British Airways Executive Club: A Comprehensive Guide to Avios, Elite Status, and Transfer Partners

British Airways stands as the largest full-service airline in the UK, serving more destinations in the U.S. than any other European airline.

The loyalty program offered by the airline is known as Executive Club, and its reward currency is Avios. With an extensive global network and a loyalty currency that's simple to earn and use, it's a program worth considering, even if the U.K. isn't your travel destination.

Here’s everything you should know about accumulating and using British Airways Avios for rewards, along with tips on how to achieve elite status in the Executive Club.

What exactly are Avios?

Avios is the reward currency utilized by the following loyalty programs:

• British Airways Executive Club
• Iberia Plus
• Aer Lingus AerClub
• Vueling Club
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Finnair Plus

Avios can be transferred among these programs at a 1:1 ratio, meaning each Avios holds equal value across all programs. However, the redemption options differ within each program, allowing knowledgeable users to achieve varying values based on the program in which they redeem their Avios — and how they do so.

This guide concentrates on the accumulation and redemption of Avios within the Executive Club program.

How to achieve elite status within the British Airways Executive Club program

Status is determined by tier points, and there are four distinct status levels:

• Blue — the initial level for all members
• Bronze — reached after accumulating 300 tier points within the tier point collection year, which runs from April 1 to March 31
• Silver — reached after earning 600 tier points in a tier point collection year
• Gold — reached after amassing 1,500 tier points in a tier point collection year

Be aware that modifications to British Airways' tier point collection year will take effect in April 2025.

Similar to other airline loyalty programs, the British Airways Executive Club features two additional levels of status that are not publicly disclosed:

• Gold Guest List — attained after earning 5,000 tier points in a tier point collection year, and maintained in future years by accumulating 3,000 tier points each year
• Premier — exclusive invitation-only elite status

Benefits for Blue members

• Earn Avios on paid flights with BA or its partners
• Share Avios within a household account (up to six individuals)
• Complimentary seat selection 24 hours prior to departure (excludes exit-row seats and does not apply to basic fare bookings)
• Save preferences like special meals and seating choices
• Eligibility for Reward Flight Savers

Benefits for Bronze members

• All benefits available to Blue members
• Priority check-in and boarding privileges
• Complimentary seat selection one week before departure
• 25% bonus Avios on flights with Japan Airlines
• Status freeze during maternity, paternity, or adoption leave

Benefits for Silver members

Silver status offers perks similar to Gold on many other airlines, where the real advantages begin to surface.

• All the benefits of Bronze membership
• Complimentary seat selection at the time of booking
• 50% bonus Avios on flights with Japan Airlines
• Two checked bags weighing up to 71 pounds each in economy (not applicable to basic economy), valid for all passengers on your booking
• Access to business-class lounges (plus one guest) when flying with BA and its partner airlines
• Priority delivery of luggage
• Priority support via phone

Benefits for Gold members

• All the benefits of Silver membership
• Complimentary seat selection at booking, including exit-row seats and exclusive access to 1A and 1K in first class
• 100% bonus Avios when traveling with Japan Airlines
• Extra free checked bag in any class with a weight limit of 71 pounds per bag, valid for everyone on your booking
• First-class check-in and lounge access when flying with BA and Oneworld airlines (lounge access for one guest)
• Use of the BA arrivals lounge at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) Terminal 5 after long-haul flights (no guest access)
• Eligibility for Gold Priority Rewards, which enables you to secure an Avios reward ticket by paying double Avios for flights (requires booking more than 30 days in advance)
• Enhanced reward availability in economy
• One Gold upgrade voucher for two (earned after 2,500 tier points in a year)
• Two Gold upgrade vouchers for one (earned after 3,500 tier points in a year)

Lifetime Gold status is achieved after earning 35,000 tier points, with no time limit for accumulation.

Benefits of the Gold Guest List

• All the perks of Gold membership
• Access to first-class lounges when flying with BA and Oneworld airlines (with up to five guests for BA-operated lounges)
• Gold Guest List redemptions, also known as jokers, which allow members to request BA to open Avios redemption seats (for up to five passengers) as long as certain booking classes are available
• Priority assistance hotline
• Concorde Room card for access to the Concorde Room at LHR and JFK (with one guest)
• Access to the BA arrivals lounge after long-haul flights (with one guest)
• Hilton Honors Diamond status
• Business First upgrade on the Heathrow Express
• Gift one Gold and two Silver partner cards each membership year

To requalify for status with British Airways, the same tier points are required, except for Gold Guest List. However, BA provides a "soft landing" for members who do not maintain their status level in the next membership year.

If members do not retain their status, they will drop to the next lower level instead of starting over from scratch.

What distinguishes Avios from tier points?

Many frequent flyer programs separate redeemable miles from elite qualifying miles. This is because airlines often award multiple miles for those flying in premium cabins or for elite members, while actual miles flown contribute to status progression.

In the British Airways Executive Club, there's a distinction: instead of elite qualifying miles, BA uses tier points that contribute toward status. This can be a bit confusing for newcomers since BA refers to its mileage currency, which can be earned and spent, as Avios.

Avios

Avios are the air miles you earn through flying, credit card purchases, and spending with partner businesses via online shopping, hotel stays, and car rentals. Essentially, Avios serve as the currency for reward flights, upgrades, and items like gift vouchers.

You can accumulate Avios based on the fare of your ticket along with any extras you purchase during your flight, including carrier fees, cabin upgrades, pre-booked seats, and extra baggage.

Additionally, your elite status will earn you more Avios. Bronze members receive 7 Avios for every British pound spent, Silver members earn 8, and Gold members get 9 Avios per pound spent.

Tier points

British Airways grants tier points for every flight taken on British Airways, Aer Lingus, or any of BA's Oneworld partners, which contribute to your status within the Executive Club. The tier points awarded are based on your ticket type and the class of travel.

Short-haul economy flights under 2,000 miles can earn between 5 and 20 tier points, depending on the fare class and ticket price. Generally, higher-priced tickets yield more tier points. In contrast, short-haul business-class flights (or domestic first class in the U.S.) typically earn 40 tier points for each segment. Thus, taking numerous short flights in premium cabins can quickly lead to elite status.

Beginning in 2025, all Executive Club members will have a tier point collection year that runs from April 1 to March 31. Previously, this year was determined by the member's joining date, but starting in April 2025, all members will adhere to the same timeline.

Unlike some U.S. airline loyalty programs, the Executive Club does not currently impose a spending requirement to achieve status. For Bronze status, you need to earn tier points and complete two qualifying flights on British Airways each membership year. Silver or Gold status requires four qualifying flights and meeting specific tier point criteria.

How to earn Avios

Credit cards

One of the simplest ways to accumulate a significant number of Avios through everyday purchases is by signing up for the British Airways Visa Signature® Card.

This card, provided by Chase and therefore subject to the 5/24 rule, rewards new cardholders with 85,000 Avios after they spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of opening the account. According to TPG's September 2024 valuations, Avios are valued at 1.4 cents each, making the entire bonus worth approximately $1,190.

The British Airways Visa Signature Card comes with a $95 annual fee and allows you to earn 3 Avios for every $1 spent on purchases made with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and Level. Additionally, you can earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel stays when booked directly through the hotel. All other purchases earn 1 Avios per $1 spent.

Cards that offer transferable rewards

Informed TPG readers understand that we often suggest using cards that generate transferable points for their increased flexibility. This approach is effective for accumulating Avios as well. British Airways collaborates with Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Wells Fargo Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy, making it straightforward to earn Avios.

Points or miles can be converted from Capital One, Chase, Bilt, Wells Fargo, and Amex at a 1:1 ratio (plus occasional transfer bonuses), whereas Marriott points convert at a 3:1 ratio. Additionally, you earn a bonus of 5,000 Avios for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred.

Here are some cards that currently provide substantial welcome bonuses, which you can easily turn into Avios:

• American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months. Additionally, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases (up to $100) within the first six months.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $8,000 in the first six months.
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first three months, plus a $300 statement credit on Chase Travel℠ purchases within the first year.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months.
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: Earn 90,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 in the first three months.

Additional methods to earn Avios include:

• Buying Avios: These are frequently available at discounted rates.
• Online shopping portal: Accumulate bonus Avios with various online retailers, with some offering 10 or more Avios for every dollar spent.
• Holiday packages: Visit the British Airways Vacations website where you can earn an extra 1 Avios for every $1 spent. BA collaborates with major hotel chains like IHG and Accor, allowing for even more Avios accumulation.
• Airbnb: Gain 2 Avios for each dollar spent on vacation rentals.
• Car rentals: Earn 5 Avios for every pound spent with Avis and 2 Avios for every pound spent with Budget.
• Lounge Pass: Purchase access to a lounge at over 350 airports globally and earn 5 Avios for every dollar spent.
• Heathrow Rewards: Earn 1 point for each pound spent when shopping, dining, or parking at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR), the main hub for British Airways. You can convert these Heathrow Rewards points to Avios at a 1:1 ratio.
• Surveys: Members can utilize e-Rewards and Avios for Thoughts to gain Avios by completing surveys, earning 600 Avios for your first completed survey.

Which airlines can I book with Avios?

British Airways is a founding member of Oneworld, a worldwide alliance encompassing more than a dozen airlines.

If there’s award availability, you can utilize your Avios from your British Airways account for flights on any Oneworld airline:

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Finnair
• Fiji Airways (a Oneworld Connect partner)
• Iberia, which includes Iberia Express and Air Nostrum
• Japan Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Oman Air (joining in 2024)
• Qantas, including QantasLink and Jetconnect
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Jordanian
• Royal Air Maroc
• S7 Airlines (currently suspended)
• SriLankan Airlines

Beyond the Oneworld partners mentioned, you can also redeem Avios from the British Airways Executive Club for flights with:

• Aer Lingus
• Vueling
• Sun-Air, a franchise partner of BA in Scandinavia

Hawaiian Airlines is expected to join the Oneworld alliance after the merger between Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines.

How many Avios do I require?

While the British Airways Executive Club doesn’t provide an official redemption chart, TPG has determined that the airline generally adheres to this award pricing for one-way Avios redemptions:

British Airways has launched Reward Flight Savers for all routes that BA operates. This program enables Executive Club members to use additional Avios in exchange for a decrease in the substantial fuel surcharges, among the highest in the industry.

Here’s the award chart for flights operated by partner airlines, not including American Airlines and Alaska Airlines Zone 1-4 (all flights are billed at peak rates):

When redeeming Avios for certain flights on partner airlines through the British Airways Executive Club, you might notice slightly varied pricing from what’s listed in the table above. For example:

• Aer Lingus Zone 1 flights cost 4,000 Avios in economy class.
• Iberia Zone 1 flights cost 5,000 Avios in economy class.
• Qatar Airways Zone 1 flights cost 8,000 Avios in economy class.

For shorter flights with American Airlines or Alaska Airlines, the following rates apply:

Flights in Zone 5 and beyond (like those to Europe) that are operated by American Airlines are priced according to the standard partner award chart.

The Executive Club charges per segment, so for connecting flights, you will need to sum the cost of each segment.

If you're looking to book domestic economy flights for fewer Avios, consider transferring your Avios from the Executive Club to Finnair Plus, which only requires 11,000 Avios for flights within the continental United States and Canada.

How can I book flights using British Airways Avios?

The British Airways website is a great resource for finding Oneworld award availability. Most redemptions can be completed online via the Executive Club site.

There are two primary methods for checking award availability. After logging into the BA website, I typically hover over the "Book" tab in the top left and select "Book a flight with Avios."

BA allows you to conveniently search for flights three days before and after your selected date right at the top of the results page.

Once you choose your desired flight, the price in Avios will be displayed alongside any applicable fees and taxes.

Is it possible to pay with both Avios and cash?

There are two primary methods to accomplish this:

• You can use a portion of your Avios to lower the price of a cash ticket. This approach isn’t tied to award availability, and you’ll earn Avios and tier points as usual.
• Adding extra cash (on top of the fees and taxes) can decrease the number of Avios required for redemption.

If your Avios balance isn’t enough to cover the full flight cost, or if you prefer not to spend all your Avios on a single redemption, British Airways allows you to pay using a mix of Avios and cash for flights with BA or its partners.

In summary

British Airways offers an extensive route network, particularly in North America and Europe, making it an excellent choice for travelers flying from the U.S. to Europe. Additionally, BA is dedicated to providing international first class service; while their offerings may not be the very best, they maintain a reliable standard.

Avios is one of the simplest loyalty currencies to earn and use. While short-haul redemptions can provide excellent value, the high fuel surcharges continue to be a major drawback of the program.