premium economic system | Enterprise/home first | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1
(1-650) |
6,000 | 6,750 | 12,500 | 24,000 |
| Zone 2
(651-1,151) |
9,000 | 11,250 | 16,500 | 33,000 |
| Zone 3
(1,152-2,000) |
11,000 | 15,000 | 22,000 | 44,000 |
| Zone 4
(2,001-3,000) |
13,000 | 25,000 | 38,750 | 51,500 |
| Zone 5
(3,001-4,000) |
20,750 | 40,000 | 62,000 | 82,500 |
| Zone 6
(4,001-5,500) |
25,750 | 50,000 | 77,250 | 103,000 |
| Zone 7
(5,501-6,500) |
31,000 | 62,000 | 92,750 | 123,750 |
| Zone 8
(6,501-7,000) |
36,250 | 72,250 | 108,250 | 144,250 |
| Zone 9
(7,001-plus) |
51,500 | 100,000 | 154,500 | 206,000 |
For some flights operated by companion airways utilizing Avios, you may even see barely completely different pricing than within the desk above when redeeming by means of British Airways Government Membership. For instance:
- Aer Lingus Zone 1 flights are priced at 4,000 Avios in economic system.
- Iberia Zone 1 flights are priced at 5,000 Avios in economic system.
- Qatar Airways Zone 1 flights are priced at 8,000 Avios in economic system.
Associated: 5 variations of Avios: When to make use of Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, Finnair Iberia and British Airways
For shorter flights operated by American Airways or Alaska Airways, the next costs apply:
| Zone (distance in miles) | Financial system | First-class |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 (as much as 650 miles) | 12,000 | 24,000 |
| Zone 2 (651-1,151 miles) | 16,000 | 32,000 |
| Zone 3 (1,152-2,000 miles) | 18,000 | 40,000 |
| Zone 4 (2,001-3,000 miles) | 20,000 | 50,000 |
Government Membership prices per leg, so if you’re taking connecting flights you have to so as to add collectively the price of every.
If you wish to e-book home flights in economic system for fewer Avios, think about transferring your Avios from Government Membership to Finnair Plus. This program prices simply 11,000 Avios for flights wherever within the continental United States and Canada operated by Alaska Airways, or 16,500 Avios for flights operated by American Airways.
How do I e-book flights with British Airways Avios?
First, you have to a British Airways Government Membership account to switch factors or search award availability. You may join on the British Airways web site in case you do not have already got an account.
British Airways’ web site is among the finest choices for looking out Oneworld award availability. Most redemptions might be booked on-line by means of the Government Membership web site.
There are two principal methods to seek for award availability. Instantly after logging in to BA’s web site, I hover over the “Ebook” tab within the higher left nook and click on “Ebook a flight with Avios.”
BA helps you to simply search plus or minus three days on the high of the outcomes web page.
When you choose your most well-liked flight, you’ll then see the worth in Avios together with charges and taxes.
Can I take advantage of a mixture of Avios and money?
There are two other ways to do that:
- You may partly pay with Avios to cut back the price of a money ticket. This isn’t depending on award availability, and you’ll earn Avios and tier factors as regular.
- Paying more money (along with the charges and taxes) can scale back the variety of Avios wanted for redemption.
You could not have enough Avios in your account to cowl the price of all the flight, or chances are you’ll not want to use so many Avios for one redemption. So, British Airways offers you the choice to pay with a mixture of Avios and money for redemptions on British Airways or its companions.
Backside line
British Airways has an enormous route community, particularly in North America and throughout Europe, making it a terrific choice for these flying from the U.S. to Europe. Plus, BA stays dedicated to sustaining worldwide top quality, and whereas none of its merchandise are world-leading, they’re pretty constant.
Avios are one of many best loyalty program currencies to earn and redeem. Redemptions for short-haul journey can supply nice worth, although gasoline surcharges stay the largest frustration with this system.
