Buy British Airways Avios with a 40% Bonus

British Airways Executive Club, a program that’s valuable for Canadians due to its access to oneworld and other partner airlines, has launched another promotion offering a 40% bonus on purchased Avios through their direct purchase portal.

Depending on your plans, buying Avios during a rare sale such as this could be an opportunity to score outsized value from your points or to save money versus paying cash for the same flights.

Buy British Airways Avios with a 40% Bonus

From now until April 4, 2025 at 23:59 GMT, when you purchase Avios from British Airways, you’ll earn a 40% bonus on your purchase. The promotion triggers with purchases of as little as 2,000 Avios, making it accessible even for smaller top-ups and large purchases alike.

With this sale (and as we’ve seen in the past), the cost per Avios decreases as you buy in larger quantities, though this effect levels off once you hit around 25,000 Avios. If you buy Avios at the most favourable rate, it works out to 1.64 cents per Avios (USD).

One quirk of purchasing Avios is the currency-based pricing that depends on where your account is registered. Canadian Executive Club members will pay in US dollars, which translates to approximately 2.2–3 cents per Avios (CAD) depending on your purchase volume.

When measured against our current valuation of 2 cents per Avios (CAD), buying points through this promotion isn’t an automatic win. I’d only recommend it if you have a specific, immediate redemption in mind where the math works out favourably.

Buy Avios Purchase Limits and Payment Options

How Many Avios Can You Purchase?

British Airways caps Avios purchases at 200,000 base points per calendar year. Since bonus points don’t count toward this limit, the current 40% promotion allows you to acquire up to 280,000 Avios in total, assuming you haven’t bought or gifted Avios yet this year.

Which Credit Card Should You Use to Buy Avios?

British Airways processes Avios purchases through Points.com, which means these transactions won’t earn category bonuses on co-branded credit cards like the RBC® British Airways Visa Infinite†.

Your best strategy here is to use:

• A card with a strong baseline earning rate
• A card which you’re working on a minimum spending requirement
• A card with no foreign transaction fees, since purchases will be in a foreign currency
  • Scotiabank’s suite of Scene+ credit cards are best for this purpose

Even if your Avios account charges in euros or GBP and you have a European card handy, I’d still recommend sticking with North American cards, since rewards offered are typically more generous.

When Does It Make Sense to Buy British Airways Avios?

Speculatively buying points without a redemption in mind is almost never a good idea, since loyalty programs could implement changes at any time. However, buying points during sales can also deliver strong value, especially when compared to paying cash for the same flights.

Sweet Spot Redemptions on Partner Airlines

British Airways Executive Club offers members access to oneworld airlines, as well as non-affiliated partners. Buying Avios and redeeming them on partner airlines tends to offer the best value, since British Airways charges very high taxes and fees for award flights on its own metal.

For example, the Toronto–Dublin route on Aer Lingus costs 50,000 Avios one-way in business class on off-peak dates. At roughly 2.2 cents per point (CAD) during this sale, your break-even point is approximately $1,300 (CAD) for the base fare, which should result in outsized value in the vast majority of cases.

In other words, as long as the corresponding cash fare is more than $1,300 (CAD) for the same flight, you’re getting a better deal by buying Avios and redeeming for the flight instead of paying cash it. Of course, this requires there to be award availability in the first place, so be sure to check your dates prior to making a purchase.

Similarly, flying Qatar Airways Qsuites – one of the world’s premier business class products – can easily cost over $7,500 (CAD) round-trip with cash between Canada and Doha. Purchasing the necessary 140,000 Avios for the same flights would run around $4,549 (CAD), which should offer substantial savings in most cases (again, be sure to find award availability first).

Another scenario where buying points makes sense: securing hard-to-find award space for peak travel periods.

British Airways guarantees a minimum number of award seats on all of its flights, including long-haul economy (eight seats), premium economy (two seats), and business class (four seats).

If you’re planning a family holiday trip and award inventory is limited with other airlines, the ability to book everyone on flights with British Airways might sway you to buy Avios and redeem them for a group trip.

Maximizing Multi-Carrier Awards

The British Airways multi-carrier award chart offers some of the best value in the program. These complex itineraries can include up to eight flights, one open-jaw, and extended stopovers in each city.

If you were to buy the maximum 280,000 Avios available through this promotion (which costs $4,599 USD), you could book:

• A First Class multi-carrier award covering up to 14,000 miles in distance
• A business class multi-carrier award spanning up to 35,000 miles
• Two economy multi-carrier awards each covering up to 35,000 miles

Sure, that’s a significant cash outlay, but when maximized with premium cabin flights on oneworld carriers, you’ll likely recover this value within the first couple of segments, and the rest is gravy.

Padding Your Other Avios Balances

One of the unique aspects of Avios is that it’s a points currency used by multiple programs. In addition to British Airways Executive Club, Aer Lingus AerClub, Finnair Plus, Iberia Plus, and Qatar Airways Privilege Club use Avios, too.

Each program has its own set of sweet spots, and if you can find award availability for a flight in one of the other programs, you can buy British Airways Avios during this sale and convert them into other “flavours” of Avios from within.

Depending on the program you’re moving Avios to or from, there are some strings attached to this, but it’s worth looking into.

Other Ways to Earn Avios

Before jumping on this promotion, consider these more cost-effective methods to build your Avios balance:

Canadian Credit Card Options

We’re fortunate to have multiple pathways to earn British Airways through Canadian credit cards:

American Express Membership Rewards transfer to Avios at a 1:1 ratio, occasionally with transfer bonuses up to 30%. Consider these cards:

American Express Cards for Avios Redemptions

Credit Card	Best Offer	Value
130,000 MR points $799 annual fee	130,000 MR points	$1,794	Apply Now
70,000 MR points $250 annual fee	70,000 MR points	$1,676	Apply Now
100,000 MR points $799 annual fee	100,000 MR points	$1,141	Apply Now
40,000 MR points $199 annual fee	40,000 MR points	$846	Apply Now
15,000 MR points $156 annual fee	15,000 MR points	$372	Apply Now

RBC Avion points also convert to Avios at 1:1, with frequent bonuses reaching 30% and occasionally as high as 50%. The personal Avion Visa cards are currently offering all-time high welcome bonuses, which means it’s a great time to apply.

Within the RBC family, the RBC® British Airways Visa Infinite† offers up to 50,000 Avios in the first year after spending $6,000 in the first three months. With a $165 annual fee, that’s effectively 0.33 cents per Avios – dramatically cheaper than buying points directly.

RBC Credit Cards for Avios Redemptions

Credit Card	Best Offer	Value
55,000 RBC Avion points† $120 annual fee	55,000 RBC Avion points†	$1,080	Apply Now
55,000 RBC Avion points† $120 annual fee	55,000 RBC Avion points†	$1,080	Apply Now
60,000 Avios† $165 annual fee	60,000 Avios†	$899	Apply Now
Up to 70,000 RBC Avion points† $399 annual fee	Up to 70,000 RBC Avion points†	$801	Apply Now
35,000 RBC Avion points $175 annual fee	35,000 RBC Avion points	$700	Apply Now
35,000 RBC Avion points $120 annual fee	35,000 RBC Avion points	$580	Apply Now

While Marriott Bonvoy, Amex US MR, and Chase Ultimate Rewards can also be converted to Avios, I generally recommend using these currencies for other redemptions, since Avios are otherwise easy to earn.

As you weigh this opportunity against your travel goals, here’s a historical perspective on British Airways’s past Avios purchase bonuses:

Conclusion

British Airways Executive Club is currently offering a 40% bonus on purchased Avios.

Given the wide range of credit card options for earning Avios at lower effective costs, I’d only recommend this promotion if you have an immediate redemption in mind where purchasing points delivers clear savings compared to cash fares.

If you’re interested in taking advantage, don’t delay – this offer expires on April 4, 2025 at 23:59 GMT.