Getting "free" Avios points in 2026 is most effectively achieved through everyday spending and strategic sign-up bonuses. The quickest way is via credit card sign-up bonuses from partners like American Express or British Airways, which often offer 20,000 to 50,000 Avios for meeting a minimum spend. Beyond credit cards, you can earn Avios at no extra cost by linking your British Airways Executive Club account to the Uber app, where you currently earn 1 Avios per £1 spent on rides and trains in the UK. Shopping through the British Airways eStore is another "passive" method; by clicking through to retailers like Apple, ASOS, or John Lewis, you earn points on purchases you would have made anyway. You can also convert Nectar points into Avios, effectively turning your Sainsbury's grocery shopping into air miles. While these points are technically "earned," they feel free because they don't require you to pay extra for the flights themselves, only the associated taxes and fees when you eventually redeem them.