The best way to use Avios for (virtually) free flights: Get rewarded to your on a regular basis spending

For those who’ve ever dreamed of flying for (virtually) free, upgrading your Financial system seats to the a lot fancier, Enterprise Class, or treating your self to an expensive getaway with out blowing your finances, studying find out how to acquire Avios factors is your ticket there — actually. 

Avios is the rewards forex of the British Airways Membership (and different airline companions together with Qatar Airways and Iberia), and with the precise technique, you should utilize the factors you acquire to e-book flights, upgrades, and extra. 

Right here, I’ll stroll you thru find out how to go about incomes Avios factors and find out how to use them to e-book elusive reward seats on British Airways flights.

What are Avios factors?

Avios are the loyalty forex utilized by a number of airways, together with British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Qatar Airways. For those who’re a member of the British Airways Membership, you’ll earn and spend Avios via their system. You need to use your Avios factors pot to e-book flights on British Airways and associate airways, improve your cabin to take pleasure in a extra unique journey expertise, and pay for resorts, automotive rent, and different journey extras. If you wish to go all in, you possibly can even pay to your whole vacation utilizing your factors with BA Holidays

Personally, I discover the fantastic thing about Avios to be of their flexibility and attain—particularly if you perceive find out how to acquire and redeem them well.

The best way to earn Avios factors

Flying with British Airways and Oneworld companions

When you’ve joined the British Airways Membership, everytime you fly with British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways, American Airways, or any Oneworld associate, you’ll earn Avios, which will likely be deposited in your BA Membership account. The variety of factors you earn will depend on your fare class, what you pay to your flight, and BA Membership tier standing. Sadly, you don’t earn Avios on any reward seat flight you e-book.

Tip: Everytime you’re reserving a flight, all the time embody your British Airways Membership quantity to make sure you earn your factors.

Bank card sign-ups and spending

One of many quickest methods I’ve managed to rack up Avios is through the use of a co-branded bank card. Within the UK, that’s usually the British Airways American Specific, or Avios Barclaycard bank cards:

British Airways American Specific Bank card

This card has no annual price, and presents a great Avios welcome bonus to new cardholders. You’ll acquire 1 Avios per £1 spent, get further Avios bonuses for card referrals and supplementary cardholders, and have the flexibility to earn a Companion Voucher (2 flights for the price of 1 in Financial system) for those who spend £15,000 in a 12 months in your card. It is a stable card to begin out with for those who’re new to Avios assortment. I started with this card and my welcome bonus lined half the Avios price of my first reward seat reserving!

British Airways American Specific Premium Plus card 

That is the following degree up from the essential BA Amex card. It has the next Avios incomes price of 1.5 Avios per £1 spent, and an unique earn-rate of three Avios for each £1 spent with British Airways and BA Holidays. The welcome bonuses are a lot larger, plus you possibly can earn a Companion Voucher if you spend £15,000 on the cardboard in a single 12 months. The distinction with this Companion Voucher is that you should utilize it in any cabin class – together with Enterprise or First, whereas with the essential BA Amex Companion Voucher, you possibly can solely use it in Financial system.

Use your card for on a regular basis spending—groceries, payments, journey—and watch the Avios add up. I make all my standard purchases every month utilizing my card to earn as many factors as I can. So far as I’m involved, that is cash I’d be spending anyway – so why not get rewarded for it?! Simply bear in mind to pay your invoice in full each month, because the Avios incomes worth isn’t any good if you think about curiosity. 

Purchasing on-line

The British Airways eStore is a goldmine for Avios collectors. You’ll discover over 2000 retailers that reward you with Avios for each pound spent. These embody Apple (5 Avios per £), John Lewis (1), Samsung (5), Reiss (12), B&Q (4) and Dyson (8). Merely click on via the BA eStore earlier than making your buy. 

You get these factors on prime of the factors you earn on the BA Amex card – a double dip!

Bonus tip: I prefer to stack this with cashback websites for much more worth.

Lodge and journey companions

Now, you may not have the ability to earn Avios in your reward seat flight reserving, however you CAN earn them via your lodge keep. You may earn Avios when reserving BA Holidays or the BA Avios retailer, in addition to via Reserving.com, Motels.com, Accor, IHG, Marriott, and extra. 

For those who already acquire lodge loyalty factors, together with Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors, you’ll be completely happy to know you could convert them into Avios.

If you might want to rent a automotive throughout your journey, automotive rental firms like Avis and Finances additionally allow you to earn Avios in your bookings.

Eating, wine golf equipment and way of life presents

British Airways companions with numerous eating places and way of life manufacturers, together with The Wine Flyer and subscription platforms like The Spectator or The Economist. For those who’re already spending with these, it’s positively value it to verify for those who can earn Avios too.

For those who store at Sainsburys, or have a Nectar card, you possibly can earn Nectar factors and switch them to Avios at a 400:250 price. This one is nice for topping up your pot. I modified my grocery store to Sainsburys once I began to gather Avios as a result of we spend not less than £150 per week on the household meals store – that’s an additional £600 of Nectar factors (375 Avios) each month!

Shopping for Avios

For those who’re quick on factors for a dream journey, however you don’t wish to wait round to e-book it, you should buy Avios straight via the British Airways website. Whereas this normally isn’t the perfect worth, gross sales providing 30-50% bonus Avios could make it worthwhile. Simply maintain a glance out. 

Reserving reward seats on British Airways

Why use Avios to e-book reward flights

Avios collectors could make important money financial savings on flights through the use of factors to pay for them. Some travellers have reported money financial savings of round £7000 when reserving a visit to Japan in Enterprise Class, by paying with factors and utilizing their American Specific Companion Voucher. I’d suggest valuing 1 Avios as 1p when contemplating financial savings. All you might want to do is verify the Avios price of your journey and examine it to the equal money fare on the BA web site to point out you ways a lot you’re saving by utilising Avios to e-book seats. 

One of many lesser recognized ‘Avios hacks’, which is definitely a selected favorite of mine, is you could cancel a reward seat reserving with BA for simply £35 per particular person as much as 24 hours earlier than your flight. For those who choose to do it, you additionally get your full Avios price refunded, in addition to taxes and charges – minus £35 an individual. That is actually useful in case your plans change for no matter purpose, and it’s an additional profit if you’re deciding whether or not to e-book a selected money fare or to make use of Avios factors. Utilizing this specific hack permits you to doubtlessly e-book various locations and flight instances, then choose the best choice. 

Understanding Reward Flight Saver

British Airways presents Reward Flight Saver fares, which allow you to e-book flights with a set low price (taxes and fees) plus Avios. For those who’re seeking to spend the least money doable in your flight reserving, short-haul flights inside Europe, typically begin from simply 9,250 Avios + £1. Lengthy haul flights have the next money price – beginning at round £40 – as a result of taxes and fees are greater for these routes. 

The best way to discover and e-book Avios seats

It’s actually easy to really e-book your reward seats. Simply go browsing to the British Airways web site or cell app to seek for “Guide with Avios.”

As a result of BA releases a really restricted variety of reward seats per flight (14 throughout all cabins) availability may be restricted, so plan and e-book early—BA releases reward seats 355 days upfront. There are at the moment round 40m Avios collectors the world over in search of reward seats, and if you do not forget that BA solely releases 14 seats per flight, you most likely wish to do all the pieces you possibly can to get forward of the group. On this case think about using an unbiased UK reward flight finder device the place you possibly can observe availability, see flight by flight info and set Alerts to get immediately notified when your very best seats grow to be out there. I all the time use these instruments – I set as much as 10 Alerts for various routes that I need and wait to get Alerted. Then I let the instruments do the work for me.

Professional ideas

You’ll have higher luck bagging reward seats for those who’re versatile with dates and instances to your flights – my solely guidelines are that my flights should be at school holidays. I set my Alerts not less than 6-8 months forward. It’s additionally value noting that for those who’re quick on Avios if you wish to e-book, you possibly can prime up your fare with money – so you utilize a mix of Avios and money to e-book your seats. All you might want to do is use “Avios + Money” choices if you’re on the BA web site.

Utilizing Avios on associate airways

Avios aren’t only for British Airways flights—you possibly can redeem them on all Oneworld companions, together with: Qatar Airways (who typically have decrease money surcharges), Iberia (nice for long-haul to the Americas with decrease charges), American Airways, Finnair, Japan Airways, and extra

Frequent errors to keep away from

There are a number of golden guidelines to all the time bear in mind – NEVER let your Avios expire: They’re legitimate for 36 months, however any incomes or spending resets the clock. Think about how heartbroken you’d be for those who’d saved factors for all that point, just for them to fade since you hadn’t used them! 

I’d additionally steer you away from utilizing your Avios for poor-value flights. At all times examine the money worth vs. the worth of your factors. I stick with the 1p per 1 Avios rule so I can examine the money price of a fare to what I’d pay if I booked with Avios. I like doing this as a result of it reveals me how a lot cash I’m saving in comparison with the money seat reserving – it’s an amazing motivator to maintain on amassing.

Final however not least, don’t overlook you’ll must pay money taxes and charges. This isn’t even value serious about if you’re reserving a brief haul flight in Europe that normally has a £1 price, however some redemptions, particularly long-haul in premium cabins, include money prices of as much as round £600 for First Class. Don’t overlook you’ll must pay this if you e-book. 

Ultimate ideas

Amassing Avios isn’t only for frequent flyers or journey hackers—it’s for anybody who needs to make their cash go additional when touring. I prefer it as a result of I’m capable of journey extra with my household simply by having a sure bank card, doing the weekly store or paying a family invoice. I even earn factors whereas I’m on my vacation to make use of on the following one. With a little bit of planning and some on a regular basis habits, you may be nicely in your method to a reward seat on a British Airways flight. For those who spot me on the aircraft, you’ll want to say good day!

Have questions or your personal Avios ideas? Drop them within the feedback.