British Airways Executive Club Guide
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Before you read this guide, review "Points and Miles 101" to learn the basics of how it all works!
Want to earn more points to redeem through Executive Club? Checkout our Recommended Cards!
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 Qatar Airways Privilege 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
The Basics
1:1 Transfer Partners:
*transfer to Qatar Airways Privilege Club first then combine Avios with a British Airways account (see bottom of this post)
Book flights operated by:
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Aer Lingus
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LATAM
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JetBlue (via transfer to Qatar)
Pricing structure:
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Set rates with peak/off-peak dates for Aer Lingus, Iberia, and Qatar Airways flights (priced by individual segment)
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Distance-based pricing for all other itineraries (varies by airline)
Fees/surcharges:
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Fuel surcharges passed on (significant fuel surcharges for British Airways -operated flights)
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55 USD per ticket for change/cancellation/redeposit (often waived if taxes are less than $55)
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Lap infant fee 10% of the adult Avios + minimal taxes (guide)
Best uses:
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American Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights within North America*
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Aer Lingus flights to/from Dublin
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Iberia flights to/from Madrid
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Qatar Airways flights worldwide
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Japan Airlines to/from Tokyo to/from the US west coast
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LATAM Airlines flights to/from South America*
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*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.
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 or combine Avios with another program.
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 (but note that recent rate increases through British Airways means it's now a better deal to book American or Alaska Airlines by combining Avios with Qatar Airways or Finnair).
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It can be difficult to find American and Alaska flights available to book through British Airways, so we recommend using Expert Flyer Pro to find availability.
Step 5: Transfer Points and 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 from there!
​​TIP: if you booked a partner flight, you can change your frequent flyer number after booking (i.e. add an AAdvantage number for an American Airlines flight) under the "Manage Booking" page. This will allow to get any elite status benefits you have with that airline (including complimentary upgrades with AA). It will also usually populate the flight onto your account with that airline and make it easy to select seats. If not, you may need to contact British Airways to request the record locator for the partner airline.
Also, if you book a British Airways flight and you have status with another oneworld airline, you can get benefits such as free seat selection, priority boarding, etc. when you add the frequent flyer number of the airline with which you have status.
Combining points between Avios programs
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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:
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Qatar Airways requires you to have Avios in your account to search
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Qatar Airways opens up bookings earlier than British Airways, so you have an earlier chance at getting coveted Qsuite redemptions.
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Qatar Airways has lower rates than British Airways for short-haul flights operated by American Airlines and Alaska Airlines and for all flights operated by LATAM
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Finnair has better rates for US domestic and 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.
Qatar Airways
Finnair
Aer Lingus (Avios.com)
Iberia
Family Pooling
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British Airways Executive Club has a unique family pooling feature - called Household Accounts.
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This can be helpful when individuals don't have enough points in a single account to complete a redemption or when you're transferring points from separate bank accounts to redeem for a trip together.
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We recently used Household Accounts on our trip to Peru. We transferred points from AMEX and Chase to Kyle's British Airways account, Kenz's mom transferred points from her Capital One account to her British Airways account, and Kyle's mom transferred points from her Chase account to her British Airways account. But since we had created a Household Account together, we were able to make the redemption all on the same booking. This made it so much easier when managing the trip and going through the day of travel!
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To create a Household Account, you'll first need to decide on a "Head of Household" - this will be who have the power to make all the redemptions. The Head of Household also has the power to add up to six other members to the account.
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Household Account members must all have the same home address on their profile. However, you can also add family and friends that you can book for with the Household Account Avios.
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When you redeem Avios from a Household Account, they'll be pulled proportionally from each account based on the amount in the account. This means if you're transferring points in, you'll want to make sure each person transfers in only the exact amount needed.
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Learn more and get started with a Household Account here.