We're giving away 1 million Avios to 10 readers; here are 4 exciting ways you could use them
Quick summary
You may have heard that The Points Guy is giving away 1 million Avios to 10 readers. To enter, all you have to do is donate $10 or more to our Prizeo campaign, which is raising money for Comic Relief US.
For official rules, click here.
Comic Relief US is an American nonprofit that works with corporate, media, and nonprofit partners to harness the power of entertainment to help marginalized communities rise up out of poverty. Over the years, it has raised over $330 million and positively impacted over 25 million people around the world. So you're helping a great cause, and you have a shot at a million Avios in the process.
Big numbers are nice, but what can you actually do with 1 million Avios as a U.S.-based traveler? Turns out, you can do quite a bit.
Thanks to British Airways' vast network of airline partners, you can use your Avios to fly on a handful of airlines like American, Iberia and, of course, British Airways. This opens the door to a ton of awesome award redemptions, like business class flights to Europe and dozens of domestic flights to your favorite U.S. cities.
Let's take a look at a few great ways you could redeem 1 million Avios if you win.
Fly from New York to London... 76 times
Want to finally ride the London Eye? Sample ales in a typical British pub? London is calling your name, and you can use 1 million Avios to book 76 one-way economy tickets from New York-JFK to London-Heathrow (LHR) on off-peak dates. This low price is thanks to British Airways' distance-based award chart, which provides great deals on shorter off-peak flights.
Thankfully, off-peak dates cover a good portion of the calendar, and discounts flights in higher cabins like Premium Economy and Business class too. That said, you'll pay significantly higher fuel surcharges when you book premium cabins. For example, a one-way business class ticket from New York to London costs 50,000 Avios and $729.
Or if you'd like to visit another part of Europe, you can connect to hundreds of European destinations in London. British Airways flies everywhere from Athens (ATH) to Zurich (ZRH), giving you a wide range of cities. You'll pay just marginally more miles to connect on from London, in accordance with British Airways' award chart.
Related: 17 of our favorite hotels in London
Book 100+ domestic flights
Further, British Airways' distance-based award chart is advantageous for short-haul flights around the U.S. with Oneworld partners American and Alaska Airlines. Flights that are 651 miles or shorter cost just 7,500 Avios one-way, meaning that you can take up to 111 domestic flights with your 1 million Avios.
For example, flights like Boston (BOS) to New York-JFK and Portland (PDX) to Seattle (SEA) fall into this lowest pricing tier.
Of course, you'll pay more miles for longer tickets. For example, flights up between 651 and 1,151 miles cost 9,000 Avios. This includes popular routes like New York (LGA) to Miami (MIA) and Chicago-O'Hare (ORD). Read our complete guide to the British Airways award chart to price out longer routes.
With that in mind, you can leverage this Avios stash to visit (or revisit) some of America's most exciting cities and regions. Think long weekends in the Big Apple, deep-dish pizza in Chicago, skiing in Vale and sampling fine wines in Sonoma Valley. Between American and Alaska's huge route maps, you can fly just about anywhere in the U.S.
Related: Sea to shining sea: 11 of the best destinations to visit across the U.S.
Take 14 of your closest friends on a business class trip to Madrid
Itching to go back to Europe? You can book 14 round-trip tickets from Boston (BOS), Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) or New York-JFK to Madrid (MAD) — in business class — with your 1 million Avios. You can do this by transferring your Avios to Iberia and then booking flights on off-peak dates, which spans most of the year. You'll pay just 34,000 Avios per one-way ticket.
Onboard, you can expect great dining options, plenty of in-flight entertainment and a lie-flat seat. This makes your flight significantly more enjoyable than an economy jaunt, and lets you arrive at your destination rested and ready to explore all that Spain has to offer. And with so many Avios, you might as well take a few friends along for the ride, too.
You can also use your Avios to book British Airways flights to Europe, but you will pay significantly higher fuel surcharges. This is why we generally recommend booking through Iberia, especially if you're going to Continental Europe as you can easily connect to another city in Madrid.
Related: Fly business class to Europe from 34,000 Avios each way
Or, explore Ireland with Aer Lingus
You can also use your Avios to book flights on partner Aer Lingus. If you're flying from Boston, flights to Dublin cost just 13,000 Avios one-way in economy, which is an excellent deal. Further, this means you can take 38 round-trip flights on this route. Just note that longer flights cost more Avios, just like domestic flights.
Once in Dublin, make sure to explore the city's vast array of pubs, museums and restaurants. Then, you can rent a car and explore other cities, like Cork, Shannon and Limerick. Along the way, you can see Ireland's beautiful countryside.
Related: 16 of the best hotels in Ireland
Bottom line
Entering TPG's Prizeo campaign not only gives you a shot at 1 million Avios, but you're donating to a great cause at the same time. If you happen to win, you can use this article as inspiration on how to redeem your newfound points stash. No matter how you redeem them, you'll get to see great new places with very little out-of-pocket expense.
Feature photo by Eric Rosen/The Points Guy