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Revenue-based on own flights, distance on partners

How to earn British Airways Club Avios

BA flights earn Avios on spend: 6 per pound for Blue members, 7 Bronze, 8 Silver and 9 Gold, on the fare, carrier charges, paid upgrades, seats and bags. Government taxes, reward flights and agency or industry discounted fares earn nothing.

American Airlines and Iberia flights also earn per pound or euro spent. Every other partner earns a percentage of distance by cabin and booking class, from 25% up to 300% on Japan Airlines.

Official earning page: British Airways Club: collecting Avios on flights.

Written and reviewed by the Points Plug team. Last reviewed .

How to join British Airways Club

Enrol at britishairways.com. What the program requires and offers:

  • Free. Applicants must be 18 or over, and BA reserves the right not to enrol residents of certain countries.
  • No welcome bonus for joining.
  • Avios post about three days after a BA flight and seven days after a partner flight.

Airlines whose flights earn Avios here

Flights on these carriers can be credited to British Airways Club by adding your number to the booking.

  • American Airlines
  • Iberia
  • Aer Lingus
  • Alaska Airlines
  • Cathay Pacific
  • China Southern
  • Fiji Airways
  • Finnair
  • Japan Airlines
  • LATAM
  • Malaysia Airlines
  • Oman Air
  • Qantas
  • Qatar Airways
  • Royal Air Maroc
  • Royal Jordanian
  • SriLankan Airlines

From the Club's collecting Avios on flights page, which shows each partner's earning range.

Where else British Airways flights can be credited

  • American Airlines AAdvantage

    BA-marketed flights earn a percentage of distance by fare class from AA's British Airways chart. Long cheap flights earn more here than at 6 Avios per pound.

  • Alaska Atmos Rewards

    Alaska credits BA flights by distance and fare class as a oneworld partner and is the most useful home for oneworld flyers in the US. Claims must be filed within 6 months.

  • Qatar Airways Privilege Club

    Also collects Avios, on oneworld flights by distance and booking class rather than spend. The BA-specific rates are on qatarairways.com.

  • Other oneworld programs

    Cathay, JAL and Qantas credit BA flights by their own fare-class charts.

Which program should I select for British Airways flights?

BA's 6 Avios per pound favours expensive short flights. A £600 London to Edinburgh business fare earns 3,600 Avios, where a distance-based program pays a few hundred.

On a cheap long-haul economy fare the distance programs win. A £450 London to New York ticket earns 2,700 Avios with BA; AAdvantage or Atmos Rewards pay by fare class on 3,450 miles each way, so even a 50% code beats it over the round trip.

Credit to the Club when you want BA tier points, which count only here, or when you will spend Avios on short-haul Reward Flight Saver tickets.

Claiming Avios after the flight

Claim window: 6 months from the flight.

  • Claim in the account after three days for BA flights and seven for partners. BA claims take up to seven working days and partner claims up to four weeks.
  • New members can claim BA-marketed flights taken up to three months before joining; partner flights before joining cannot be claimed.
  • Non-airline partner claims also close six months after the transaction.

Source: British Airways Club: claiming missing Avios. Every program's window is compared on the missing miles page.

Ways to earn Avios without flying

Hotels and car hire

Hotel bookings through the Club and car rental partners pay Avios per stay or per rental, from the collecting Avios hub.

Uber and Uber Eats

In the UK and Ireland, link the Club in the Uber app to earn 3 Avios per pound on Uber Reserve, 2 on XL, Exec, Lux, Comfort and Black Cab rides, airport trips and train tickets bought through Uber, and 1 Avios per pound on Uber Eats orders of £25 or more, from the Club's Uber page.

Shopping portal and lifestyle partners

Avios at Apple, Home Depot, Macy's and 2,000 or more brands through the Avios shop, bp pulse charging up to 4 Avios per pound, Nectar points at 400 to 250 Avios, and Heathrow Rewards at 1:1.

Credit cards

Co-brand cards in the UK and US, listed on the credit cards page.

Travel extras

Airport parking, rail tickets and other extras booked through the Club earn Avios.

Sustainable aviation fuel

Contributions to sustainable aviation fuel through BA's CHOOOSE page earn Avios.

Buy Avios

Avios can be bought at avios.com; the price and annual cap show only after login.

Bank point transfers

Chase (1:1), Amex (1:1), Capital One (1:1), Citi (1:1), Bilt (1:1), Wells Fargo (1:1), Marriott (3:1) transfer into British Airways Club. See the transfer partner matrix and how transfers work.

Booking awards with the Avios

Booking window: 355 days. Change fee: £35 or €42.50 (US dollar figure not read); free on Gold Priority Rewards. Cancellation: £35 or €42.50; no service charge for Gold. The full rules are on the award fees table and the availability guide.

Using the Avios you earn

See the British Airways Club award chart for what the Avios buy, what they are worth, and what Points Plug pays for a balance you will not use.

Earning British Airways Club Avios: FAQ

Do Avios expire?
Yes, after 36 consecutive months with no collecting or spending. One shopping purchase resets the clock.
Which fares earn no Avios?
Reward flights, agency discounted fares and industry discounted fares on BA, and government taxes and fees on any ticket. On partners, booking classes outside the chart earn nothing.
Can I claim Avios for a flight before I joined?
For BA-marketed flights taken up to three months before joining, yes. Partner flights and non-airline partners before joining cannot be claimed.
Should I credit American flights to British Airways?
Only if you value Avios over AAdvantage miles. Both pay on spend, at 6 Avios per pound for Blue members and 5 AAdvantage miles per dollar. For long cheap flights Alaska pays more than either.

Sources

Other oneworld programs