Avios is the currency of the British Airways Executive Club. You collect Avios when you fly and can keep topping up that balance with hotel stays, car hire and much more.

An Avios account and a British Airways (BA) Executive Club account are closely related but technically distinct. The "British Airways Executive Club" is the name of the airline's specific loyalty program, while "Avios" is the name of the reward currency (the "points") used by that program. You cannot have an Executive Club account without also collecting Avios, but Avios is a shared currency used by several different airlines, including Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling, Qatar Airways, and Finnair. Each of these airlines has its own loyalty program (e.g., Iberia Plus or Qatar Privilege Club), but they all use Avios as their "money." One of the most powerful features for travelers is the ability to "Combine My Avios," which allows you to move your points freely between a BA Executive Club account and an Iberia Plus or Qatar account at a 1:1 ratio. So, while your BA Executive Club account is your "home" for status and BA-specific perks, the Avios themselves are a flexible digital asset that exists across a broader ecosystem of partners.