British Airways Avios vs Tier Points
British Airways Avios can be somewhat confusing, what are they and how do they differ from the Tier Points you earn when you fly on BA?
Luckily, the Reward Flight Finder team is here to explain.
Many airline loyalty schemes refer to points, others miles, some a combination of both. However, whatever name they use, it is very common for airline frequent flier programmes to have two types of credits that members earn when they fly: One that counts towards a member’s status, or “tier”, in their schemes, such as Blue, Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum. Then another, that is effectively a currency, which can be spent on perks. These perks might include discounts on shopping, holidays, travel services, airfares or reward flights. The latter are airline tickets which can be purchased entirely with the airline’s currency.
The British Airways Executive Club is BA’s frequent flier programme. It awards Tier Points, which determine your status and Avios which is a currency that can be redeemed for perks.
What are British Airways Avios?
Avios are points awarded to Executive Club members, based primarily on the number of miles that they fly. British Airways groups airports into geographical zones, then award Avios points for flights, based on which zone you have flown to or from. The rate at which you earn points varies according to the type of ticket you have and the cabin you fly in. You can also earn Avios on other airlines within the Oneworld alliance, such as Iberia, American Airlines Qatar and Qantas. However, the number of Avios points for flights on other airlines can vary. For example, trips on Aer Lingus or Cathay Pacific typically earn less points per mile flown.
There are a few types of bookings that you won’t earn Avios on. These include reward flights, tickets that have been heavily discounted by travel agents, like Expedia and special fares, for people working in the travel industry.
Avios can be redeemed for many different things, but we recommend using them to book reward flights. When you book flights with Avios you essentially have two choices. You can either part pay with your points, to reduce the cash price or book a reward flight. Reward flights are more limited in availability, however, they give you the chance to pay entirely with Avios, excluding taxes and surcharges. Generally, the cash equivalent you save for each point when you book flights with Avios in this way, is far greater than any of the alternatives.
Whilst reward flights are limited, Reward Flight Finder can help. Just sign up for free, select the routes you are interested in and you’ll get an alert notification when reward seats become available.
As long as you complete at least one Avios transaction every three years, either earning or spending at least one point, your Avios will not expire.
What are British Airways Tier Points?
Tier Points are awarded to British Airways Executive Club members for every flight they take with the airline or any of its partners in the Oneworld alliance. The number of tier points earned in a membership tier determines whether your status in the club is Blue, Bronze, Silver or Gold. As you go up through the tiers, you get bonus Avios on each flight and benefits such as lounge access, extra baggage and priority boarding.
The number of Tier Points awarded for each flight depends on the distance flown and the cabin class flown in. As a general rule of thumb, the more expensive the ticket, the more tier points you are likely to earn. However, you can get the precise details on BA.com.
A year after the start of your Executive Club membership, Tier Points Balances are reset to zero. Then, you begin earning them all over again to determine your status for the next membership year.
