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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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5 versions of Avios: When to use Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia and Qatar Airways
Andrew Kunesh is TPG's Points & Miles editor. He has been active in the points and miles space since 2014, using them to travel far and wide around the world. He is originally from Chicago but moved to New York City after graduating from DePaul University. His work is featured on Credit Karma, UpgradedPoints, ValuePenguin and various other travel and finance publications. He currently holds Delta Diamond Medallion and Marriott Titanium status, and 20+ credit cards that each have a special place in Andrew's wallet.
Ben Smithson is a senior writer for TPG and is based in London. Originally from Australia and a qualified lawyer with a financial services background, he has almost a decade of experience writing about a broad range of travel and loyalty topics.
also contributed to this story
October 1, 2024 • 16 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
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Quick summary
Avios is the shared loyalty currency for Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Qatar Airways and Finnair, allowing transfers between accounts at a 1:1 ratio.
Each airline program offers unique redemption opportunities and drawbacks, such as lower fees on Aer Lingus and better short-haul rates with British Airways.
You can earn Avios through cobranded cards or by converting transferable points from several major rewards programs.
Optimal Avios redemptions include short-haul flights within Europe, business-class flights to Spain, Qatar Airways Qsuite awards and select long-haul or domestic routes on Finnair partners.
What to consider
Each Avios program maintains its own partners, redemption charts and fee structures, so the best value depends on your route and airline.
Award availability, peak/off-peak calendars and surcharges can vary significantly between programs and even for the same flight.
Some offers and earning methods mentioned may no longer be available.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison of when to use each Avios program for the best value on specific routes and airlines.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Most members of the International Airlines Group now use Avios as their loyalty currency. These programs include:
You can move Avios between different airline accounts at a 1:1 ratio. However, using Avios within each program has benefits and drawbacks.
You’re not alone if you’re confused about the best Avios to use for each redemption — we’ll walk you through the pros and cons of each Avios currency and when you should use each.
What are the different programs that use Avios?
The five types of Avios — Aer Lingus, Finnair, Qatar Airways, British Airways and Iberia programs — are managed on different websites. Historically, the British Airways website has had the best search function of the five. You might consider starting there to find availability before deciding which program to redeem through.
While you can transfer Avios between accounts, each Avios program has its own partners.
For example, Aer Lingus has a partnership with United Airlines. You can earn Aer Lingus Avios when flying United, but you can’t earn British Airways Avios or Iberia Avios.
Furthermore, earning rates on flights will vary. Aer Lingus Avios are earned based on the price you pay for a flight on Aer Lingus, while partner flights earn Avios based on fare class and distance flown.
Earning Avios with credit cards
You have two options for earning Avios with credit cards: cobranded credit cards and cards that earn transferable points. Cobranded credit cards earn Avios directly, while transferable points cards earn a bank currency that can be converted to Avios at a 1:1 ratio.
Earning Avios with cobranded credit cards
Five Avios credit cards are available in the U.S., and the Aer Lingus, British Airways and Iberia cards from Chase are offering bonuses that could net you 75,000 Avios:
Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card: Earn 75,000 Avios after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
British Airways Visa Signature® Card (see rates and fees): Earn 75,000 Avios after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Iberia Visa Signature® Card: Earn 75,000 Avios after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Cardless now offers two Qatar-branded credit cards, including the Qatar Airways Privilege Club Visa Signature Credit Card, which has a $99 annual fee and a welcome offer of up to 50,000 Avios — 30,000 Avios after the first transaction and an additional 20,000 Avios after you spend $3,000 in the first 90 days.
There is also the Qatar Airways Privilege Club Visa Infinite Credit Card, which has a $499 annual fee and a welcome offer of up to 70,000 Avios — 45,000 Avios after the first transaction and an additional 25,000 Avios and 150 Qpoints after you spend $5,000 in the first 90 days. This card also comes with Privilege Club Gold status.
The information for the Aer Lingus Visa, Iberia Visa, Qatar Airways Privilege Club Visa Signature and Qatar Airways Privilege Club Visa Infinite cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Earning Avios with transferable points cards
You can convert American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Wells Fargo Rewards points to each of the types of Avios (excluding Qatar Airways Avios and Finnair Plus Avios). However, note the easy way to combine your Avios.
You can also transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to Qatar Airways and Capital One miles to British Airways and Finnair.
These points transfer at a 1:1 ratio, and transfers should process immediately.
American Express® Gold Card: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 100,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Earn 5 points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com or the Amex Travel App™, 4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent), 4 points per dollar spent at U.S. supermarkets (on the first $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent), 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline, amextravel.com or the Amex Travel App, 2 points per dollar spent on car rentals booked on amextravel.com or the Amex Travel App, 2 points per dollar spent on cruises booked on amextravel.com and 1 point per dollar spent on other eligible purchases ($325 annual fee; see rates and fees).
The Platinum Card® from American Express: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $12,000 on purchases on the card in your first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary, and you may not be eligible for an offer. Earn 5 points per dollar on airfare purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar), 5 points per dollar on prepaid hotel bookings with American Express Travel and Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases ($895 annual fee; see rates and fees).
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees): Earn 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening. Earn 2 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on travel and 3 points per dollar on dining purchases.
Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees): Earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Earn 8 points per dollar spent on purchases through Chase Travel℠, and earn 4 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on flights and hotels booked direct. Earn 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on dining purchases.
Meanwhile, you can earn Capital One miles with these personal cards:
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card: Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles after spending $500 on purchases within three months from account opening.
Best ways to use Aer Lingus Avios: Aer Lingus flights
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
The best way to use Aer Lingus Avios is for nonstop flights operated by Aer Lingus.
Short-haul flights on Aer Lingus are a great use of Aer Lingus Avios, with off-peak redemptions starting at just 4,000 Avios and peak redemptions starting at 4,500 Avios for flights within Ireland and to the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands.
For long-haul flights operated by Aer Lingus, the pricing is the same as when using British Airways Avios, but the fees and taxes can be marginally lower. Off-peak flights from the U.S. East Coast to Dublin are only 13,000 Avios (20,000 for peak) each way in economy, or 50,000 Avios (60,000 peak) each way in business class. If you are not departing the United Kingdom, you can save on fees and taxes as the U.K.’s Air Passenger Duty is not payable.
If you use Aer Lingus to connect to another destination, such as mainland Europe via Dublin or Shannon, the Avios cost will rise, as AerClub charges per flight, not per zone.
Best ways to use British Airways Avios: short-haul flights within Europe
BEN SMITHSON/THE POINTS GUY
British Airways has the most versatile Avios. It has the widest range of uses — but it also has downsides. The most common downside? High fuel surcharges on British Airways tickets. You’ll pay over $500 for a one-way, business-class ticket on most British Airways routes unless you choose the Reward Flight Saver option to pay more Avios to reduce fuel surcharges.
Thankfully, there are ways to use your British Airways Avios without high surcharges.
Short-haul tickets are one of the best British Airways Avios redemptions. They start at just 4,750 Avios for an off-peak award flight of 650 miles or less in distance operated by BA with reasonable fees and taxes (or you can opt to pay more Avios to reduce the cost of these fees and taxes). This includes destinations from London in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Partner awards start at 6,000 Avios but exclude flights within North America, while domestic flights on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines start from 12,000 Avios, which is not a great deal.
Best ways to use Iberia Avios: Premium cabins to Spain
BEN SMITHSON/THE POINTS GUY
Iberia Avios has become one of our favorite currencies for booking flights to Europe. The airline has excellent rates when booking Iberia-operated flights from the U.S. to Madrid, with connections available to other major European cities.
The award chart is split into peak and off-peak dates, with the latter offering great prices on business-class flights. The airline publishes peak and off-peak dates on its website.
Here’s a look at the current award chart:
Origin
Blue class/economy (off-peak)
Blue class/economy (peak)
Premium economy (off-peak)
Premium economy (peak)
Business (off-peak)
Business (peak)
New York City
17,000/22,000
20,000/28,000
25,000
35,000
34,000
50,000
Chicago
17,000/22,000
20,000/28,000
25,000
35,000
34,000
50,000
Boston
17,000/22,000
20,000/28,000
25,000
35,000
34,000
50,000
Miami
21,250/27,750
25,000/35,000
31,750
43,750
42,500
62,500
Dallas
21,250/27,750
25,000/35,000
31,750
43,750
42,500
62,500
Los Angeles
21,250/27,750
25,000/35,000
31,750
43,750
42,500
62,500
San Francisco
21,250/27,750
25,000/35,000
31,750
43,750
42,500
62,500
You’ll find the best deals when booking off-peak business-class awards.
A 34,000-Avios business-class flight from New York to Madrid is as good as it gets, and the product is pretty solid, too. Even booking peak dates isn’t a bad deal — destinations on the East Coast and in the Midwest cost just 50,000 Avios one-way. Here is the calendar for peak dates.
Best ways to use Qatar Airways Avios: Connecting Qsuite and the shortest domestic flights
KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
When Qatar Airways Privilege Club adopted Avios as its loyalty currency in 2022, the redemption rates, fees, taxes and surcharges were largely brought in line with British Airways Executive Club levels. This reduced the cost of some redemptions when flying Qatar Airways and redemptions on British Airways should match the Executive Club award chart even if booked through Privilege Club.
Unfortunately, there are some frustrating quirks in the Privilege Club program to be aware of. Privilege Club uses peak and off-peak dates (as does the Executive Club). However, Privilege Club doesn’t publish a calendar of these dates, and they appear to be slightly different between Privilege Club and Executive Club. So, if your dates in one program are showing as a peak time to travel, it’s worth checking the other program.
The best way to use Qatar Avios and the Privilege Club program is to book connecting flights on Qatar Airways. There are two reasons for this:
While the Executive Club search engine usually has the best user experience of the five Avios platforms when searching for availability, it often fails to show all Qatar Airways flights, especially those with overnight connections. If Qatar has multiple flights daily to a destination, the Executive Club platform may only show one flight option, while the Privilege Club platform will show multiple options.
Privilege Club offers “Flexi Awards” when there is no availability at the normal levels. These are twice the amount of Avios, which will often be poor value; however, if you have plenty of Avios and there are no other options at the lower level, this could make sense. Executive Club does not offer this.
Qatar Airways’ award-winning Qsuite is widely considered one of the best business-class products in the world today. Redemption rates from the United States to Qatar’s hub in Doha are just 70,000 Qatar or British Airways Avios per person each way in business class on off-peak dates with no fuel surcharges, which is a terrific deal. This rate is from anywhere in the U.S. Qatar flies from, so it is an especially good value from Los Angeles or San Francisco if you can find award space.
If you wish to travel farther than Doha, the redemption rates from the U.S. are excellent, including:
75,000 Avios each way in business class to Dubai
85,000 Avios each way in business class to India and the Maldives
95,000 Avios each way in business class to Bangkok and Singapore
100,000 Avios each way in business class to Bali
Economy-class redemptions for all of these destinations are 50% of the Avios cost of business class.
Another great use of Avios through Qatar Airways Privilege Club is domestic flights within the United States of 650 miles in length or shorter, which cost 9,500 Avios per person each way.
Best ways to use Finnair Avios: Finnair, Cathay Pacific and longer domestic flights
BEN SMITHSON/THE POINTS GUY
Finnair Plus uses a zone-based award chart rather than a distance-based one, creating some sweet spots.
One-way flights operated by Finnair from the United States to Helsinki Airport (HEL) booked through Finnair Plus are priced as follows:
30,000 Avios in economy
43,500 Avios in premium economy
62,500 Avios in business class
These are the same prices that British Airways Executive Club charges, though BA adds surcharges, so it will be cheaper to book Finnair-operated flights across the Atlantic through Finnair Plus than through Executive Club.
A sweet spot within the Finnair program is domestic flights anywhere within the contiguous United States and Canada that are longer than 650 miles and operated by American Airlines, such as from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) to Miami International Airport (MIA) or any coast-to-coast services. These routes cost just 11,000 Finnair Plus Avios, while BA will charge up to 20,000 Avios for domestic flights in the United States.
Connecting flights to Hawaii are also another great use of Finnair Plus Avios. With its region-based award chart, the program charges a single price. For example, American Airlines flights from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) with a connection at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) will cost 15,000 Avios, cheaper than BA will charge with its per-segment pricing.
Finally, although award availability in premium cabins is hard to find, British Airways Executive Club charges a steep 108,250 Avios plus 118.50 British pounds (about $158) for the long-haul journey from New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) in Cathay Pacific’s business class.
Meanwhile, you can book the same flight through Finnair Plus for just 75,000 Avios plus the same minimal fees, taxes and surcharges, saving you more than 30,000 Avios.
Bottom line
Avios points are one of the easiest loyalty currencies to earn and redeem.
Whether you want to fly domestically or halfway around the world, Avios is a great currency to add to your arsenal for your next redemption. Remember, you can move them between the five different programs in any direction as often as you want, making Avios one of the airline industry’s most versatile currencies.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold card, click here. For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
