A guide to transferring your Avios among British Airways, Qatar Airways, Finnair, Iberia, and Aer Lingus accounts

Avios serves as the currency for loyalty programs including the British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Finnair Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub, and Qatar Airways Privilege Club. You can earn and redeem Avios if you hold a frequent flyer account with any of these airlines.

You can exchange Avios between these programs at a 1:1 ratio, meaning 1 British Airways Avios equals 1 Qatar Airways Avios and vice versa. Depending on your award redemptions, you might want to transfer your Avios as their values can vary slightly across different programs.

For instance, Reward Flight Savers are offered through the British Airways Executive Club but are unavailable with Iberia Plus. On the other hand, Iberia Plus may provide excellent deals on off-peak business-class awards from the U.S. to Madrid.

Additionally, you might encounter lower prices, fees, and taxes when booking a long-haul Iberia-operated flight using Avios in your Iberia Plus account compared to your British Airways Executive Club account.

In the past, Avios.com was a convenient platform for transferring Avios across various programs. However, it has become less efficient, requiring more effort to move Avios between accounts now.

So, how can you transfer your Avios? Let's explore the options.

Transfer Avios to and from British Airways Executive Club

You can use this page on the British Airways website to transfer your Avios to or from your British Airways Executive Club account, as well as your Iberia Plus, Finnair Plus, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, and Aer Lingus AerClub accounts by following the links provided for the respective programs.

Make sure that your personal details match for both accounts involved in the Avios transfer. Update them before proceeding with the transfer.

Transfers occur at a 1:1 ratio and can happen in either direction at any time, meaning you're not tied to a single Avios program after making a transfer.

Transfer Avios to and from Qatar Airways Privilege Club

You can transfer Avios between Qatar Airways and British Airways exclusively on the British Airways website. After linking your accounts, you can freely move Avios back and forth between the two programs at a 1:1 ratio whenever you wish.

You'll need to log into your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account, so ensure that your account details are accurate.

If you hold Avios with Aer Lingus, Iberia, or Finnair and wish to transfer them to Qatar Airways, you must first send them to British Airways.

Transfer Avios to and from Finnair Plus

Finnair Plus, the latest program to use Avios as its loyalty currency, allows members to transfer Avios to and from the British Airways Executive Club. The process mirrors that of Qatar Airways Privilege Club. Simply choose Finnair Plus on the transfer page, log into your account to link it, and you can move Avios back and forth at a 1:1 ratio.

Similarly, if your Avios are in Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub, or Qatar Airways Privilege Club, you’ll need to transfer them to British Airways Executive Club first before moving them to Finnair Plus (or the other way around).

Transfer Avios to and from Iberia Plus

You can transfer Avios to or from Iberia Plus through the British Airways Executive Club or Aer Lingus AerClub by visiting the Iberia Plus landing page.

Make sure to log into your Iberia Plus account and link your British Airways or Aer Lingus account to ensure they match correctly.

Transfer Avios to and from Aer Lingus AerClub

In our experience, moving Avios within the Aer Lingus AerClub program has proven to be the most challenging due to the malfunctioning of the Avios.com platform.

While you should be able to transfer Avios to or from Aer Lingus AerClub, Iberia Plus, and British Airways Executive Club using the British Airways platform, the AerClub link may not function correctly.

If you encounter an error message, try using a different browser or incognito mode to complete the process. If issues persist, you can contact Aer Club at 855-585-8264 for assistance in moving your Avios manually.

Other ways to earn Avios

If you need to boost your Avios balance for a specific redemption, here are some simple ways to earn this popular reward currency.

Transfer credit card points

You can convert your credit card points into Avios by transferring them to Avios-based programs, using the method mentioned earlier. Here are your options for transfers:

• American Express Membership Rewards: Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Executive Club, and Iberia Plus
• Bilt Rewards: Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Executive Club, and Iberia Plus
• Capital One: British Airways Executive Club and Finnair Plus
• Chase Ultimate Rewards: Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Executive Club, and Iberia Plus
• Wells Fargo Rewards: Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Executive Club, and Iberia Plus
• Marriott Bonvoy: Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Executive Club, and Iberia Plus

Most of these transfers occur at a 1:1 ratio, except for Marriott Bonvoy, which transfers at a 3:1 rate. Additionally, for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer, you'll receive a 5,000-Avios bonus (so, 60,000 points converts to 25,000 Avios, for example).

Leverage credit card welcome bonuses

One of the best ways to boost your Avios is by taking advantage of welcome offer bonuses from credit cards. Three Avios programs each have their own Chase credit cards:

• Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card
• British Airways Visa Signature® Card
• Iberia Visa Signature® Card

Each of these cards offers the same welcome bonus: Earn 85,000 Avios after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of opening your account. They also share a $95 annual fee.

If you prefer to earn Avios for Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Cardless now offers two Qatar-branded credit cards, including the Qatar Airways Privilege Club Visa Signature Credit Card, which has a $99 annual fee and a welcome bonus of up to 40,000 Avios — 20,000 Avios after your first transaction and another 20,000 Avios after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days.

There's also the Qatar Airways Privilege Club Visa Infinite Credit Card, which carries a $499 annual fee and offers a welcome bonus of up to 50,000 Avios — 25,000 Avios after your first transaction, plus an additional 25,000 Avios and 150 Qpoints after spending $5,000 within the first 90 days. This card also grants Privilege Club Gold status.

The details for the Qatar Airways Privilege Club Visa Infinite and Signature Cards have been gathered independently by Dinogo. The information provided on this page has not been reviewed or endorsed by the card issuer.

If you prefer Finnair Avios, you can transfer Capital One miles to Finnair Plus.

Here’s a list of some currently available consumer cards that earn transferable Capital One miles:

• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card

If you're in the market for a business card, consider these options that earn Capital One miles:

• Capital One Venture X Business
• Capital One Spark Miles for Business
• Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business

The information for the Capital One Spark Miles Select has been sourced independently by Dinogo. The details on this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the card issuer.

In summary

While the process of transferring Avios between programs may seem complex at first, the benefits are well worth the effort, offering exceptional flexibility and value in utilizing Avios across various avenues. For frequent travelers, the ability to transfer Avios in any direction as often as needed at no extra cost is a significant advantage.

If you prefer to concentrate on just one Avios program, the British Airways Executive Club is a reliable choice. It’s the largest program and offers user-friendly technology. However, each program has its advantages, so if you have a specific redemption in mind, evaluate which option provides the best value for your rewards.

Ideally, there would be a unified platform to connect all five Avios programs, enabling transfers to any program from a single location. Unfortunately, until such a platform becomes available, you will need to follow these steps to transfer your Avios to where you want them.