What is the point of Avios?

Avios is the reward currency of the Club You collect Avios when you fly, take a holiday, hotel stay or car rental with us plus our wide range of partners. And when you've collected enough, you can spend your Avios for rewards such as flights, upgrades, hotel stays, car hire and more.



The point of Avios is to act as a "universal" loyalty currency for several major global airlines, primarily British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, and Vueling. In 2026, Avios has become one of the most powerful tools for travelers because you can transfer them 1:1 between these different airline accounts. This allows you to "pool" your points to book a flight that might not be available on one carrier but is on another. The primary goal is to redeem them for "Reward Flights," where you pay for the ticket with points and only cover the taxes and fees in cash. In 2026, the most strategic use of Avios is for "Peak Season" short-haul flights around Europe (using Reward Flight Saver) or for upgrading from Premium Economy to Business Class on long-haul routes, which offers the highest "value per point." Beyond flights, Avios can be used for hotel stays, car rentals, and even wine, but these redemptions usually offer poor value compared to air travel. For the savvy traveler, Avios is essentially a "travel bank account" that helps you fly in luxury for a fraction of the retail cost.

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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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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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Your Avios stay with you as long as you collect, spend, buy or share at least one Avios every 36 months — any longer and your Avios will expire and be removed, so remember to take action before those three years are up. There are lots of simple ways to ensure you'll never lose the Avios you collect.

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Flights booked using Avios are called Reward Flights. Reward Flights can be taken with British Airways, Iberia, American Airlines and our oneworld partners.

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Avios is the reward currency of the Club We call them Avios. You collect Avios when you fly, take a holiday, hotel stay or car rental with us plus our wide range of partners. And when you've collected enough, you can spend your Avios for rewards such as flights, upgrades, hotel stays, car hire and more.

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There are many ways to collect Avios.
  1. Booking British Airways flights, holidays, hotel stays and car hire are great ways to top up your balance.
  2. Pre-booking seats, paying for extra baggage or upgrading your cabin on a British Airways or Iberia-marketed flight.


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Your Avios stay with you as long as you collect, spend, buy or share at least one Avios every 36 months — any longer and your Avios will expire and be removed, so remember to take action before those three years are up. There are lots of simple ways to ensure you'll never lose the Avios you collect.

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Its T&Cs note that all Avios will be cancelled in the event of death. The same rules also explain that Avios cannot be transferred after death.

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