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Talking about the best airline loyalty program using Avios, British Airways is one of them. It is a points-based program that enables participants to accumulate and use points for flights, hotels, car rentals, and other travel-related services. Several airlines in the Oneworld alliance, including British Airways, Iberia Airlines, Aer Lingus, and Qatar Airways, use the loyalty currency known as Avios, so you can book all the partner airlines of these airlines.
If you are a UK traveler, Avios is the major point currency you may be using, and it’s a big deal in the U.S. too. That’s because this points are used by loyalty programs run by airlines like British Airways. It’s easier than ever to both earn and redeem this coveted currency. While you have a huge range of airlines to choose from, Avios are much more valuable.
Airlines That Use Avios As their Currency
Whether you are a frequent flyer or a leisure traveler, Avios can help you accumulate points and redeem them for exciting rewards and benefits. Avios is the points currency used by the following Airlines:
British Airways
Speaking of the largest airline in the United Kingdom, British Airways comes to mind. If you’re a member of the British Airways Executive Club, you can earn points by flying with British Airways or any of its partner airlines. But that’s not all – you can also earn Avios points when you make everyday purchases using co-branded credit cards, book hotels, or rent cars.
Even if you aren’t traveling to the U.K., the loyalty program of British Airways has a significant route network in the U.S. and an easy-to-earn and redeem currency. With British Airways being a major airline partner of the loyalty program, this means you can earn points faster and redeem them for exciting rewards, like flights, upgrades, and more.
Read More: British Airways Visa Credit Card Review
Fly American From Miami (MIA) to St. Kitts(SKB) For 11,000 Avios + $15.60(taxes)
If you were to book an American Airlines flight from Miami to St. Kitts with cash, it would cost $511.20(including taxes) per person. However, using 11,000 Avios and paying only $15.60 in taxes and fees for the same flight would give you a better value than booking on British Airways. This is significantly higher than the point valuation of British Airways.
11,000 Avios plus $15.60 in taxes and fees, which represents a 4.64 cents per point in value — much higher than per point valuation of BA awards. To book this through British Airways Avios, keep in mind that there would need to be American “saver” award availability.
Iberia
Iberia is the flag carrier of Spain, serving over 120 destinations with its fleet of more than 300 planes. As a member of the Iberia Plus loyalty program, you can earn Avios points not just by flying with Iberia Airlines but also with its partner airlines.
Like other airline loyalty programs that use this point currency, Iberia Plus members can also transfer their points to other airline loyalty programs or link their accounts to make the most of their points earnings and benefits.
U.S. To Europe on Iberia Offepeak Business Class – Chicago(ORD) to Madrid(MAD) For 34,000 Avios One Way
If you’re looking to travel in business class from Chicago (ORD) to Madrid (MAD), you can book it at a surprisingly low price of 34,000 Avios one-way. Despite being a Band 6 award according to the award chart, it is only priced as a Band 5 award, which is a great deal.
if you fly during off-peak dates, you can enjoy the same low rate for a one-way trip in Iberia business class between the U.S. and Spain. This makes it one of the most affordable business-class awards to Europe available.
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus, Ireland’s national airline, is headquartered in Dublin and operates the majority of its flights from there. Its AerClub reward program uses Avios as the currency for earning and redeeming points. Avios can be earned through a variety of activities such as flights, hotel reservations, and shopping portals. They can also be redeemed for award flights, seat upgrades, car rentals, and hotel reservations. In general, redeeming your points for award flights will provide the best value.
North America East Coast to Ireland On Aer Lingus in Economy for 13,000 Avios and No Fuel Surcharges (Aer Lingus)
Flights between North America’s East Coast and Ireland offer one of the most advantageous opportunities to use Aer Lingus Avios. With the exception of peak periods during summer and some dates around Christmas and New Year’s, most of the year is considered off-peak by Aer Lingus. Compared to British Airways or Iberia, there are significantly fewer peak dates. You can secure an off-peak ticket for just 13,000 Avios.
13,000 Avios, which provides a 4.54 cents per point in value — much higher than per point valuation of BA awards. To book this through Aer Lingus Avios, keep in mind that there would need to be Economy class availability.
Qatar Airways
In 2018, Qatar Airways joined Avios as point currency for their loyalty program as a partner, allowing members of Qatar Airways Privilege Club to earn and redeem points. This partnership has provided Privilege Club members with more ways to earn points, including through flights with Qatar Airways and eligible activities such as hotel bookings and car rentals.
With points you can book a flight in Qatar Airways Qsuite awards, which is widely regarded as one of the most luxurious business class products in the world
U.S. to Doha On Qatar Business Class 70,000 Avios in Business Class, One-Way
If you’re looking to use your Avios for a more luxurious experience, a one-way business class flight from the United States to Doha can be booked for just 70,000 Avios like:
- Atlanta (ATL) – Doha(DOH)
- Boston (BOS) – Doha(DOH)
- Chicago (ORD) – Doha(DOH)
This presents a great opportunity to indulge in a comfortable journey with added amenities, such as priority boarding, extra baggage allowance, and access to airport lounges.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to redeem Avios for an economy class flight, it’s important to note that the value proposition is usually not as strong. This is because economy flights are generally affordable, and paying for them with cash is often a better option. However, if the cost of economy flights is prohibitively high during your travel dates, using Avios to book an economy flight can be a viable option. In this case, a one-way economy flight can be booked for just 35,000 Avios.
How to transfer Avios between British Airways, Qatar Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus accounts
One more good thing about Avios is that you can transfer it between these airlines’ loyalty programs at a 1:1 ratio. If you are an points collector, transferring your points between different loyalty programs could be a smart move. The value and utility of points can vary across different programs, and some may offer better redemption options or more favorable points values than others. So, it’s a good idea to transfer your points to the program that offers the best value for your points.
Transfer Points
For better rewards, you might consider transferring points between British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus accounts. You can do it easily using Avios.com and your Aer Lingus AerClub login details. However, it may require a two-step process from Iberia to AerClub and then to Executive Club.
Note that Avios cannot be transferred to Qatar Airways Privilege Club yet, but a workaround is available via British Airways. To ensure a seamless transfer, make sure your personal details in each program match, and open an Iberia Plus account at least 90 days before you plan to transfer points.
And if you are thinking about transferring points from or to Qatar Airways, you can do it by linking your British Airways and Qatar Airways accounts; you can easily transfer Avios points between the two accounts at a 1:1 rate in either direction. This means you can transfer your points from Qatar to Iberia or Aer Lingus to Qatar by simply transferring them via British Airways.
Which Airlines You can Book With Avios
It’s not just the above airlines you can book, Reward Flights can be taken with the above-mentioned airlines, their partners, and other Oneworld partners.
Oneworld Airlines includes:
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Jordanian
- Royal Air Maroc
- SriLankan Airlines
- Fiji Airways
- Oman Air (Future member)
Also, other than Oneworld partners, you can use points to book Flights with Airlines partners of British Airways, Iberia Airlines, Aer Lingus, and Qatar Airways which are:
| British Airways | Iberia Airlines | Aer Lingus | Qatar Airways |
| Aer Lingus | Avianca | British Airways | Bangkok Airways |
| airBaltic | Level | Iberia | JetBlue |
| Bangkok Airways | LATAM | LATAM | |
| China Eastern and Southern Airlines | Interjet | Middle East Airlines | |
| Fiji Airways | Binter | Oman Air | |
| Kenya Airways | Vueling | RwandAir | |
| Loganair | Virgin Australia | ||
| Vistara | |||
| Vueling | |||
| Comair | |||
| Sun-Air |
Bottom Lines
Earning and redeeming Avios is considered to be straightforward and flexible. Redemptions for short-haul and Long-haul travel can be rewarding. However, it has so many options for redemption, travelers have more choices and opportunities for redemptions, giving them greater flexibility and potential savings.
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