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British Airways Executive Club is British Airways’ loyalty program, and it’s a favorite among savvy American travelers. There’s a lot of value to be had with the program, since the airline is a member of the Oneworld alliance. This means British Airways partners with American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and number of other airlines around the world.
Plus, British Airways Executive Club is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards®, Bilt Rewards, Capital One and Chase Ultimate Rewards. This makes it easy to rack up Avios — British Airways’ term for an airline mile — with American travel credit cards.
But what makes British Airways Avios so useful for American travelers? Let’s take a look at how to earn Avios and walk through some of the best redemptions for US-based travelers.
How to earn British Airways Avios in the US
American travelers have a surprising number of ways to earn British Airways Avios. From credit card spending to to Airbnb stays, it’s easy to earn toward your next big redemption.
Transfer points from Amex, Bilt, Capital One or Chase
Four major loyalty programs have British Airways as a transfer partner: American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One and Chase Ultimate Rewards. Each of these programs transfer to Avios at a 1:1 ratio, so 1,000 Chase points equal 1,000 Avios.
If you’d like to earn a bulk of Avios quickly, consider opening a new credit card that earns one of these currencies. Banks often include welcome offers that award new card holders with a certain number of points after meeting a spend threshold, so you can earn rewards relatively quickly.
Here’s a look at some of our favorite cards and their welcome offers.
- American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $6,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months. $325 annual fee (see rates and fees).
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 within the first three months from account opening. $95 annual fee.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months. $95 annual fee.
Take a close look at each of these cards and see which is best for you. The Amex Gold earns four points per dollar at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1x points) and at US supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1x points) but has a $325 annual fee. Meanwhile, the Capital One Venture card has a lower annual fee but earns two miles per dollar on all purchases and has less perks. Refer to our full review of each card for more info.
Read CNN Underscored’s full reviews of the Amex Gold, Capital One Venture and Chase Sapphire Preferred cards.
Spend on the British Airways credit card
British Airways also has its own US credit card. With the British Airways Visa Signature® Card, you’ll earn Avios on all of your purchases. The card earns three Avios per dollar on British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Level purchases; two Avios per dollar on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel; and one Avios per dollar on all other purchases.
Plus, the card has a solid welcome bonus. New card members can earn 75,000 Avios after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. This is more than enough to book a handful of domestic flights on British Airways’ partners.
Card holders can also earn a Travel Together ticket after spending $30,000 in a single calendar year. This ticket is good for two years and lets you bring a companion with you on a British Airways-operated award ticket for no extra Avios cost (but you’ll still pay taxes and fees). You can also use it for 50% off the Avios cost of a single British Airways-operated award ticket.
The card has a $95 annual fee, but does not charge foreign transaction fees.
Earn Avios on Airbnb stays
You can also earn Avios when you stay at an Airbnb. Just click through this landing page before you book an Airbnb stay and you’ll earn three Avios per dollar spent. This can be a huge earning opportunity on expensive Airbnb stays.
Put your British Airways frequent flyer number on Oneworld tickets
Finally, you can add your British Airways Executive Club account number to any Oneworld flight you take to credit your miles to the loyalty program. Oneworld is home to a number of popular airlines, including American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Japan Airlines and others.
The number of Avios you’ll earn on a flight depends on your the airline you’re flying, the fare class you’ve booked and how far you’re flying. This page on British Airways’ website will show you the earning rate for each airline and fare class.
The best Avios redemptions for US travelers
So, you have some Avios — what now? These are five of the best ways that American travelers can redeem British Airways Avios for travel. This includes everything from domestic flights within the US to flights to Europe, the Caribbean and beyond.
Two quick things before we start. Award flights are priced by leg, so connecting flights will cost more Avios. Further, British Airways flights have high taxes in all classes of service, but most Oneworld partner flights do not. Because of this, this list does not include flights operated by British Airways.
Domestic flights in the US for as low as 8,250 Avios
One of the best ways for Americans to redeem British Airways Avios is on domestic flights operated by American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. These redemptions start at 8,250 Avios one-way for flights of 651 miles or shorter. This includes popular routes like New York-LaGuardia (LGA) to Washington-Reagan (DCA) and Miami (MIA) to Atlanta (ATL).
Longer flights cost moderately more Avios. For example, flights between 651 and 1,151 miles cost 11,000 Avios, like this flight from Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) to Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW).
The best part? You’ll pay just $5.60 in taxes and fees on domestic tickets, making these domestic flights nearly free.
Fly to Canada from 8,250 Avios
Want to visit Canada instead? You’re in luck. Similar to domestic tickets, you can book tickets from the US to Canada on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines for as few as 8,250 Avios one way.
These airlines operate frequent service to major Canadian cities like Calgary (YYC), Montreal (YUL), Toronto (YYZ) and Vancouver (YVR), among others.
West Coast to Hawaii from 16,000 Avios
If you’re looking for a sunshine destination, it’s hard to beat Hawaii. Between lush beaches and incredible food, you can encounter some pure relaxation.
Flights from the West Coast to Hawaii fall into the program’s 16,000-Avios bracket, which includes flights between 3,001 to 4,000 miles long. This covers most nonstop routes from the West Coast to Hawaii operated by American and Alaska, including Seattle (SEA), Portland (PDX), Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) to Honolulu (HNL).
These routes can often cost well over $1,000 round trip during peak travel dates, making this redemption a great deal if you can find award space. You’ll have the best luck finding award space if you can keep your travel dates flexible and book in advance.
Flights to the Caribbean from 8,250 Avios
Similarly, those in the southeastern United States can leverage British Airways’ award chart to fly to the Caribbean for as few as 8,250 Avios. Short-haul Caribbean routes like Miami (MIA) to Grand Cayman (GCM) and Nassau (NAS) fall into this price bracket, while longer routes may fall into the 11,000-Avios price band.
Advanced redemption: Iberia business class to Europe for 34,000 Avios
As discussed, booking British Airways-operated flights to/from Europe inclues high taxes, especially in business class. You’ll often pay $500+ on these flights due to high taxes in the UK and high fuel surcharges imposed by British Airways. Thankfully though, there’s still a way to use your Avios to fly to Europe in business class.
Iberia is a Spanish airline that also uses Avios as its loyalty currency. You can transfer Avios freely between British Airways Executive Club and Iberia Plus, letting you take advantage of Iberia’s award chart. Travel website The Points Guy has a great guide on how to transfer Avios between accounts.
The best sweet spot in the Iberia Plus program is the option to book off-peak Iberia business class tickets from Chicago-O’Hare (ORD), Boston (BOS) and New York-JFK to Madrid (MAD) for just 34,000 Avios one-way with minimal taxes and fees. You can view Iberia’s peak and off-peak calendar on its website.
This is an excellent deal if you’re looking for a luxurious trip to Europe. Off-peak dates comprise of most of the calendar, with peak dates being mostly in July, August and around the winter holidays. If you’re willing to travel during other dates, this is a way to get a tricket that normally costs $2,000+ for a relatively small amount of Avios.
Bottom line
British Airways Avios are some of the easiest travel rewards to earn, even if you live in the US. You can transfer points from most major credit card loyalty programs to the program. And once you have Avios, there are a slew of great ways to redeem them. From low-cost domestic flights on American Airlines to Iberia business class tickets to Europe, don’t overlook Avios the next time you book a flight.
Click here for rates and fees of the Amex Gold card.
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