Before you read this guide, review "Points and Miles 101" to learn the basics of how it all works!
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British Airways Executive Club is a popular program due to the wide variety redemption options with their OneWorld Alliance partners and others - such as Aer Lingus and LATAM. British Airways uses "Avios" as an award currency. Other airlines that use this currency include Qatar Airways, Finnair, Aer Lingus, and Iberia. This leads the something very unique in the points and miles world - the ability to transfer points between airlines! See this section for more on that. Overall, British Airways Executive Club is a solid program, though the deals are somewhat limited due to the fuel surcharges that can be passed on (especially for flights on their own "metal"). Read on for more on how to maximize points by transferring to British Airways!
What have we booked through British Airways Executive Club?
Aer Lingus business class Dublin-IAD - 50k + $202 (40% transfer bonus made it 36k each)
Qatar Airways business class Phuket-Doha-Dallas - 95k + $256
Qatar Airways economy class IAD-Doha-Nairobi - 42.5k + $133 (30% transfer bonus made it 33k)
LATAM business class Miami-Lima - 39k + $53*
American economy class Miami-Louisville - 9k** + $6
American economy class Louisville-DCA - 7.5k*^ + $6
*as of July 2024, the rate for this flight is now 51k, but it can still be booked for 39k by moving Avios to Qatar Airways Privilege Club
**as of July 2024, the rate for this flight is now 16k
^as of July 2024, the rate for this flight is now 12k
1:1 Transfer Partners:
*transfer to Qatar Privilege Club first then combine Avios with a British Airways account (see bottom of this post)
The terms of British Airways Exectuive Club state: "Your Avios won't expire as long as you collect, spend, buy or share at least one Avios every 36 months."
If you have Avios expiring soon, the easiest way to extend the expiration by another 36 months is to transfer 1,000 points from a credit card account.
Book flights operated by:
OneWorld member airlines
Aer Lingus
LATAM
JetBlue (via transfer to Qatar)
Pricing structure:
Set rates with peak/off-peak dates for Aer Lingus, Iberia, and Qatar Airways flights (priced by individual segment)
Distance-based pricing for all other itineraries (variable by airline)
Fees/surcharges:
Fuel surcharges passed on (significant fuel surcharges for British Airways -operated flights)
55 USD per ticket for change/cancellation/redeposit (often waived if taxes are less than $55)
Best uses:
American Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights within North America*
Aer Lingus flights to/from Dublin
Iberia flights to/from Madrid
Qatar Airways flights worldwide
Japan Airlines to/from Tokyo to/from the US west coast
LATAM Airlines flights to/from South America*
*due to recent award chart change changes, it's best to book these flights through Qatar Airways Privilege Club. See this section to learn how to combine points between the programs.
Customer service:
Phone: +1 800 452 1201
Limited support available through social media sites
How to search and book:
Step 1: Create an Executive Club account
This is required to search, and you will need to have an Executive Club account setup to transfer points.
Step 2: Navigate to the Avios booking page
In the menu, click "Book" then "Book a flight with Avios"
Step 3: Enter search details
Under the "Book with Avios" tab, input the search details. Since the pricing is set based on distance and/or zones, one way at a time is best.
Ignore the "check reward flight availability option". Instead, click "get flights" at the bottom.
If you receive an error that reads: "British Airways and its partners do not fly this route", it's likely that you searched too far into the future for some airlines. The British Airways booking window goes out to 354 days before departure, but airlines like American only release seats 331 days before departure.
If you receive a "Technical Error" message, it likely means you're not logged in.
Step 4: Review results
Available flights will display one day at a time in the tabbed calendar. The "flights available" indicator is not always accurate, so you usually have to tediously check each date. Selecting a flight and class of service will then display the rate options.
The primary rate that appears is generally best, though you can consider the "more pricing options" if you're short on points. It all depends on how much cash you're willing to pay!
The above example for an Iberia-operated flight shows set pricing based on zones (these are generally the best redemptions). A British Airways-operated itinerary (below) will be significantly most expensive - both in points and fees.
American Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights are priced based on distance, so flights within North America are the best deals with those airlines.
It can be difficult to find American and Alaska flights available to book through British Airways, so we recommend using Expert Flyer to find availability.
Step 6: Finalize booking
At this point, you have confirmed the flight availability and are ready to transfer your points to book. Transfers to Executive Club are instant in most cases, but you usually have to sign out and back in to see the updated points balance in your account. Once the points post, search for the flight again and go through the booking process - it's pretty straightforward!
BONUS: Combining points between Avios programs
You usually can't transfer points and miles between different airlines, but this is an exception. Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair and Qatar Airways all use the Avios award system. This allows Avios to be instantly transferred for free between each airline.
There are a few situations where this is helpful:
Qatar Airways requires you to have Avios in your account to search
Qatar Airways opens up bookings earlier than British Airways, so you have an earlier chance at getting coveted Qsuite redemptions.
Qatar Airways has lower rates than British Airways for short-haul flights operated by American Airlines and Alaska Airlines and for all flights opeated by LATAM
Aer Lingus has lower surcharges when booking through their site vs British Airways
The peak/off-peak calendars differ between British Airways and Iberia
Qatar Airways is able to book flights operated by JetBlue
Finnair has better rates for some transatlantic flights and opens up more availability within their own program for Finnair-operated flights
To combine Avios, you'll need to have an account setup with each airline program. Make sure the name, contact information, etc. matches exactly between all accounts.
Move Avios to Qatar Airways
Create a Qatar Airways Privilege Club account and sign-in
Select the "Link my Accounts" option on the Privilege Club dashboard
Login to your British Airways account when prompted and complete the security verification procedures
Once linked, click the "View my Avios Balance" option on the Dashboard.
Scroll to the "Combine Avios" button (in the "More to Explore" section)
Select the amount of Avios you want in each account by typing the number in the relevant field and finalize by clicking "Move my Avios"
Avios can be moved back and forth instantly as many times as you would like.
Move Avios to Finnair
Create a Finnair Plus account and sign-in
Select the "My Finnair Plus" option on the account dropdown menu
Click "How to use Avios" under the Avios balance
Scroll to the "Transfer Avios between your accounts" section
Enable two-factor authentication if not already enabled
Select "Link accounts"
Login to your Executive Club account after being redirected to the British Airways page
Select "Link accounts now" after logging in
Login with your Finnair Plus account and complete two-factor authentication
Scroll to the "Turn points into plans" section (at the bottom of this page:https://exchange.shopping.ba.com/partner/finnair/exchange)
Select the amount of Avios you want in each account by typing the number in the relevant field and finalize by clicking "Convert Avios"
Avios can be moved back and forth instantly as many times as you would like.
Move Avios to Aer Lingus (Avios.com)
Create an Aer Club account
Go to Avios.com and login with your Aer Club information
Click "Manage my account"
Click "Combine my Avios"
Select the relevant program (British Airways or Iberia) in the "Select your porgramme" drop down menu and login using your details for the select program
Select which way you want to transfer and enter the amount
Confirm transfer
Move Avios to Iberia
This one is the most difficult of all three. Iberia has the following requirements to move Avios into an Iberia Plus account:
Iberia Plus account must be active for at least three months
Account must have some qualifying earning activity (earning from flying, buying points, or transferring points from a credit card partner)
There are reports that these requirements are waived if you call Iberia customer service to combine your Avios.
Once your account is eligible to combine Avios, follow these steps:
Login to your Iberia Plus account
Click on your name in the upper right for a dropdown menu and select "Your Iberia Plus"
Click the "Avios" tab on the left and then "Manage Avios"
Scroll down to "Combine Avios"
Select British Airways from the "Select your programme" menu and enter your British Airways login information
Review the amount of Avios you want to transfer and the direction and then submit
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