Often times, the purchase of points can play a huge role, especially when redeeming first and business class awards, which are where the greatest value can be achieved. British Airways has just launched its first promotion of 2021 on purchased Avios and it’s one of the best promotions we’ve seen from the program in a long time.
British Airways sells Avios with a 50% bonus
By Sunday, April 11th, 2021, the British Airways Executive Club has introduced a 50% bonus on Avios purchased. With this promotion you receive a flat bonus of 50% on purchased Avios, no matter how many you buy.
The last promotion we saw from British Airways was at the end of 2020 and that offered a 30% bonus so this is a lot better.
You can normally only buy a maximum of 100,000 Avios (pre-bonus) per calendar year, although during this promotion British Airways raised the limit to 200,000 Avios pre-bonus.
One of the things that make buying Avios unique is that the cost per point purchased varies depending on which country your account is registered in and therefore what currency you are paying in.
The price of buying Avios depends on whether you are paying in EUR, GBP or USD:
- For US registered accounts, expect to pay $ 5,523 for 300,000 Avios with the 50% bonus, which is 1.84 cents per Avios
- For accounts registered in the EU, you can expect a payment of 3,601 EUR (~ 4,241 USD) for 300,000 Avios with the 50% bonus, which costs 1.41 cents per Avios (in USD).
Personally, I value British Airways Avios at 1.3 cents each, although there are ways to get oversized value thanks to the distance-based award table. This post provides ideas on the best ways to redeem Avios.
There are many great affiliate redemptions available at Avios
Buying Iberia Avios is sometimes a better deal
Note that sometimes (although unfortunately not at the moment) Iberia Plus offers a 50% bonus on Avios purchased, which can be a much better deal for accounts registered in the US.
Theoretically, the pricing is the same between the programs, but buying Iberia Avios offers a big advantage: with Iberia you can buy Avios at the much lower cost in EUR even if you have your account in the US, which lowers the costs significantly .
With British Airways you can only buy Avios in the currency of the country in which your account is registered, while with Iberia it is based on the website of the country you are in. In other words, if you are based in the US, you can buy Iberia Avios at a lower EU cost.
You can transfer Avios between British Airways and Iberia provided you have both accounts open for at least 90 days and the accounts are active.
Buying Iberia Avios often offers better value
Which credit card should you use to buy Avios?
British Airways Avios purchases are processed by points.com, which means that they are not considered a flight purchase for credit card issuance purposes.
So I would recommend using a card that you try to meet a minimum spending requirement or otherwise a credit card that will maximize your return on daily expenses. Check out this post for the best credit cards for point buying.
Other ways to earn Avios
I think Avios has a lot of value, but keep in mind that there are a few ways you can make Avios on US credit cards. The British Airways Executive Club is a transfer partner of Amex Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Additionally, there are three credit cards in the US that are used to earn Avios:
A detailed comparison of the three cards can be found here.
There are many great ways to earn British Airways Avios
Bottom line
British Airways offers a 50% bonus on Avios purchased. This is the first promotion for purchased Avios for 2021 and the best promotion we have seen from the program in a while.
Personally, my preferred way to purchase Avios continues to be through Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and more. However, if you don’t have access to US credit cards, some may find this makes sense. This is especially true for those in the EU where you can benefit from better prices.
Are you planning to purchase Avios with this promotion?
