Every practical way to collect Avios in the UK — the credit cards and welcome bonuses that build a balance fastest, plus transfers, shopping, flying and the partners that quietly add points in the background.
The single biggest myth about Avios is that you have to fly a lot to collect them. In reality, most UK collectors earn the vast majority of their Avios on the ground — through everyday card spending, welcome bonuses and shopping — and only a slice from flying. This guide covers every worthwhile way to earn, in the order that matters most.
What you’ll learn:
Flying is the obvious way to collect Avios, but for almost every UK collector it is the slowest. The real engine is a co-branded credit card run for everyday spending, supercharged by a one-off welcome bonus. A single bonus can hand you 25,000–60,000 Avios in your first few months — enough for a long-haul economy reward flight, or a healthy start on a business-class trip.
The golden rule is simple: never spend money you would not have spent anyway, and always clear the balance in full each month. Interest charges will wipe out the value of any Avios you earn many times over. Used sensibly — routing bills, groceries and normal purchases through the card — a rewards card turns spending you were doing regardless into free flights.
Amex’s 24-month rule. American Express only pays a welcome bonus if you have not held a card in the same family in the previous 24 months. Plan your applications around that window — and around a large, planned purchase so you hit the minimum spend comfortably.
In the UK the Avios card market comes down to two issuers: American Express (the British Airways Amex range, plus Membership Rewards cards that transfer in) and Barclaycard (the Barclaycard Avios range, which run on Mastercard). Here is how the main options stack up.
| Card | Fee | Earn rate | Headline perk |
|---|---|---|---|
| BA Amex (free) | £0 | 1 Avios / £1 | Companion voucher at £15,000 annual spend. |
| BA Amex Premium Plus | £300 | 1.5 Avios / £1 (3 on BA) | 2-4-1 companion voucher usable in any cabin. |
| Barclaycard Avios | £0 | 1 Avios / £1 | Mastercard backup; upgrade voucher at £20,000 spend. |
| Barclaycard Avios Plus | £20 / month | 1.5 Avios / £1 | Cabin upgrade voucher at £10,000 spend; no FX fees. |
| Amex Preferred Rewards Gold | Free year 1 | 1 MR point / £1 (1:1 to Avios) | The popular beginner card; flexible points. |
Rates are changing. From 7 October 2026, the British Airways Amex cards move to a flat 1.25 Avios per £1 on all spend (replacing the 1 and 1.5 rates above). The Barclaycard rates are unaffected. Enhanced welcome bonuses on the Amex range are advertised for applications made by 6 October 2026 — always check the current offer before you apply.
The classic setup is a two-card strategy: an Amex for its higher earn rate and companion voucher, plus a Barclaycard Avios as a Mastercard backup for the many places that still do not take Amex. That way none of your everyday spending is wasted. For a deep dive on the flagship card, see our Amex BA Premium Plus review.
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Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Full disclosure.
Some of the best cards do not earn Avios directly — they earn a flexible points currency that you transfer into Avios when you need them. The big one in the UK is American Express Membership Rewards, earned on cards such as the Amex Gold and Platinum, which transfers to Avios at 1:1.
Flexible points are valuable precisely because you keep your options open: you only commit them to Avios once you have found a flight you want. A few things worth knowing:
Two tools let you earn Avios on spending you are already doing, on top of your credit-card points. Used together, they “stack” — and stacking is how experienced collectors quietly build large balances.
| Tool | What you get | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Avios eStore | Up to ~15 Avios per £1 at thousands of retailers | Click through the portal first, then shop as normal and pay with your Avios card. |
| Nectar link | 400 Nectar points convert to 250 Avios | Link your Nectar and BA Club accounts, then convert (ideally during a bonus). |
Make the eStore track. Use a desktop browser, turn off ad blockers, clear your basket beforehand and complete the purchase in one session. Avios can take a few weeks to appear, so do not panic if they are not instant.
British Airways also runs occasional Nectar conversion bonuses of 10–20%. If you are converting a large Nectar balance, it is well worth waiting for one of these to appear rather than transferring at the standard rate.
You still earn Avios in the air, of course — on British Airways and its many partner airlines. How many depends on your cabin and fare type: a flexible business-class ticket earns far more than a cheap economy fare on the same route. Always add your British Airways Club number to every booking so the Avios credit automatically.
Do not confuse Avios with Tier Points. A flight earns you both: Avios (the currency you spend) and Tier Points (the score that decides your status). They are counted separately. Our Tier Points Calculator shows exactly what a given flight earns.
One easy win: booking a British Airways Holidays package (flight plus hotel or car) earns a bonus of 1 Avios per £1 on the whole package, on top of the flight Avios — a rare case where a holiday package is genuinely good value for earning.
Avios reach well beyond flights. A whole network of everyday and travel partners will drop points into your account for spending you may already be doing:
None of these will build a balance on their own, but linking your loyalty accounts and remembering to add your BA Club number means the Avios accumulate quietly in the background — and, handily, each one counts as account activity that keeps your points from expiring.
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Affiliate link — we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Full disclosure.
Once the basics are running, a few extra levers can accelerate your balance. Treat these as optional — do the maths before paying for any of them.
Earning Avios is easy; earning them efficiently is where people slip up. Avoid these common traps:
Not sure what an Avios is even worth once you have earned it? Read what are Avios for the fundamentals, then how to find reward seats to turn your balance into a flight.
The AviosArcana Editorial Team
We decode the British Airways loyalty programme in plain English, cross-checking every figure against BA’s published rules. We only recommend products we would use ourselves — and we tell you plainly when a redemption or card is not worth it.