British Airways is changing how you earn Avios points – will you be better off?

British Airways is shaking up the way passengers earn Avios points on its flights from October.

Previously you earned Avios points based on the distance you fly, but now you’ll earn points based on the cost of your ticket.

Here, Which? takes a closer look at what the changes mean for British Airways Executive Club members and how it will impact your Avios balance. 

What's changing?

From 18 October, Executive Club members will collect Avios based on the total spend of their ticket and add-ons, excluding airline taxes and fees.

This means that you’ll collect Avios points on:

• The base fare of any commercial British Airways, American Airlines or Iberia flight
• The carrier-imposed charges 
• Cabin upgrades made online or at the airport 
• Seats that you pre-book and pay for
• Additional bags purchased online or at the airport 

How many Avios points can you earn?

The rate of Avios you earn per pound spent is dependent on what tier you’re in of the Executive Club. 

For example, a Blue member flying from London to Nice in economy (Euro Traveller) could earn 894 Avios points on a trip with the new system. 

British Airways said that the passenger would spend £149 on their fare and carrier charges, and they would then earn six Avios points per pound spent, equating to 894 Avios. 

If they spent an extra £14 choosing their seat, their Avios total would be boosted to 978. 

British Airways said that under the old system this journey would only get them 648 points.

• Find out more:cheapest destinations for a last-minute holiday this September.

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What about other airlines?

British Airways has confirmed that the changes will also impact flights marketed by American Airlines and Iberia. 

However, flights marketed by other Oneworld or air partners won't be impacted. This means that members will collect Avios based on a percentage of how many miles flown and the cabin you fly in. 

Some tickets where the fare paid isn’t disclosed or isn’t available, including flights booked as part of a British Airways Holiday package, will continue to collect Avios based on the existing mileage system. 

• Find out more:Finnair to join Avios scheme. What does it mean for you? 

Will you be better off?

There will be winners and losers of the new scheme, with passengers that shell out more for their ticket and add-ons now rewarded for their spending. 

However, passengers who managed to snap up cheap fares to long-haul destinations may be worse off.

For example, a Blue member travelling from London to New York return would currently pick up 1,729 Avios points for each leg of the journey in economy low class, according to the BA Avios Flight calculator.  A total of 3,458 points. 

However, we spotted a return from London to New York in March 2023 with no checked baggage for £369.61. 

Of this amount, only £171 is eligible for Avios points as the rest is made up of taxes and fees. 

Therefore, a Blue member in this scenario would only get 1,026 Avios points (171 x 6), but this would increase if the passenger paid for extras such as seat selection and baggage.

• Find out more:cheapest times to book your flights . 

What can you spend Avios points on?

Avios points can be spent on reward flights, upgrades and hotels. 

Most of the time points can only be claimed against the cost of the flight, but not taxes and fees. So even when you’ve earned enough points for a free flight, you may still have to pay hundreds of pounds.

How to boost your Avios points

One way to boost your balance is with an air mile credit card which rewards you with Avios points for your everyday spending. 

There are several providers that offer Avios points, including Barclaycard and British Airways , which both offer competitive deals of one Avios point per £1 spent. 

The British Airways American Express Credit Card has no annual fee and a representative APR of 30.7% (credit is subject to status and terms apply). New card members can get 5,000 Avios points if they spend £1,000 in the first three months and a companion voucher (which you can use to save money on a flight or to buy another ticket with just the taxes to pay) if they spend £12,000 in one year. 

The Barclaycard Avios Credit Card offers the same introductory bonus and also has no annual fee. It has a representative APR of 28.9% (credit is subject to status and terms apply). If you spend £20,000 in your first year, you’ll get a cabin upgrade voucher or 7,000 bonus Avios points.

• Find out more:best air mile credit cards. 

Is British Airways a good airline?

British Airways came towards the bottom of our tables for short-haul and long-haul airlines. 

On short-haul, it earned the same three-star rating for customer service as Ryanair, while seat comfort and the boarding process gained just two stars. 

It received slightly higher ratings on long-haul, including four stars for customer service, but it was still behind almost every other rival.

• Find out more: best and worst airlines in 2023. 

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