The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
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.
Advertiser disclosure
The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
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.
Guides
Finnair Plus: How to earn and redeem Avios, elite status and more
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.
October 2, 2024 • 12 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.
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.
Related stories
Quick summary
Finnair Plus is the loyalty program of Finnair, now using Avios as its currency, allowing seamless transfers between five major programs at a 1:1 rate.
Members can earn and redeem Avios across Finnair, Oneworld airlines and select nonalliance partners, with tier points earned primarily through flights and some partner activities.
Elite status offers increasing benefits such as priority services, lounge access and upgrade vouchers, with five status tiers and additional lifetime levels.
Finnair Plus uses zone-based award charts for redemptions, with notable value for certain U.S. domestic and transatlantic flights compared to other Avios programs.
What to consider
Some offers and earning opportunities mentioned may no longer be available as of the article's update.
Award availability, earning rates and partner restrictions vary, so review program rules and partner pages before booking or crediting flights.
Avios can be transferred between participating programs at a 1:1 rate, but only one transferable credit card currency is directly partnered with Finnair Plus.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed comparison of award pricing strategies and specific redemption opportunities that maximize Avios value within the Finnair Plus program.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Finnair Plus is the loyalty program of Oneworld member Finnair, which is based at Helsinki Airport (HEL). The airline has a substantial route network across Europe, North America and Asia.
In 2024, Finnair adopted Avios as its loyalty currency, making it the fifth major program to use Avios, along with:
This means you can earn and redeem Avios when flying Finnair and its Oneworld partners, as well as transfer Avios between each of the five programs that have adopted it as its currency at a 1:1 rate in any direction.
This opens up all sorts of opportunities for travelers to maximize their award redemptions, even if they're not visiting northern Europe.
Here is everything you need to know about Finnair Plus.
Finnair Plus is free to join online. You can add your Finnair Plus member number to earn Avios and tier points for elite status qualification. Once you reach elite status, you can use your benefits on these airlines and reciprocal benefits on other partner airlines.
Assuming there's award availability, you can earn and redeem Finnair Plus Avios for flights on any Oneworld airline:
Alaska Airlines
American Airlines
British Airways
Cathay Pacific
Finnair
Fiji Airways (a Oneworld Connect partner)
Iberia, including Iberia Express and Air Nostrum
Japan Airlines
Malaysia Airlines
Qantas, including QantasLink and Jetconnect
Qatar Airways
Royal Jordanian
Royal Air Maroc
S7 Airlines (currently suspended)
SriLankan Airlines
Additionally, Finnair partners with the following nonalliance airlines:
Braathens Regional Airlines
Juneyao Airlines
LATAM
Note that there may be restrictions regarding the flights that allow you to earn or redeem miles within these partnerships. Review the airline's partner page on the Finnair Plus website before you plan your travels so you know what to expect.
The Finnair Plus loyalty program has five status tiers. All members begin as basic members, and you can progress to elite status tiers by earning the following number of tier points in 12 months (status follows the date you joined the program, not the calendar year):
Silver: 15,000 tier points
Gold: 45,000 tier points
Platinum: 80,000 tier points
Platinum Lumo: 300,000 tier points (of which 250,000 are earned flying with Finnair)
The program also has two Finnair Plus Lifetime tiers: Lifetime Gold (which requires 2,000,000 tier points) and Lifetime Platinum (which requires 3,300,000 tier points).
Tier points are earned through flying Finnair starting at a rate of 6 tier points (for basic members) per euro (about $1.12) spent on base fares, excluding taxes and fees, or partner airlines based on travel class, booking class and miles flown. You can also earn tier points by making purchases with the Finnair Visa Credit card (only available in Finland). You will usually earn the same tier points as Avios for a flight.
Additional milestone rewards are earned between tier levels; for example, you'll earn one when you reach 55,000 tier points, which is more than is required for Gold status but not enough for Platinum status. Milestone rewards include bonus Avios, lounge passes and upgrade certificates.
Finnair Plus moved to a spend-based earning rate for flights operated by Finnair Plus in March 2024. This applies to both Avios and tier points. Earning rates start at 6 Avios (and tier points) per euro (about $1.12) spent, with multipliers for elite status members, meaning a Finnair Plus Platinum Lumo member would earn 10 Avios (and tier points) per euro spent.
The Avios you will earn by crediting flights operated by partner airlines to Finnair Plus differs from airline to airline, is not spend-based and will depend on the booking class and distance flown. Check each airline's individual earning rate here.
As an example, here are the Avios (and tier point) earning rates for flights operated by American Airlines:
FINNAIR
You can also earn Avios from nonairline partners.
Hotels: There are 25 accommodation providers, loyalty programs and booking platforms, including IHG One Rewards, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Booking.com and RocketMiles. Note that you will normally forgo earning points or elite nights with the hotel program if you book through Finnair Plus, and you usually cannot enjoy your hotel status benefits when booking through third parties, so consider if this is the best way to book rather than directly with the hotel.
Car rentals: Options include Hertz, Sixt, Avis and Europcar, plus airport transfers and car rental comparison sites.
Tour operators: Silversea Cruises, Helsinki Citycopter and other Finnish-specific operators are among the tour operator options.
Online shopping: Partners for online purchases include Samsonite, Decanter, Belizia and GoGift, among others.
An easy way to earn Finnair Avios without flying is by applying for a Capital One credit card, as Capital One miles can be directly transferred to Finnair Plus.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, 5 miles per dollar spent on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel and 2 miles per dollar spent on other purchases. Plus, you can earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. The card has a $395 annual fee.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 2 miles per dollar spent on other purchases. Plus, you can earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening. The card has a $95 annual fee.
Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card: Earn 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1.25 miles per dollar spent on other purchases. Earn a bonus of 20,000 miles after spending $500 on purchases within three months from account opening.
If you're looking for a business card, here are some options that earn Capital One miles:
Capital One Venture Business: Earn 5 miles per dollar spent on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel and 2 miles per dollar spent on other purchases. Plus, you can earn up to 150,000 bonus miles: 75,000 miles after spending $7,500 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, plus an additional 75,000 bonus miles after spending $30,000 on purchases in the first six months from account opening. The card has a $95 annual fee.
Capital One Venture X Business: Earn 10 miles per dollar spent on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel, 5 miles per dollar spent on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel and 2 miles per dollar spent on other purchases. Plus, you can earn 150,000 bonus miles after spending $30,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. The card has a $395 annual fee.
Remember that you can also transfer Avios from British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub and Qatar Airways Privilege Club at a 1:1 rate and that these programs partner with other transferable credit card currencies.
Finnair Plus uses zone based award charts for redeeming flights on Finnair and partner airlines. Flights on Finnair start from just 6,500 Avios in economy class within Finland and northern Europe; they'll require up to 62,500 Avios for travel between Helsinki and Asia and North America in business class.
Finnair does not offer a first-class cabin.
FINNAIR
One-way flights operated by Finnair from the U.S. to Helsinki are priced as follows:
These are the same redemption rates that British Airways Executive Club charges. However, since British Airways adds surcharges, it will be cheaper to book Finnair-operated flights across the Atlantic through Finnair Plus.
You can also use your Avios to upgrade on Finnair Plus flights as follows:
FINNAIR
Note that a connecting flight on Finnair beyond Helsinki will be charged separately unless it is a domestic flight in Finland.
Finnair Plus Avios redemptions for partner-operated flights have a different award chart per partner, which you can view here.
Some of the best ways to redeem Avios through the Finnair Plus program include:
Domestic American Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights: Domestic flights anywhere within the continental U.S. (and Canada) cost just 11,000 Finnair Plus Avios each way in economy class. You can even connect within the region for the same price if you wish; for example, you can fly from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to San Diego International Airport (SAN) via Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) if nonstop flights are not available. British Airways would charge per leg, making connecting domestic itineraries through British Airways Executive Club more expensive than booking via Finnair Plus. You will need to fly the same carrier on both legs as, unfortunately, you cannot combine carriers (like American Airlines and Alaska Airlines) on a single award (unless Finnair is one of the carriers).
Flights from the East Coast to Hawaii: With British Airways now charging 20,000 Avios from the West Coast alone, you're better off using Avios through Finnair Plus. With its region-based award chart, Finnair Plus charges a single price for all flights from the continental U.S. to Hawaii, though the price differs depending on which airline you choose to fly. You will need only 13,500 Avios on Alaska Airlines itineraries, while American Airlines flights cost 15,000 each way.
Cathay Pacific business class to Asia: 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 $151) for the long-haul journey in Cathay Pacific's business class from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). 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.
You can also redeem Avios through nonairline partners for extras such as luggage, lounge access or charitable donations; however, this is not how we usually recommend redeeming Avios for the best value.
While Finnair Plus may have previously flown under the radar, adopting Avios as its loyalty currency in 2024 suddenly made it a much more important loyalty program. While valuable Oneworld elite status may be easier to earn in the British Airways Executive Club program, the difference in benefits between Finnair Plus Platinum and Platinum Lumo is minimal, considering the massive extra number of tier points required.
While Finnair Plus only partners with one transferable credit card currency (Capital One miles), other credit card rewards partner with other Avios programs. You can transfer these Avios between programs and then to Finnair Plus, allowing for great redemption options, such as using 11,000 Avios to book domestic redemptions across the U.S.
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.
