British Airways is one of the most iconic airline brands globally, and its frequent flyer program, the British Airways Executive Club, is packed with value for frequent flyers. Utilizing the versatile Avios rewards currency, the Executive Club allows members to redeem points across a vast network of partner airlines within the Oneworld alliance and beyond.
This flexibility opens up valuable redemption opportunities, often referred to as “sweet spots,” making it an appealing program for travelers looking to maximize their points on partner flights.
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British Airways Executive Club partner airlines
As a founding member of the Oneworld alliance, British Airways allows Executive Club members to earn and redeem Avios with all Oneworld partners. Additionally, British Airways has partnerships with a few non-Oneworld airlines and several codeshare partners.
Oneworld partners of British Airways
The Oneworld alliance has 13 member airlines and one “connect” member. British Airways frequent flyers can earn and redeem Avios on all of them:
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- Cathay Pacific
- Fiji Airways (Oneworld Connect member)
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
- Sri Lankan Airlines
Other British Airways airline partners
British Airways also partners with two airlines that are not members of the Oneworld Alliance but are still available for redeeming and earning miles. It’s important to note that while you can earn and redeem Avios on these airlines, you will not earn tier points toward elite status.
- Aer Lingus
- China Southern Airlines
- LATAM
Franchise
Uniquely, British Airways has a franchise agreement with Sun-Air of Scandinavia, which is based at Billund Airport (BLL) in Denmark. The airline operates flights to London City, on which Executive Club members can earn and redeem miles. Crucially, you can earn and redeem Avios on franchise flights and earn tier points towards elite status.
Codeshare partners
British Airways also has several codeshare partners, allowing you to earn and redeem Avios on codeshare flights.
- airBaltic
- Airlink
- Bangkok Airways
- China Southern
- Fiji Airways
- IndiGo
- JetBlue
- Kenya Airways
- Loganair
- Vistara
- Vueling Airlines
Other British Airways travel partners
In addition to airline partners, Executive Club members can also earn and redeem Avios with other partners in travel and beyond.
One fast way to rack up Avios is booking holidays with British Airways Holidays, where you’ll earn 1 bonus Avios for every $1 spent on flight + hotel or flight + car package bookings. Holidays can be secured with minimal deposits, and British Airways regularly runs promotions that offer double-tier points on flights booked as part of holidays.
British Airways partners with Marriott Bonvoy, IHG Hotels & Resorts, and Accor, allowing you to earn up to 2 Avios per dollar (or euro/pound) spent at their properties. British Airways also offers a unique partnership with Airbnb, offering 2 Avios per dollar (or euro/pound) on vacation rentals.
If you’re looking for more flexibility, British Airways offers its own booking portal for hotels and other travel experiences. Booking your hotel through Avios Hotels can earn up to 10 Avios per 1 British pound spent.
If you’re renting a car, you can earn 3 Avios per dollar with Avis or 1 Avios per dollar with Budget Car Rental. If you’re visiting London and not renting a car, you can earn 5 Avios per pound spent on your transfer to London with the Heathrow Express train. Meanwhile, you can earn points with a number of shopping partners (including Heathrow Rewards).
How many Avios you need for a flight
British Airways prices awards by segment and distance for its own flights and partner awards. A similar chart is published for redemptions on multiple partners, except the cost is based on the total journey length rather than by segment.
On British Airways
While British Airways no longer publishes a traditional award chart, we can still reverse-engineer an award chart to reference based on how much flight redemptions generally cost. British Airways categories dates as “Peak” and “Off Peak” and adjusts pricing in each distance band accordingly.
British Airways also uses a distance-based award chart to price redemptions per segment on partner airlines. However, while redemptions on British Airways and a single partner are priced on a segment-by-segment basis, flights on multiple partners have a separate award chart calculated based on the total distance of a journey.
Standard British Airways award chart
| Zone / Distance | Economy Off Peak / Peak | Premium Economy Off Peak / Peak | Business Off Peak / Peak | First Off Peak / Peak |
| Zone 11-650 miles | 4,000 / 4,500 | 5.750 / 6,750 | 7,750 / 9,000 | 15,500 / 18,000 |
| Zone 2651-1150 miles | 6,500 / 7,500 | 9,500 / 11,250 | 12,750 / 15,000 | 25,500 / 30,000 |
| Zone 31151-2000 miles | 8,500 / 10,000 | 12,750 / 15,000 | 17,000 / 20,000 | 34,000 / 40,000 |
| Zone 42001-3000 miles | 10,000 / 12,500 | 20,000 / 25,000 | 31,250 / 37,500 | 42,500 / 50,000 |
| Zone 53001-4000 miles | 13,000 / 20,000 | 26,000 / 40,000 | 50,000 / 60,000 | 68,000 / 80,000 |
| Zone 64001-5500 miles | 16,250 / 25,000 | 32,500 / 50,000 | 62,500 / 75,000 | 85,000 / 100,000 |
| Zone 75501-6500 miles | 19,500 / 30,000 | 39,000 / 60,000 | 75,000 / 90,000 | 102,000 / 120,000 |
| Zone 86501-7000 miles | 22,750 / 35,000 | 45,500 / 75,000 | 87,500 / 105,000 | 119,000 / 140,000 |
| Zone 97001+ miles | 32,500 / 50,000 | 65,000 / 100,000 | 125,000 / 150,000 | 170,000 / 200,000 |
If you need to check the distance between two destinations, you can use the Great Circle Mapper.
Reward Flight Saver Flights
Unfortunately, taxes, fees, and carrier charges on most British Airways award tickets transiting the UK are high due to the UK’s steep air passenger duties.
To address this, British Airways introduced Reward Flight Saver awards, offering flexible redemptions on specific flights with lowered passenger duties in exchange for redeeming more Avios. You’ll see flights where a Reward Flight Saver option is available, denoted by the small blue coupon badge symbol.
Shorthaul Reward Flight Saver flights are priced according to the award chart below.
| Length of Flight | Off-Peak Economy | Peak Economy | Off-Peak Business | Peak Business |
| 0-650 miles | 4,000 Avios | 4,500 Avios | 7,500 Avios | 9,000 Avios |
| 651-1,150 miles | 6,500 Avios | 7,500 Avios | 12,750 Avios | 15,000 Avios |
| 1,151-2,000 miles | 8,500 Avios | 10,000 Avios | 17,000 Avios | 20,000 Avios |
Importantly, they come with a significantly lower cash co-pay when redeeming flights. For example, on this flight from London to Milan, the cash portion starts at just $25.
Meanwhile, British Airways also introduced Reward Flight Saver options for long-haul flights. When available, redeeming your points as a Reward Flight Saver will cost more Avios but significantly lower the cost of taxes and fees.
You’ll see multiple pricing options, allowing you to choose whether you’d like to spend more points or cash to redeem your flight.
Reward Flight Saver redemptions vary in price but British Airways has published the following roundtrip rates for flights from New York and Los Angeles to London.
| Destination (to/from London, return) | Cabin | Avios required | Cash required |
| New York to London Heathrow | World Traveller | 50,000 | $200 |
| World Traveller Plus | 85,000 | $560 | |
| Club World | 160,000 | $700 | |
| Los Angeles to London Heathrow | World Traveller | 60,000 | $300 |
| World Traveller Plus | 95,000 | $660 | |
| Club World | 180,000 | $900 |
On partner airlines
British Airways also has a distance-zone-based award chart for partner flight segments. This chart can provide some real value but over the years, some exceptions have been added that we’ve outlined below.
| Zone / Flight Distance | Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First |
| Zone 11-650 miles**Not available in North America | 6,000 | 9,000 | 12,500 | 24,000 |
| Zone 2651-1150 miles | 9,000 | 12,500 | 16,500 | 33,000 |
| Zone 31151-2000 miles | 11,000 | 16,500 | 22,000 | 44,000 |
| Zone 42001-3000 miles | 13,000 | 25,750 | 38,750 | 51,500 |
| Zone 53001-4000 miles | 20,750 | 41,250 | 62,000 | 82,500 |
| Zone 64001-5500 miles | 25,750 | 51,500 | 77,250 | 103,000 |
| Zone 75501-6500 miles | 31,000 | 62,000 | 92,750 | 123,750 |
| Zone 86501-7000 miles | 36,250 | 72,250 | 108,250 | 144,250 |
| Zone 97001+ miles | 51,500 | 103,000 | 154,500 | 206,000 |
Partner flight exceptions
The Executive Club has added several exceptions to the partner award chart focused primarily on short-haul flights in North America, Asia, and anywhere Qatar Airways flies.
Inter-North America flights on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines
- Zone 1 (0-650 miles) is priced at 12,000 in economy and 24,000 in domestic “first” or business
- Zone 2 (651-1150 miles) is priced at 16,000 in economy and 32,000 in domestic “first” or business
- Zone 3 (1151-2000 miles) is priced at 18,000 in economy and 40,000 in domestic “first” or business
- Zone 4 (2001-3000 miles) is priced at 20,000 in economy and 50,000 in domestic “first” or business
Cathay Pacific
- Zone 1 (0-650 miles) is priced at 7,500 in economy and 16,000 in business
- Zone 2 (651-1151 miles) is priced at 10,000 in economy and 25,000 in business
- Zone 3 (1152-2000 miles) is priced at 11,000 in economy and 25,000 in business
There are other variations in award costs on Cathay Pacific, although, in most cases, they should be relatively close to the values in the award chart.
Japan Airlines
- Zone 1 (0-650 miles) is priced at 10,500 in economy and 17,500 in business
- Zone 2 (651-1151 miles) is priced at 11,000 in economy and 26,400 in business
- Zone 3 (1152-2000 miles) is priced at 14,300 in economy and 31,200 in business
There are other variations in award costs on Japan Airlines although, in most cases, they should be relatively close to the values in the award chart.
Qatar Airways
The final exception to the Executive Club’s partner-award chart is flights operated by Qatar Airways. For these redemptions, British Airways (mostly) matches the number of Avios charged by the Qatar Airways Privilege Club. For example, most flights between the U.S. and Doha always cost 47,500 Avios in economy and 70,000 Avios in business class. While these awards are bookable through the Executive Club, since you can easily transfer Avios between frequent flyer programs that use them as their currency, you’ll want to compare whether you can save on taxes and fees by booking them directly through Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
On multiple partners
While most Avios redemptions in the Executive Club are likely to fall into the sector-based award chart for British Airways and partner flights, British Airways also prices awards by segment.
For example, if you’re booking a flight from the U.S. to Madrid on American Airlines and Iberia, your redemption would be calculated using this chart.
Redemption costs in premium economy are 1.5 times the costs for economy listed in the chart below. Business class is double of economy while (international) first class will be triple the cost of economy.
How to earn Avios miles
A key upside of Avios is how easy they are to accumulate. The British Airways Executive Club partners with five major transferable points currencies, allowing you to easily convert your points to Avios. You can also transfer Avios between the various programs that use them as their currency. Of course, Avios can be earned through flying on British Airways, partner carriers and many non-airline partners.
Transfer partners
The easiest way for most points and miles enthusiasts to access Avios with British Airways is through transfer partnerships. British Airways Executive Club is a 1:1 transfer partner with five major transferable points currencies:
- Amex Membership Rewards
- Bilt Rewards
- Capital One Rewards
- Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Wells Fargo Rewards
As you can see, it’s quite easy to access Avios with British Airways if you have transferable points.
But it gets even better. Since Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, and Qatar Airways all utilize Avios as their rewards currencies, miles can be transferred between their programs freely. That means if you have Avios with any of these five airlines, you can transfer them between accounts.
Once you factor transfers within Avios frequent flyer programs, you can access Avios to redeem on British Airways with most major transferable points, including Citi ThankYou points.
Points transfers to British Airways are generally instant, so there’s less concern that the award seat you want will disappear while you wait for your points to transfer.
There are also regular transfer bonuses to British Airways, so keep an eye out for them. For example, there is currently one from American Express (expiring September 30, 2024) offering a 30% bonus on transfers from Membership Rewards to British Airways Executive Club.
British Airways credit card
The British Airways Visa Signature® Card from Chase is another powerful tool for supercharging your Avios balance. The card is currently offering a welcome bonus of up to 75,000 Avios for new cardholders who spend $5,000 within three months of account opening.
Beyond the welcome bonus, the card can be worth keeping in your wallet. Benefits include 10% off British Airways flights originating in the U.S. If you spend at least $30,000 in a calendar year, you’ll earn a Travel Together Ticket, offering 50% off the Avios fare when traveling solo or allowing you to book a second seat for a companion on the same flight and cabin. You’ll also be liable for taxes, fees, and carrier charges. The Travel Together Ticket is valid on British Airways, Iberia, or Aer Lingus reward flights.
For everyday spending, the card rewards you with 3 Avios per dollar spent on British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia flights; 2 Avios per dollar on direct hotel bookings; and 1 Avios per dollar on all other purchases.
Buying Avios
Buying Avios can be another way to load up on rewards. It can represent good value during promotions, depending on the redemption you have in mind. British Airways sometimes offers bonuses of up to 50% on purchased Avios, which can be worthwhile if you redeem them for premium award flights.
Avios subscription
British Airways offers an Avios subscription plan which can bring the cost of purchasing Avios as low as 1.28 cents per Avios on the highest-tier plan. The subscription offers four levels, ranging from 20,000 to 200,000 Avios annually, with the best value coming from the Adventurer plan if paid annually. It’s worth noting that Avios from the subscription are “drip-fed” monthly, limiting immediate access to large amounts.
Other ways to earn Aeroplan points
In addition to the ways above, there are a couple more ways you can earn Aeroplan points:
- Shopping portal: Earn with a wide variety of retail partners through the British Airways shopping portal
- Airbnb: Earn 2 Avios per $/€/£ on Airbnb bookings by starting your booking at this link
- Travel partners: Earn points with the travel partners we listed above, including hotels like Marriott and Accor, along with rental car companies, Heathrow Express, and more
Flying
You can earn Avios by flying on British Airways and its partners. On British Airways, Iberia, and American Airlines, the number of Avios you earn is based on your fare cost, cabin and elite status level. On other partners, you’ll earn Avios based on the distance flown and fare class.
If you’re booking with British Airways, you can see how many Avios a flight will earn during the booking process or in “manage booking.” If you’re flying a partner airline, you can calculate how many Avios you will earn for most flights by using the Avios Flight Calculator on BA.com (requires login) or reference details on this page.
Benefits of British Airways Executive Club status
British Airways is a member of the Oneworld alliance, making status in the Executive Club quite valuable with benefits across the alliance. Unlike most U.S. carriers, British Airways’ status is earned based on the flight distance, cabin, and fare class.
Starting in April 2025, all Executive Club members will have a standardized period to qualify for status. Status will be earned based on how many tier points you earn during a qualifying year running from April 1st to March 31st.
Each British Airways status level corresponds to an equivalent Oneworld status level, extending benefits beyond British Airways when flying Oneworld partners.
Blue Status
Every Executive Club member starts in the Blue tier upon signup. This tier allows members to begin earning Avios and tier points on British Airways and partner flights.
Bronze Status (Oneworld Ruby)
Once you fly at least twice and earn 300 tier points or take 25 British Airways in a qualifying year, you’ll unlock Executive Club Bronze. This status unlocks priority check-in and boarding, free seat selection seven days before departure on British Airways, and bonus Avios when you fly with BA, Iberia, and American Airlines, along with international flights on Japan Airlines.
Bronze status maps to Oneworld Ruby status, providing priority check-in, boarding, and stand-by across Oneworld partners.
Silver Status (Oneworld Sapphire)
If you fly at least twice and earn 600 tier points or complete 50 British Airways flights in a tier-qualifying year, you’ll earn Executive Club Silver status. In addition to all the benefits of Bronze, Silver status unlocks free seat selection at time of booking on British Airways and increases the bonus on BA, Iberia, and American Airlines and international flights on Japan Airlines.
As Oneworld Sapphire, you’ll get business class lounge access (with one guest) on BA and Oneworld partners, priority check-in, boarding, and additional baggage allowance.
Gold Status (Oneworld Emerald)
After flying at least four times and earning 1,500 tier points in a tier-qualifying year, you’ll earn Executive Club Gold status. This tier grants all the benefits of Silver, plus free seat selection at booking on British Airways
As an Executive Club Gold elite member, you’ll enjoy access to first class check-in and first-class lounges (including use of the First Wing at London Heathrow) with one guest when flying on British Airways and Oneworld partners. As a Oneworld Emerald, you’ll get additional baggage perks, expedited security, and priority boarding across the alliance.
Gold Guest List (Oneworld Emerald)
If you’re a true road warrior, you might hit the 5,000 tier points required to earn (or 3,000 tier points to retain) Gold Guest List status with British Airways.
In addition to all the benefits enjoyed by Gold Card Holders, Gold Guest List receive first class lounge access for up to five guests to British Airways departure lounges, a priority helpline, and access to the exclusive Concorde Room at Heathrow and the Soho Lounge at JFK.
The best partners to redeem Avios points on
With its wide selection of partners, there are some great redemptions possible with British Airways that can provide excellent value. Here are some of our favorite airlines to redeem Avios through British Airways with.
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways is well-known for having one o the best business class seats and is a top choice for redeeming your Avios with British Airways. A one-way business class ticket from the U.S. to Doha starts at just 70,000 Avios plus around $250 in taxes and fees.
If you’re planning an extended trip, you can continue onward from Doha to destinations across the Middle East, Asia, or even Africa. For example, add a flight from Doha to the Maldives for an additional 42,000 Avios in business class, totaling 112,000 Avios for a premium multi-leg trip.
With Qatar Airways flying to over 170 destinations around the world, it’s an excellent airline to redeem Avios.
Iberia
If you’re looking to get from the U.S. to Europe, redeeming Avios on Spain’s flag carrier can be a great way to hop the pond in style, a flute of cava in hand. During off-peak periods, you can fly from New York (JFK) to Madrid (MAD) in business class for just 34,000 Avios plus around $120 in taxes and fees.
Even during peak travel times, the cost remains competitive at 50,000 Avios one-way. This is an incredible value for a lie-flat transatlantic flight and among the best Avios deals available.
To top it off, Iberia has significantly lower surcharges compared to British Airways, making it a much more cost-effective option for redeeming flights to Europe.
Cathay Pacific
If you’re looking to head across the Pacific instead of the Atlantic, Cathay Pacific can be an excellent option. With a leading business and first-class onboard experience, it’s an excellent option. Cathay Pacific has an extensive route network connecting the United States and Asia from its Hong Kong hub.
Within Asia, Executive Club redemptions on Cathay Pacific are very competitive. For example, you can fly from Hong Kong to Tokyo in business class for just 22,000 Avios one-way. These short-haul redemptions are a great opportunity to experience premium cabins at a fraction of the cost.
Japan Airlines (JAL)
Japan Airlines (JAL) is another great option for redeeming Avios to Asia and particularly Japan. A business class flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo (NRT) costs 77,250 Avios one-way, with taxes and fees generally around $100.
JAL’s business class is one of the best in the industry, with excellent Western and Japanese food options. For shorter regional flights, JAL also offers excellent value with Avios for short-haul international flights in East Asia. Note that JAL awards are sometimes cheaper if booked using another Avios partner like Qatar Airways or Finnair, so it’s a good idea to compare rates before booking.
American Airlines and Alaska Airlines
Short-haul redemptions have always been a sweet spot within the Executive Club. While the value of these redemptions has eroded somewhat, domestic U.S. flights and short-haul international redemptions on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines still offer good value when cash prices are high.
You can use Avios for a lie-flat business class seat from New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) on American Airlines for 50,000 Avios one-way with just $5.60 in fees.
These options make Avios a versatile tool for domestic and international travel, offering substantial savings on both short and long-haul flights. Note that these awards are often cheaper when booked through another Avios partner like Qatar Airways or Finnair, so it’s important to confirm availability and book the best deal.
How to redeem Avios points on partner airlines
To search and redeem award travel on British Airways, start by navigating to ba.com and select “Book a flight with Avios” under the “Book” menu. After entering your travel details, you’ll see available flights. You can then choose your preferred cabin class. If you’re short on Avios, alternative pricing options that require more cash but fewer points are available. For more details on how to book flight awards with British Airways, click here for our guide.
British Airways does a particularly good job showing online availability across Oneworld carriers. However, if you’re looking for an even easier way, point.me can help you streamline your search for available award flights using Avios. It will also list ways to book flights with numerous other programs so you can compare your options and maximize your savings.
Transferring Avios between Avios programs
As discussed above, Avios is the currency used by British Airways, Qatar Airways, Iberia, Finnair, and Aer Lingus. A key benefit of Avios is that you can transfer points between these airline programs at no cost, unlocking unique redemption options in each program. While this article focuses only on redemptions using Avios within British Airways Executive Club, it’s worth keeping in mind that you can book flights on 32 airlines using Avios by transferring them between programs.
To transfer Avios, make sure your personal details match across all accounts. For transfers involving British Airways, Iberia, or Aer Lingus, use the British Airways Executive Club website. For transfers with Qatar Airways or Finnair, use their respective sites. For Vueling, use Avios.com. For more information on transferring Avios, check out our full guide to transferring Avios between programs.
Before booking any redemption with an Avios program, it’s always a good idea to compare the cost between them to determine which program offers you the best value. You can do this manually by searching each program or use point.me’s award search engine to automatically take the guesswork out of getting the best value for your points.
Summary
Redeeming Avios through the British Airways Executive Club allows members to book flights with a wide network of partner airlines, including all Oneworld alliance members and several non-Oneworld partners. British Airways is one of the few major programs that still publishes award charts, enabling members to find sweet spots with exceptional value.
Avios are easy to earn through partnerships with all major transfer currencies except Brex. Additionally, Executive Club members can accumulate Avios via the British Airways Visa Signature® Card from Chase, as well as through hotel stays, car rentals, and other partners.
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