The Complete Guide to British Airways Executive Club

British Airways is the flag carrier of The United Kingdom. From its first iteration as primarily a cargo service between London and Paris, it has now become one of the most important and well-connected airlines in the world (and the travel rewards space too). It serves more than 150 destinations itself — but you can use your points to visit over 1,000 more cities, thanks to British Airways’s strategic airline partners.

This is a big reason that British Airways made the point.me top 10 best airline rewards programs.

Overview of British Airways Executive Club

British Airways calls its rewards currency “Avios.” When you see that word throughout this guide, just know it means “airline miles.”

For the most part, the British Airways loyalty program is straightforward. It prices its awards based on two factors:

1. The distance you fly
2. The number of connections you have

In short, British Airways measures the distance of each leg of your trip and charges you separately for each one. For this reason, it’s wise to minimize the number of connections.

Credit card transfer partners of British Airways Executive Club

British Airways is one of the most gregarious airline currencies in existence. It teams up with partners with all six major credit card rewards currencies:

• American Express Membership Rewards
• Bilt Rewards
• Capital One Miles
• Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Citi ThankYou Points
• Wells Fargo Rewards

To boot, you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to British Airways Avios at a 3:1 ratio (3 Marriott points = 1 British Airways point). For every 60,000 points you transfer to British Airways, Marriott will add an extra 5,000 Avios on top.

Airline partners of British Airways Executive Club

British Airways is a member of an airline alliance called Oneworld, a team of more than a dozen strategic airlines across (nearly) every continent. Thanks to these partner airlines, you can use British Airways Avios to travel on airlines other than British Airways.

For example, British Airways doesn’t fly to Bali (DPS). But you can still use Avios to reach Bali by flying on Qatar Airways, a Oneworld partner airline, through Doha (DOH)

British Airways also partners with non-Oneworld airlines, including Aer Lingus and JetBlue. Here’s a rundown of all its partners.

Aer Lingus	Finnair	Qantas
airBaltic	Iberia	Qatar
Airlink	IndiGo	Royal Air Maroc
Alaska Airlines	JetBlue	Royal Jordanian
American Airlines	Japan Airlines	SriLankan Airlines
Bangkok Airways	Kenya Airways	Vistara
Cathay Pacific	Loganair	Vueling
China Southern	Malaysia Airlines
Fiji Airways	Oman Air

What we love about British Airways Executive Club

Whether you want to fly to Africa in luxury or simply hop to Grandma’s house for Thanksgiving, British Airways Avios are ideal for your rewards toolbelt. Here are a few things we especially like about the program:

• Avios are often a great deal for short-haul flights.
• British Airways has some of the most reliable and comprehensive Oneworld award search engines.
• Avios are extremely easy to earn.

What we don’t love about British Airways Executive Club

No airline loyalty program is perfect. British Airways comes with frustrations, too. These are the most egregious:

• There’s no published award chart.
• Itineraries with multiple connections typically cost considerably more.
• Fuel surcharges can be high, depending on the airline you’re flying.

British Airways elite status tiers and how to earn them 

British Airways has yanked the shroud from an upcoming loyalty program revamp in April 2025, called “The British Airways Club.” There are three status tiers (in addition to the “Blue” tier, which you’ll get just by enrolling in British Airways’ loyalty program).

To get elite status, you’ll need to earn “Tier Points.” Earning is simple: You get 1 Tier Point per £1 spent with British Airways. You can use them for flights, extra fees like checked bags, or even a British Airways holiday package.

Bronze

To earn Bronze status, you’ve got to collect 3,500 Tier Points per year. Here’s what you’ll get:

• Earn 7 Avios per £1 spent on British Airways and American Airlines flights; 6 Avios per euro spent with Iberia
• Free seat selection seven days before departure (except for group rates and exit row seats on long-haul flights)
• Priority check-in and boarding at most airports
• Status freeze for maternity/paternity/adoption

Silver

Silver status requires 7,500 Tier Points per year. It comes with all the benefits of Bronze status, plus:

• Earn 8 Avios per £1 on British Airways and American Airlines flights; 7 Avios per euro spent with Iberia
• Free seat selection at the time of booking (excluding group rates and exit row seats on long-haul flights)
• Priority boarding at most airports
• Additional baggage allowance (excluding Basic fares)
• Lounge access when flying with British Airways and partner airlines
• Guaranteed Economy seat on your flight, even if the flight is full when booking a full fare flexible economy ticket

Gold

British Airways’ most prestigious elite level is Gold status. You’ll need 20,000 Tier Points per year to qualify. It gives you all the benefits of Silver status, as well as:

• Earn 9 Avios per £1 on British Airways and American Airlines flights; 8 Avios per euro spent with Iberia
• Free seat selection at the time of booking (excluding group rates)
• Priority boarding always
• Access to British Airways First and other Oneworld first-class check-in desks
• No booking or service fees for award flights
• Ability to use double the points to reserve a seat in a sold-out cabin when you book at least 30 days in advance
• Extra reward flight availability in economy class
• Upgrade voucher for you and a companion (after you earn 2,500 Tier Points)
• 2 upgrade vouchers that you can use for yourself or for travel with a companion
• Improved lounge access
• Share Gold status with one person and Silver status with two others

How to earn Executive Club miles

Thanks to its horde of partners, British Airways Avios are easier to come by than many other airline rewards. For example, you can earn them by:

• Flying on British Airways. You’ll earn points based on the price of your flight, including any baggage fees, cabin upgrades, carrier charges, etc. You’ll earn between 6-9 points per pound equivalent, depending on your elite status level.
• Flying on partner airlines. You can credit the rewards you earn on partner flights to British Airways. Some will calculate your earnings the same as British Airways, but others will award you based on other factors, such as the distance you fly.
• Spending on credit cards. As previously mentioned, many bank points, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards, transfer to British Airways. But British Airways also offers acobranded British Airways Visa Signature® card, which earns British Airways Avios directly.
• Booking accommodation. Avios Hotels is British Airways’s online booking platform that allows you to earn 10 points per £1 for your reservation. You can also book directly with well-known hotel brands like IHG, Marriott, and Accor to earn Avios instead of hotel points. Airbnb is even an option, which is awesome since it doesn’t have its own loyalty program.
• Renting a vehicle. Avis and Budget partner with British Airways to let you earn1-3 points per dollar on eligible rentals.
• Shopping online. British Airways has a shopping portal that lets you earn up to 12 Avios per $1 spent at lots of popular retailers.

You can also earn rewards through various other partners, such as Heathrow Express rail transfers, ParkCloud airport parking, and more.

Redeeming miles with Executive Club

The British Airways website is easy to use, though it can be a bit slow at times. To start, find the “Book” tab at the top of the site and click on “Book a flight with Avios.”

You’ll be prompted to sign into your account. After that, you’ll see two new tabs: “Book with Avios” (an award flight) or “Book and Upgrade” (pay cash for your flight and upgrade to a better seat with Avios).

The search feature will automatically return all available flights for your trip, British Airways or otherwise. If British Airways can connect you from your origin airport to your destination, it will often ask if you want to add a stopover in London for free. By opting out of that, you’ll get to choose from any available partner flights.

For example, British Airways doesn’t serve Tokyo (NRT) — but Japan Airlines does. So you can book a nonstop flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Tokyo with British Airways Avios by flying on Japan Airlines.

There are other ways to spend your points. You can use Avios to pay for part of your holiday package, hotel stays, car rentals, fun travel experiences, and even online shopping. Just realize that using your points for anything other than flights is generally a bad deal.

Check out our post on booking British Airways flights with points for more details on how to book British Airways award travel.

How much are Executive Club miles worth?

British Airways Avios don’t have an assigned value. Their worth is calculated based on how you use them. Let’s look at a few examples.

25,000 points

A one-way economy class ticket from Boston (BOS) to London (LHR) costs 25,000 points and $100 in taxes and fees.

This exact same flight costs $548 in cash. Subtracting the $100 in fees, you’ll save $448 with 25,000 points. That’s an average value of 1.79 cents per point.

50,000 points

The same flight in premium economy costs considerably more — 42,500 points each way. You’ll also pay nearly double the taxes and fees at $198.

But paying out of pocket for this flight would cost a whopping $2,703. After accounting for the $198 in fees, you’ll save $2,505 by spending 42,500 points. That’s an average value of 5.89 cents per point.

100,000 points

The same flight in a fancy lie-flat business class seat costs 80,000 points and $375. That’s a lot, but totally worth it for the experience.

However, this seat is currently priced at just $1,798. That’s far less than premium economy. After subtracting the award flight’s taxes and fees, your 80,000 points will save you $1,423. That’s a value of 1.77 cents per point.

This is why it’s hard to pinpoint an exact value for your British Airways Avios. A good rule of thumb is to shoot for at least 1.5 cents per Avios.

The best Executive Club redemptions

British Airways Avios serves a distinct place in your award travel strategy. They’re really good for some things and really bad for others. Here are a few smart ways to use your points.

Fly to Ireland from the East Coast

You can reach Dublin (DUB) and Shannon (SNN) from a handful of U.S. cities on the East Coast for unbelievably cheap by using Avios to fly on partner Aer Lingus. For example, you’ll pay just 13,000 points and $112.70 to fly one-way from Boston (BOS) To Dublin in economy class.

That’s right — you can cross the Atlantic for as little as 13,000 Avios. Even if your final destination isn’t Ireland, Europe offers budget airlines that allow you to hop all over the continent for super cheap.

Domestic hops on American Airlines

American Airlines isn’t a transfer partner of major programs like American Express Membership Rewards points, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, or Capital One miles. Because of this, it can be harder to accrue its rewards. Still, you can fly American by using British Airways Avios. Since British Airways prices its awards based on the distance flown, your best bet is to save your Avios for short hops.

For example, you’ll pay 12,000 Avios for a flight between Denver (DEN) and Dallas (DFW). That’s bearable.

To Hawaii from the West Coast

Hawaii is always a good idea. And if you live on the West Coast (think Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, etc.), you can get there for cheap with British Airways Avios. You’ll fly there on partners American Airlines or Alaska Airlines.

For example, you can fly American Airlines from Phoenix (PHX) to Honolulu (HNL) for 20,000 points and $5.60 in taxes. Not bad for nearly seven hours of travel time.

Tips for using British Airways Executive Club miles

Remember these strategies when booking your British Airways award flight.

Beware of fuel surcharges

For many years, British Airways has been notorious for charging eye-watering fuel surcharges with its award flights. Things have actually gotten better of late, though you should still expect to pay hundreds of dollars when flying in a fancy lie-flat seat.

Now, you’ll often pay higher taxes and fees when flying British Airways’ partner airlines than when you actually fly British Airways. The tradeoff is that British Airways tends to charge more points than its partners. For example, you can fly from New York to London in business class for:

• 80,000 points and $375 in taxes and fees on British Airways
• 62,000 points and $1,033 in taxes and fees on American Airlines

The airline you choose to fly will be determined by whether you’re willing to pay extra Avios or extra cash.

Mix your points with cash for a better value

When paying for your British Airways award flight, you’ll see an option that says “more pricing options.” This allows you to pay extra cash for the purpose of saving your Avios for the future. While this may not sound like a good thing (we’re playing the points game to avoid ponying up for travel, after all), it can make your Avios wildly more valuable.

Consider the above example again. A business-class ticket between New York (JFK) and London (LHR) costs around $2,400. However, you can buy the same seat for 80,000 points and $375, which amounts to 2.5 cents per Avios.

But British Airways offers you the option to pay extra cash and save your Avios. If you instead pay 32,500 Avios and $1,250, your value-per-point would increase to 3.5 cents. That’s a huge difference. 

Stick to off-peak dates

British Airways prices its own flights according to “peak” and “off-peak” award dates. Unless your travel dates are entirely rigid, you’ll stretch your Avios much further by booking off-peak dates exclusively. British Airways uses an “off-peak” tag beside select dates.