How much are Avios points worth, how do you collect them and why is the BA scheme closing?
AVIOS' customers will be switched to the British Airways' Executive Club as the airmiles scheme closes this summer.
But how much are your Avios points worth and how will this closure affect your points?
What is the Avios reward scheme?
The Avios reward scheme allows travellers to earn points towards buying flights by spending their money with hundreds of different brands.
The scheme closed on May 20. Members will be moved over to BA's Executive Club with miles transferred by the end of July.
But don't worry, your Avios points are protected and you will now be able to use your points in even more places than before.
Here is what you need to know about Avios and the transfer to the BA executive club.
How do I collect Avios points?
You can collect Avios points by signing up with one of these frequent flyer clubs: AerClub, British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Meridiana Club, Vueling Club.
These airlines' frequent flyers clubs all accept Avios points for paying for flights, cabin upgrades, car rental and hotel rooms.
Once you are a member of one of these clubs you can earn points by shopping with the brands that work with Avios.
You can see all the available brands
Shopping with your Tesco clubcard will also net you Avios points, some credit card companies also offer Avios points as part of a introductory offer on a new card.
Money Saving Expert has a guide on towards your next flight.
For more information on air miles, read our guide here.
How much are Avios points worth?
The value of Avios points varies depending on who you shop with.
For example Asos will give you seven Avios points for every pound you spend with them.
Whereas B&Q will only give you one point for every pound you spend.
So it is worth looking at the list of brands that support Avios and tailoring your shopping appropriately.
Credit card companies often offer huge amounts of Avios points as part of an introductory offer.
American Express currently offer 20,000 Avios points for signing up to their Amex Gold card.
How can I get more Avios points?
HERE are three tips to save more Avios points for your next holiday
Use loyalty schemes: Swapping over points from other loyalty schemes like a Tesco Clubcard or Shell Drivers Club can give you a big boost in points. Swapping over £2.50 in Tesco Clubcard vouchers could get you an extra 600 Avios points. With the Shell Drivers Clubcard you get 100 free Avios points when you sign up as well as one point per pound you spend on fuel.
It matters where you click: If you want to make points by transferring cashback vouchers go through sites like Quidco and TopCashBack. If you transfer through their sites they will offer you 125 points for every pound you transfer. If you get offered cashback when you sign up for a new broadband or creditcard or something similar, you can swap it with websites like TopCashBack and put the points towards your next holiday.
Fill in surveys: Sites like eRewards will give you Avios just for filling out free surveys. You can earn 800 points by opening an account and filing out one survey. Though be warned these sites do bombard you with emails so make sure your spam filter blocks them.
If you are buying a flight solely with Avios points the prices start out at 8,000 points for the cheapest return flights.
Longer-haul flights and flying business or first class will cost you a lot more points.
Not all flights have seats for tickets bought with Avios points so when you are buying flights go through the Avios website and see which flights are available rather than buying somewhere else and trying to pay with your points.
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When is the scheme closing and what happens when it merges with the BA Executive Club?
The scheme will be closing by the end of July and all Avios accounts will be transferred over to the BA scheme.
You don't need to do anything differently, you can still collect and spend points in the same way.
There will be no difference in the value of your points or any points you collect.
If you already have an Avios account you don't need to do anything, your points will automatically move over to a new BA Executive Club account which will be created for you.
There will be a short period time when your points are transferred to the new account that you won't be able to spend them.
If you have multiple Avios accounts you need to contact the company so that they can merge your accounts into one before your points are transferred over.
If you already have both an Avios and a BA Executive Club membership you can transfer your points over now.
Tesco clubcards or credit cards that collect Avios points will automatically transfer over to your new BA executive club account.
Avios are currently contacting their customers to let them know about the changes so you can expect a letter or email explaining the circumstances in the next few weeks.
If you don't receive an email in the next couple weeks you can call Avios customer support on 0344 49 333 49.
If you don't want to join the BA Executive Club you can op out of the changes by contacting Avios before May 20th, but you will only have six months to spend your points.
Which new airlines can I spend my Avios points with?
HERE are the 12 airline you can spend your Avios points with after the transfer to the BA executive club
- Latam
- Malaysian
- S7
- Royal Jordanian
- American Airlines
- Cathay Pacific
- Qantas
- Finnair
- Qatar
- Japan Airlines
- Air Italy
- Alaska
Members can also continue to collect and spend Avios with British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus.
What benefits are there to having my account transferred over?
Transferring over to BA executive will give several benefits to Avios customers.
You will now be able to spend your Avios points with 12 new airlines, checkout the full list above.
Access to these new airlines means that transferring customers will now have 1,000 destinations to choose from.
They will also be able to spend points with 60,000 new hotels and on 50,000 new sight-seeing trips.
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