What did Avios used to be called?

In 2011, with the formation of BA's new parent company IAG, the British Airways Executive Club was relaunched. All the IAG group currencies: BA Miles, UK Airmiles and Iberia Plus points were renamed Avios.



Before the unified currency known as Avios was launched in 2011, the points programs for the participating airlines had different names. For British Airways, the currency was famously known as Air Miles (and later "BA Miles"). For Iberia, the program used Iberia Plus Points. The switch to "Avios" happened following the merger of British Airways and Iberia to form the International Airlines Group (IAG). The goal was to create a single, shared "loyalty currency" that could be moved seamlessly between different airline accounts. Interestingly, while the name "Air Miles" is still used colloquially by many people today, the official "Air Miles" brand actually still exists as a separate entity in countries like Canada and the Middle East, which is why the transition to the unique "Avios" name was necessary to avoid trademark confusion. In recent years, other airlines like Qatar Airways (which used to call its currency "Qmiles") and Finnair have also adopted Avios as their official currency, making it one of the most widely used and flexible travel rewards systems in the global aviation industry in 2026.

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The UK Avios Travel Rewards Programme has now closed, but Avios, the currency, remains. As part of the closure, some of our customers have moved to the British Airways Executive Club. You are still able to collect and spend Avios as a member of the British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, AerClub and Vueling Club.

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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. When you've collected enough you can spend your Avios on flights and upgrades, or choose from a range of other rewards.

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IAG announces the launch of Avios, a new shared global rewards currency for members of the British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus and the UK Airmiles programmes. In November 2011 BA Miles, UK Airmiles and Iberia Plus points will be renamed 'Avios'.

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British Airways also has a relationship with Aer Lingus, even though Aer Lingus is not a member of the Oneworld alliance. Aer Lingus, along with Iberia, Vueling and Qatar Airways, share Avios as a points currency with British Airways.

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The value of British Airways Avios is 1.83 cents per avios, on average. That means 10,000 British Airways Avios have a value of roughly $183. British Airways Avios are more valuable than the average airline miles, which are worth 1.32 cents each, as a result.

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British Airways Avios expire after 36 months of inactivity. As long as you spend, collect, purchase, transfer in or share at least one Avios, your expiration clock resets.

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Here's the catch. Air Miles themselves do not expire. But, if your account “expires” by being “dormant” (or inactive) for 24 consecutive months, then the points on it will disappear. An account is considered inactive if there are no points transactions within that period.

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If you find you're missing some Avios or Tier Points on your account you can claim them back within six months of your flight. New members can even claim Avios and Tier Points for any British Airways flights flown in the three months before joining.

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50,000 points: At 50,000, you can get an off-peak business class single flight to New York for this many Avios points and a £446.44 extra charge. If you're after somewhere even further afield, you could get a peak time economy class return flight to Barbados for 50,000 points, plus £350.84 in charges.

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British Airways (BA) was born in 1972, when the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and British European Airways Corporation (BEA) managements were combined under the newly formed British Airways Board.

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Get Avios and enjoy; enjoy and get Avios It is the common currency for Iberia Plus, British Airways Executive Club and the Avios programme in the United Kingdom: You can get them on flights, using the services of our Partners, with promotions and with products in the Iberia Plus Programme.

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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.

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If you really want to treat yourself, you can get a one-way flight in Aer Lingus' business class on the same routes from just 50,000 Avios (off-peak) or 60,000 Avios (peak). In other words, your 100,000 bonus Avios would be enough for a return flight in business class to Ireland on off-peak dates.

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