The new British Airways Club is set to launch on April 1, 2025. If you’re a frequent flyer and wondering how your favourite rewards program might change, don’t worry – you can still earn and redeem Avios points on flights, car rentals, and hotel stays.
Key Takeaways
- The newly re-branded British Airways Club rewards frequent flyers with Avios points to redeem on future travel and flight upgrades.
- Each Avios point is worth an average of 2.5 cents.
- The best way to earn Avios points in Canada is to book British Airways flights using your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card.
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What is the British Airways Club?
British Airways is the flagship carrier of the UK, serving over 200 destinations in more than 80 countries around the world.
Its frequent flyer program is called the British Airways Club, which uses the currency of Avios points. Club members can earn and redeem Avios points on flights, flight upgrades, car rentals, and hotels.
You can also earn Avios points on flights with 16 Oneworld alliance partners, including Aer Lingus, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Qantas, and Cathay Pacific.
The British Airways Executive Club becomes the British Airways Club on April 1, 2025. The new Club will continue to use and award Avios points in much the same manner.
British Airways Club overview
Currency: Avios points
Reward categories: Car Rentals, Charity, Experiences, Hotels, Merchandise, Part Payments, Reward Flights, Travel Upgrades, Wine
Pros:
- 2,100+ online stores awarding Avios points
- 16 partner airlines awarding Avios points
- 9 redemption options
- 6 ways to earn points
- 4 membership tiers with exclusive perks
- Points worth up to 17 cents CAD each
Cons:
- Points worth as little as 0.15 cents CAD each
- Limited Reward Flight routes available to Canadians
- Limited ways to earn and redeem points for Canadians
- Only 1 co-branded credit card available in Canada
- Reward Flights have seat and date blackouts
How much are Avios points worth?
According to our research, each Avios point is worth between 0.15 – 17.46 cents per point (CPP), with flights yielding an average of 2.5 CPP.
Value of reward in CAD / cost in points x 100 = value in cents per point (CPP)*
The value of your Avios points changes depending on how you redeem them; the tough part is identifying the most valuable rewards.
The British Airways Club provides 9 redemption options, which we’ve arranged from most to least valuable:
| Redemption Option | Categories | Average value |
|---|---|---|
| Reward Flights | * British Airways flights | 2.5 CPP |
| Part Payment | * British Airways flights * Partner airline flights | 4 CPP |
| Charity | * Projects * Charitable organizations | 1.4 CPP |
| Wine | * Bottles * Cases * Gifts and accessories | 1.15 CPP |
| Car rentals | * Avis car rentals * Budget car rentals | 1 CPP |
| Experiences | * Passes * Tickets * Tours * Transportation * Workshops | 1 CPP |
| Merchandise | * High Life Café * High Life Shop | 1 CPP |
| Travel upgrades | * Baggage fees * Cabin upgrades * Holiday packages * Seat selection fees | 0.9 CPP |
| Hotels | * All-inclusive properties * Aparthotels * Apartments * Chalets * Cottages * Hotels * Resorts * Villas | 0.89 CPP |
* 1£ = $1.79 CAD at time of writing
British Airways Club membership tiers
The new British Airways Club uses the same membership tiers but changes how many Tier Points you need to reach them and how you earn them. You’ll earn 1 Tier Point for every £1 spent on BA airfare, plus a 25% – 100% bonus depending on what cabin and class you fly.
Depending on your flight class, you’ll earn 4 - 60% of your flight’s mileage in Tier Points when you book a flight marketed by Oneworld or other airline partners. Flights marketed by American Airlines or Iberia earn the usual 1 Tier Point for every £1 spent.
You can also earn Tier Points on the full cost of holiday packages, baggage fees, pre-paid seats, and donations towards developing Sustainable Aviation Fuels. These changes will take effect on flights booked on or after December 30, 2024 that take place after April 1, 2025.
Fortunately, collecting enough Tier Points in one calendar year entitles you to the same benefits, including:
| Blue | Bronze | Silver | Gold | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier Points required | None | 3,500 | 7,500 | 20,000 |
| Oneworld alliance membership equivalent | None | Ruby | Sapphire | Emerald |
| Avios points earned per £1 spent on British Airways, AA, and Iberia flights | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Free onboard Wi-Fi messaging, priority waitlist, and Reward Flight Saver | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Wine Flyer discount | None | 5% | 10% | 15% |
| Free seat selection, priority check-in, and priority boarding* | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Additional baggage, lounge access, and guaranteed economy seats | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Additional free baggage, no booking or service fees for Priority Rewards, no point transfer fees, and member-only offers | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| 1 Gold Upgrade for 2 voucher at 2,500 Tier Points and 2 Gold Upgrade for One vouchers at 3,500 Tier Points | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Concorde Room access, 1 Gold Club partner card, and 2 Silver cards at 5,000 Tier Points in one year (and 3,000 points thereafter) | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Redeem Avios points on non-reward seats for double the cost | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
* Bronze members are not eligible for priority check-in or boarding at London City Airport. Silver members are not eligible for priority boarding at London City Airport.
Under the new system, every regular Tier Point you earn also counts as a Lifetime Tier Point. Once you reach 550,000 Lifetime Tier Points, you’ll qualify for Gold for Life status.
Any Lifetime Tier Points you’ve already collected will be multiplied by 15 under the new system. For example, if you collected 17,500 Lifetime Tier Points before April 2025, your new points balance will be 262,500. Either way, you’re still 50% of the way toward Gold for Life.
Existing Gold for Life members will receive 15x their Lifetime Tier Points balance or have their balance set to 550,000, whichever is higher.
How to earn British Airways Avios points
There are 6 ways for British Airways Club members to earn Avios points:
- Fly British Airways
- Fly partner airlines
- Use a British Airways credit card
- Shop partner stores
- Share, transfer, or convert points
- Buy points, boosts, or subscriptions
Not all methods are equally effective, so we’ll cover them in order from best to worst.
1. Fly British Airways
When you book a qualifying British Airways flight, you earn Avios points towards future rewards and Tier Points needed to qualify for advanced membership (more on that later). The number of points you earn depends primarily on your Club membership level and how much you spend on airfare, baggage fees, pre-paid seats, upgrades, and carrier charges:
| Club level | Avios points earning rate | Avios points bonus | Tier Points earning rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 6 points per £1 spent | None | 1 Tier Point per £1 spent |
| Bronze | 6 points per £1 spent | +15% | 1 Tier Point per £1 spent |
| Silver | 6 points per £1 spent | +30% | 1 Tier Point per £1 spent |
| Gold | 6 points per £1 spent | +50% | 1 Tier Point per £1 spent |
You’ll also earn a 25% – 100% Tier Point bonus depending on your class and cabin, from Economy to First.
2. Fly partner airlines
You can earn Avios and Tier Points with 16 other airlines in the Oneworld alliance, including Aer Lingus, American Airlines, Qantas, and Cathay Pacific.
Earning rates differ for each partner airline. Sometimes it’s based on the money you spend, and other times it depends on your cabin and mileage:
| Airline | Avios points earning rate | Tier Points earning rate | Min. Avios points per flight | Club level bonuses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | 25% – 250% of mileage | 4% – 50% of mileage | 300 | ❌ |
| Alaska Airlines | 25% – 125% of mileage | 2% – 25% of mileage | 500 | ❌ |
| American Airlines | 6 – 9 points per £1 spent | 1 point per £1 spent | ❌ | ✅ |
| Cathay Pacific | 25% – 150% of mileage | 2% – 30% of mileage | 500 | ❌ |
| China Southern | 25% – 150% of mileage | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Fiji Airways | 25% – 125% of mileage | 2% – 25% of mileage | 500 | ❌ |
| Finnair | 25% – 250% of mileage | 4% – 50% of mileage | 500 | ✅ |
| Iberia | 5 – 8 points per 1€ spent | 1 point per £1 spent | ❌ | ✅ |
| Japan Airlines | 25% – 150% of mileage | 4% – 60% of mileage | ❌ | ✅ |
| LATAM | 25% – 125% of mileage | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Malaysia Airlines | 25% – 150% of mileage | 2% – 30% of mileage | ❌ | ❌ |
| Qantas | 25% – 150% of mileage | 2% – 30% of mileage | ❌ | ❌ |
| Qatar | 25% – 150% of mileage | 4% – 60% of mileage | 300 | ❌ |
| Royal Air Maroc | 25% – 125% of mileage | 2% – 25% of mileage | ❌ | ❌ |
| Royal Jordanian | 25% – 125% of mileage | 2% – 25% of mileage | 300 | ❌ |
| Sri Lankan Airlines | 25% – 125% of mileage | 2% – 25% of mileage | ❌ | ❌ |
3. Use a British Airways credit card
The only official British Airways credit card available in Canada is the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite. This RBC credit card lets you collect Avios points on everyday purchases:
- 3 Avios per $1 spent on British Airways and BA Holidays
- 2 Avios per $1 spent on restaurants
- 1 Avios per $1 spent on all other purchases
Plus, you’ll receive one companion voucher per year after you spend $30,000 or more. It’s worth an average of $776, making it one of the most valuable credit card benefits available.
But it’s not your only option. You can convert American Express Membership Rewards and RBC Avion points to Avios points on a 1:1 ratio for free, giving you 5 alternative travel credit cards:
| Credit card | Rewards | Current offer | Annual fee | Apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Express Cobalt Card | * 5 points per $1 spent on eligible groceries and restaurants * 3 points per $1 spent on eligible streaming services * 2 points per $1 spent on eligible gas, transit, and ride share purchases * 1 point per $1 spent on foreign currency purchases * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | Up to 15,000 bonus points (terms) | $155.88 | Apply |
| American Express Gold Rewards Card | * 2 points for every $1 spent on gas, groceries, drugstores, and travel * 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases |  $125 GeniusCash + Up to 60,000 bonus points (terms) | $250 | Apply |
| American Express Green Card | * 1 point per $1 spent on all purchases | 10,000 bonus points (terms) | $0 | Apply |
| RBC Avion Visa Infinite | * 1.25 points per $1 spent on travel * 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases | $100 GeniusCash + 55,000 bonus points (terms) | $120 | Apply |
| RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege | * 1.25 points per $1 spent on all purchases | Up to 70,000 bonus points (terms) | $399 | Apply |
Note: You can’t earn Tier Points using a credit card.
4. Shop partner stores
Club members can earn Avios points on the ground by shopping with travel and retail partners. There are over 2,100 partner stores on the Avios platform, from Apple and Amazon to Vrbo and the London Zoo.
Shopping with Avios partners nets you a flat earning rate per £1 spent or a lump sum of Avios points. Checking back often for the best deals and keep the following partners in mind:
| Partner | Eligible products | Avios points earning rate | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avios Hotels | * Hotel stays | 10 points per £1/$1/€1 spent | |
| Avis | * Car rentals | 5 points per £1 spent | See BA Holidays |
| Best Western | * Hotel stays | 1 point per £1 spent | 3 points per £1 spent for new customers |
| Booking.com UK | * Hotel stays | 4 points per £1 spent | |
| British Airways Holidays | * Car rentals * Flights * Holiday bundles * Hotel stays * Sightseeing | See the usual flight and car rental earning rates | 1 point per £1 spent |
| Budget | * Car rentals | 2 points per £1 spent | See BA Holidays |
| GetYourGuide | * Experiences * Tours | 7 points per £1 spent | |
| Hotels.com UK | * Hotel stays | 5 points per £1 spent | |
| IHG | * Hotel stays | 3 points per £1 spent | |
| Marriott Bonvoy UK | * Hotel stays up to £3,500 | 4 points per £1 spent |
To collect your points, visit the Avios or BA Holidays website and log in. Select the partner you’d like to shop with, read the terms, and follow the link to their website, then check out as usual. Your points should appear in your account within 45 days.
Note: You can’t earn Tier Points on Avios.com.
5. Share, transfer, or convert points
If you’re not a frequent flyer, you can always share, transfer, or combine your points to increase your balance.
British Airways allows every member to pool points with up to 6 people who live with them (including children) in a Household Account. The "Head" of the household manages the account by adding or removing members and keeping up with communications, but anyone can draw and redeem points from the pool.
BA Club members can transfer up to 60,000 points at once (to a maximum of 200,000 per year) for £50 per transaction. If you’re a Gold member, transfers are free.
Finally, you can convert points from other loyalty programs to Avios points. Avios boasts 13 airline, credit card, and hotel points conversion partners, giving you plenty of options for topping up your balance:
| Points conversion partner | Conversion rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ALL Rewards | 2:1 | Must convert a minimum of 4,000 points. |
| American Express Membership Rewards | 1:1 | Must convert a minimum of 1,000 points. |
| BPme Rewards | 5:8 | Must convert a minimum of 40 points. |
| Choice Privileges | 5:1 | Must convert a minimum of 5,000 points. |
| Finnair Plus | 1:1 | Convert points back and forth by linking your accounts. |
| Hilton Honors | 10:1 | Must convert a minimum of 10,000 points. |
| IHG One Rewards | 5:2 | Must convert a minimum of 10,000 points. |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 3:1 | Get 5,000 bonus Avios points whenever you convert 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points in one transaction. |
| MeliáRewards | 10:3 | Must convert a minimum of 100 points. |
| Nectar | 8:5 | Must convert a minimum of 400 points. |
| Qatar Airways Privilege Club | 1:1 | Move as little as 1 point between programs instantly by linking your accounts. |
| Radisson Rewards | 10:1 | Must convert a minimum of 10,000 points. |
| RBC Avion Rewards | 10:13 | Keep an eye out for occasional bonus offers. |
6. Buy points, boosts, or a subscription
Buying, boosting, or subscribing to Avios points are the least efficient earning methods because they cost money:
| Buy points | Boost points | Subscribe for points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it works | Buy Avios points to receive an instant, one-time deposit to your BA Club account. | Buy boosters to multiply your point earnings on transactions within the last 30 days. | Buy a subscription to receive a regular, recurring deposit to your BA Club account. |
| Cost | £1 per 57 Avios points | £1 per 109 Avios points | £1 per 101 Avios points |
| Minimum | 2,000 points per transaction | 1 point per transaction | 1,667 points per month |
| Maximum | 200,000 points per year | Unlimited points per year | 200,000 points per year |
If you absolutely need a few more points for your rewards, visit the British Airways shopping website. Otherwise, we recommend collecting Avios points the old-fashioned way to avoid detracting from their value.
How to redeem British Airways Avios points
The British Airways Club offers 8 redemption options worth 0.15 CPP – 17.5 CPP, not all of which involve travel. From best to worst, we recommend redeeming your Avios points on:
- Reward Flights
- Part Payments
- Charity
- Wine
- Car rentals
- Experiences
- Merchandise
- Travel upgrades
- Hotels
There’s a lot to cover, so let’s dive in!
Reward Flights
Average value: 2.5 CPP
Best option: Direct, long-haul flights during off-peak seasons in Premium Economy or Business class
How to redeem: Use the Reward Flight finder to find and book a flight using Avios points.
Reward Flights are direct flights using fixed routes and fixed costs, including all taxes, fees, and carrier charges. The cost depends on your destination, travel dates, and flight class.
For example, you can fly for as little as £1 + 18,500 Avios points in Europe, the UK, and Ireland; and as low as £100 + 50,000 Avios points internationally. Business class seats start at £375 + 160,000 Avios points.
Pro Tip: If you want to get the best deal, fly in the off-season. You’ll pay more Avios for a flight during peak pricing periods in April, July, August, late October, and the last two weeks of December.
British Airways reserves at least 2 seats per cabin on every flight from Heathrow and Gatwick for Reward Flights, leaving the rest unavailable for redemption. From time to time, BA also releases Avios-Only Reward Flights where every seat is up for grabs for Club members.
Unfortunately, the current Reward Flight schedule only provides 3 routes for Canadians: Montreal (YUL), Toronto (YYZ), or Vancouver (YVR) to London (LHR). You must connect in LHR to access the rest of the route map, which includes:
| Origin | Destination area | Reward Flight destinations available |
|---|---|---|
| London (LHR) | Europe | 70 cities in 28 countries |
| London (LHR) | Central and South America | 9 cities in 7 countries |
| London (LHR) | Africa | 9 cities in 7 countries |
| London (LHR) | Middle East | 8 cities in 6 countries |
| London (LHR) | Asia | 10 cities in 7 countries |
| London (LHR) | Australia and Oceania | 1 city in 1 country (Sydney, AU) |
The cost of a Reward Flight with a connection includes a flat fee based on mileage. According to our research, connecting Reward Flights yield less value than direct ones – on the other hand, long-haul flights offer more value than short ones.
Ultimately, direct, long-haul flights in Premium Economy or Business Class seem to provide the best value for your Avios points. When booking, look for Reward Flight Saver fares marked with a blue seal, and days labelled "Off Peak" for the best price.
But it’s no substitute for doing the math and comparing flights using the same formula we did:
(Cost of flight in CAD - cash payable in CAD) / cost in Avios points = value in cents per point (CPP)
Part Payments
Average value: 4 CPP
Best option: Covering at least $1,000 of the cost of a Business flight in Avios points
How to redeem: Book a flight on the British Airways website and select an option for part payment on the price page during checkout
Reward Flights aren’t the only option for redeeming your Avios points for travel. If you:
- Don’t have enough points to cover the cost of a Reward Flight
- Prefer to fly on a different Oneworld airline
- Want to fly to a destination outside the Reward Flight Schedule
- Want to use your Avios points for a holiday package
You can trade your Avios points for a Part Payment and cover the rest of the cost with cash. Be warned: Part Payments can provide as little as 0.15 CPP per point.
Using the same formula as before, we found Part Payments on Economy flights generally offered the worst value. With only one exception, Part Payments worth $1,000 CAD or more on a Premium Economy or Business flight provided at least 2 CPP, with some reaching as high as 17.5 CPP.
Charity
Average value: 1.4 CPP
Best option: Any
How to redeem: Log into the BA Better World Community Fund website and select an organization or project to support
If you’d rather stay on the ground, you can give your karma a lift by donating your Avios points to a project or charity through the BA Better World Community Fund. There are over 90+ projects and organizations to support, covering a variety of animal, cultural, ecological, and humanist causes.
Avios points donated to charity use a fixed exchange rate of 200 points to £1. You can donate 125 – 30,000 points per calendar month, with 100% of your donation going to your project or charity of choice.
Wine
Average value: 1.15 CPP
Best option: Gusborne Estate tour and bottle
How to redeem: Use your British Airways Club account to shop the Wine Flyer online store
While Canadian customers will have some trouble getting hold of their orders, you can trade Avios points for up to 95% of the cost of a bottle or case of beer, wine, or other spirit. If you live in the UK, you can even sign up for a monthly or quarterly case subscription and get up to 2,000 bonus Avios points with every delivery.
Delivery is only available in the UK, excluding Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and BFPO addresses. To get your order back to Canada, you’ll need to pick it up overseas and then pay duties to bring it back, further decreasing its value.
Car rentals
Average value: 1 CPP
Best option: Any
How to redeem: Book an Avis or Budget car rental worldwide on the Avios website
Car rentals offer a relatively stable, fixed value for Avios points. You can rent cars from Avis and Budget agencies around the world and get the same value whether you rent a mini or a full SUV – unfortunately, that value is a scant 1 CPP.
Experiences
Average value: 1 CPP
Best option: Any
How to redeem: Book an experience on the Avios website
Passes, tours, workshops, tickets to major attractions, and airport transfers are another reliable way to get at least 1 CPP out of your Avios points.
The Avios website offers a wide variety of public, semi-private, and private experiences, some of which include food or the services of a professional photographer. Offerings span the globe, including major cities in Canada.
Merchandise
Average value: 1 CPP
Best option: Any
How to redeem: Shop food on the High Life Café or merchandise on the High Life Shop
British Airways Club members can pre-pay for 134 meals, snacks, drinks, and cocktails to enjoy aboard their flight, or shop over 400 items on the High Life Shop. Whatever your choice, you’ll get about 1 CPP.
Home delivery for merchandise is available to UK addresses only. However, alcohol, fragrance, tobacco, and other products – plus all international orders – can be delivered to your seat aboard your next British Airways flight. You can also contact customer service to arrange international delivery.
You may have to pay import duties on any items you receive on a flight and bring into Canada.
Travel upgrades
Average value: 0.9 CPP
Best option: Cabin upgrades on direct, long-haul flights
How to redeem: Select an upgrade and choose to pay with Avios at the time of booking, or add one to an existing booking using the Manage My Booking page
Using your Avios points to cover a seat selection fee, baggage fee, or cabin upgrade on a new or existing booking is the worst way to apply them to travel.
Baggage fees and seat selection fees yield about 0.9 CPP. Because they’re based on the difference between fare types, cabin upgrades give Avios points about the same value as a flight.
Hotels
Average value: 0.89 CPP
Best option: Any
How to redeem: Book hotels worldwide on the Avios website
There are over 300,000 properties around the world listed on the Avios website. We searched for the cheapest and most expensive stays in the 4 most popular cities (London, Paris, Dubai, and New York City) plus Toronto and found consistent point values for every option.
The good news is you don’t have to bargain hunt; the bad news is you’ll only get about 0.89 CPP.
How to join the British Airways Club
If you’re ready to become a Club member, head to the British Airways site to sign up. You’ll need:
- First and last name as it appears on your passport
- Email address
- New login details
- Address and phone number
- Preferred language
- Date of birth and sex
Agree to the terms and conditions and you’re all set!
FAQ
Is the British Airways Executive Club free?
You can join the British Airways Club for free on the British Airways website.
How much are 60,000 Avios worth?
60,000 Avios points are worth an average of $1,500 CAD when redeemed for a Flight Reward, or up to $2,400 if you find a great deal on a Part Payment toward a flight ticket.
What is the difference between British Airways Executive Club and Avios?
British Airways Executive Club is the airline’s loyalty reward program, which earns you Avios reward points. You can also earn Avios by flying with other Oneworld alliance airlines.
How do you collect Avios in Canada?
Canadians can collect Avios points by flying with British Airways, flying with Oneworld airlines, using a British Airways RBC Visa credit card, shopping on the Avios website, or converting points from other loyalty programs.
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