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If you’re a regular traveller, it’s worth knowing that some credit cards let you exchange their loyalty points for Avios. At the time of writing, American Express Membership Rewards points can be exchanged at a rate of 1:1 (in multiples of 1,000), for example, and you can also swap 400 Sainsbury’s Nectar points for 250 Avios. HSBC has also periodically run promotions allowing Premier customers to exchange reward points for Avios.
Avios is a frequent flyer scheme that allows you to earn points towards the cost of a flight as you spend. You can earn points through flying, spending with Avios partner brands or converting points from other programmes, such as the Sainsbury’s Nectar points scheme.
The number of points you can collect from flights you buy depends on which airline you fly with, how far you fly, and whether you’re flying economy, business or first class. How much you can collect through partner brands will depend on the scheme and where you shop.
In 2018, all Avios members were moved to the BA Executive Club. You can choose to collect and spend your Avios with BA, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus. You can also fly with LATAM, Malaysia Airlines, S7, Royal Jordanian, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Finnair, Qatar, Japan Airlines, Air Italy and Alaska Airlines.
As of 18 January 2021, you can no longer exchange Tesco Clubcard points for Avios. Now, Avios is partnered with Nectar.
There are different factors you should consider when choosing a card. These include:
The right card for you will ultimately depend on whether you are happy to pay an annual fee. For both British Airways credit cards and the American Express Rewards cards, for example, the sign-up bonuses and earn-rates are considerably more generous if you’re willing to pay an annual fee.
The earn-rate of Avios points on the British Airways Premium Plus is 1.5 for every £1 you spend, rather than the 1 point for every £1 you spend with the standard card. This would give you 10,000 extra Avios points on a spend of £20,000. You also get an extra year to use your Companion Voucher.
Although an annual fee can put some people off, it’s always worth weighing this up against the extra benefits that these cards typically entitle you to. Ultimately, whether or not the fee is worth paying will come down to how many points you expect to earn over the year, and how much those points will then go on to save you – you could be surprised.
If you don’t want to pay a fee, the Amex Gold is the best for sign-up bonuses, with an offer of 20,000 membership rewards points, which is the equivalent of 20,000 Avios points. However, the annual fee is only waived for the first year.
It’s worth noting that many of these cards have a foreign exchange fee of around 3%, so you may wish to get a separate credit card for spending money abroad.
None of the dedicated, Avios-earning credit cards offer interest-free spending (in fact, interest rates tend to be high which means it’s important to clear your balance in full each month).
However, as of 25 January 2021, Sainsbury’s customers can exchange Nectar points for Avios air miles. And the good news is that Sainsbury’s does offer 0% deals.
Sainsbury’s cards allow you to earn Nectar points which can then be exchanged for Avios. You’ll collect up to 3 Nectar points for every £1 spent on Sainsbury’s shopping, and 1 Nectar point for every £5 spent elsewhere. That means, for example, that if you’re putting a hefty purchase on a Sainsbury’s 0% card to spread the cost, you’ll be able to earn Nectar (and thus, indirectly, Avios) on your purchase.
Under the Nectar/Avios scheme, all existing and future Avios air miles can also be converted to Sainsbury’s Nectar points at the rate of roughly 0.8p per Avios. This means you can use your Avios air miles towards purchases at places like Sainsbury’s, Argos, eBay and many more. To convert points, you’ll need to link your Nectar and British Airways Executive Club accounts.
You can redeem your Avios points via the Avios website. You can use them to book flights, a hotel or car hire, or to book days out and experiences or even order wine.
The number of points you need to use per flight depends on the zone you travel in. The zone depends on the distance between your departure airport and your destination, and there are 9 zones. Generally, if you’re travelling in Europe, your flight will be within Zones 1 and 3 (up to 2,000 miles away). For example:
You still need to pay taxes and charges on flights. But under Avios’s “Reward Flight Saver” scheme, you can pay a low, flat fee to cover taxes, fees and carrier charges, and a fixed Avios amount. Depending on where you are flying, you can pay as little as £1 and 18,500 Avios. To qualify, you will need to earn at least 1 point during the year before you book.
The cost of flights in Avios points is fixed – it doesn’t fluctuate as it does if you’re paying in cash. However, availability can be lower, so book early if you want to use your points. Booking generally opens 355 days before a flight.
One of the most prized rewards from the British Airways American Express Credit Card is the Companion Voucher you can earn if you spend £12,000 in one year. The voucher entitles you to a second economy class seat for a friend travelling with you, for no extra Avios points, if you book a Reward Flight with British Airways, Aer Lingus or Iberia. Or you can use it to get a 50% discount on the Avios price of your own ticket.
But there are a few catches. For example, you'll need to pay the fees and taxes for both tickets, and the vouchers have an expiry date. You must book your flight before this date (and make the outbound journey, too) or you'll lose the voucher. With the standard BA Amex credit card, you get 12 months from when the voucher was issued to use it; for Premium Plus, it's 24 months.
There are other frequent flyer cards, including the Virgin Atlantic Reward card , which offers double points on Virgin flights, as well as offers from Virgin Experience Days, Virgin Trains and Virgin Wines, which can help you earn miles. Other schemes include Emirates Skywards Miles, Iberia Plus, and Miles & More.
There are also cards aimed specifically at hotel stays, such as the IHG Rewards Club credit card (no longer active), which included offers for IHG properties like Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn.
You’ll need to spend or collect 1 Avios point on your credit card every 36-month period to avoid losing any points.
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