Start here: British Airways Club in six steps

Steps 1–2: what the Club is and how to join

Step 1 — What the Club is

The Club has four tiers — Blue, Bronze, Silver and Gold — and entitlement to a card depends on the tier points and lifetime tier points earned, or on the total number of eligible flights completed. [5] Tier points are separate from Avios and are awarded under the conditions set out on ba.com. [5] Avios are issued by Avios Group (AGL) Limited, a BA Group company that holds title in the Avios it awards, and they can also be collected through hotel, car hire and other service partners when a member quotes their membership number. [5] Avios can be moved between the Club and Iberia Club, AerClub, Loganair Loyalty, Vueling Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club or Finnair Plus, and keep the same value when they move. [4]

Step 2 — How to join

Individuals aged 18 or over may apply online at ba.com, giving their full name and a preferred mailing address. [5] Membership is not open to companies, partnerships or similar entities, British Airways may refuse any applicant at its discretion, and it reserves the right not to enrol people whose residence address is in certain countries or regions. [5] A member may not hold more than one membership: any later memberships are cancelled along with the Avios in them. [5] Membership starts on the date the applicant activates the account, whether by joining through ba.com, by signing the card, or by quoting the membership number to British Airways or a service partner. [5] A household account allows up to seven members of a household, including a maximum of six people under 18, to earn Avios and redeem them for any one person in that account. [5]

Step 3: how earning works

Avios and tier points are earned only on eligible sectors in eligible booking classes, flown on British Airways or on eligible flights of airline partners. [5] For bookings flown from 1 April 2025 that were booked from 30 December 2024, both are calculated on eligible spend in pounds sterling, with other currencies converted at the IATA five-day rate on the date the ticket was issued or the ancillary bought. [5] Eligible spend means the base fare and carrier-imposed charges; government and airport taxes and fees, credit card surcharges and service or change fees are excluded. [5] Flights marketed by British Airways, American Airlines or Iberia earn on that basis, while partner-marketed flights and certain bulk, consolidator or inclusive-tour tickets are calculated on the origin and destination of the journey. [5] Agency, industry and airline employee discount tickets, and infant fares, earn neither currency. [5]

Avios for British Airways flights are credited 48 hours after the departure date, and no Avios are awarded if the booking is cancelled. [5] Members must quote their full name and membership number when booking, and a flight credits once, to the member who travelled. [5] Missing Avios and tier points can be claimed at ba.com within six months of travel, and a new member may claim British Airways-marketed flights taken up to three months before joining. [5] All Avios expire if a member has not collected, spent, purchased or transferred Avios for 36 consecutive months. [5] For Qatar Airways Privilege Club, the two accounts must first be linked, the personal details on both must match, and Avios move at 1:1 with no fee and no minimum or maximum, apart from limits imposed where fraud is suspected. [6]

Step 4: how status works

Tier points are earned only for travel on eligible sectors at eligible fares, and are tracked on flown tickets, pro-rated per sector and rounded to the nearest whole number. [5] The tier point collection year runs from 1 April to 31 March; a member who joins later is measured from the joining date to 31 March. [5] Card status is reviewed at the end of each collection year, and the member's tier point or eligible flight level then returns to zero. [5] Tier level may also be reduced at British Airways' discretion according to the points or eligible flights taken in the previous collection year, and points earned before that year began are not counted. [5] Extra tier points apply to bookings flown from 1 April 2026 and depend on marketing carrier, haul, cabin and fare type; on BA-marketed flights, Club World Business fares earn 500 extra tier points and First fares 650, for example. [5] Extra tier points cannot be earned on Economy Basic fares, Reward Flights, upgrades paid with Avios, promotional upgrades bought at the airport, or flights operated by partner airlines. [5] Gold for life is awarded to members who earn the required number of lifetime tier points stated on ba.com, and British Airways may change or withdraw the benefit with at least six months' notice. [5] Lounge access is limited to Silver and Gold members and their guests. [5]

Steps 5–6: spending Avios and booking a first reward

Step 5 — Using Avios

Flights booked with Avios are called Reward Flights. [3] A Reward Flight is made up of an Avios amount plus a fixed cash amount covering taxes, fees and carrier charges, and the price depends on the date, destination and class of travel. [3] The travel date decides whether a peak or off-peak Avios amount applies, and one booking can mix the two. [3] On British Airways flights to and from Heathrow and Gatwick, at least eight economy seats, two premium economy seats and four business seats are guaranteed as rewards; on London City flights, two business and two economy seats. [3] An Avios part payment can cut the cash price of a flight using as little as 1,000 Avios, while a member short of Avios can reduce the Avios cost by paying more cash, where fewer Avios means more cash. [3] Reward Flights can also be booked with Iberia, American Airlines and oneworld partners, where the cash amount is variable rather than fixed and the Avios price may differ from British Airways' own. [3] Some British Airways and Euro Flyer flights are sold only as Reward Flights, known as Avios-only flights; they cover direct journeys, are first come, first served, and cannot be combined with a commercial flight on the same booking. [3]

Step 6 — Planning a first Reward Flight booking

Reward bookings must be made no less than 24 hours before the intended day of departure. [5] They are subject to availability and to capacity controls, so they may not be available on every flight, and availability on partner airlines is set by the partner. [5] A reward ticket is issued at the same time as the booking is made. [5] On British Airways flights a one-way reward costs 50% of the Avios needed for a return to the same destination, and open tickets cannot be issued as rewards. [5] Outbound and return flights on a return journey must be booked at the same time, and a member may fly to one destination and return from another city to the same point of origin. [5] Infants under two travelling without their own seat pay 10% of the Avios required for the member's reward, while children aged two or over and infants with their own seat pay the full amount. [5] Once booked, a Reward Flight can in most circumstances be changed or cancelled for a small service fee, subject to availability, and cancellations must be made at least 24 hours before the first flight to qualify for a refund. [3] Moving a date from off-peak to peak may require extra Avios, while moving from peak to off-peak refunds the difference in Avios, though not the money portion of an Avios part payment. [3]

Exceptions and limits

• A household account holds up to seven members, including a maximum of six under 18, and its Avios can be redeemed for any one person in the account and for nobody else; household members may also nominate a family and friends list of up to five individuals to redeem for. [5]
• Membership ends automatically when all Avios expire under the 36-month rule, or on the death of the member, when unused Avios, tier points and lifetime tier points are cancelled. [5]
• No Avios or tier points are credited where the name on the booking does not match the membership card exactly, or where booking information is incomplete. [5]
• Gold for life may be withheld from a member who is under audit, subject to a flight ban, or judged to have earned tier points in breach of the terms. [5]
• Benefits such as seat selection, baggage allowance and lounge eligibility run to the expiry date of the current membership, and benefits already applied to a booking may change if a member's tier changes before travel. [5]
• Only one Club account and one Qatar Airways Privilege Club account can be linked at a time, and a household account member over 18 can move only their own individual Avios balance. [6]

Related pages

Programme profile: The British Airways Club. Beginner courses: start here: airline miles and start here: status and lounges. Words used on this page: frequent flyer glossary.

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. Programmes other than The British Airways Club are not covered here, except where a source describes moving Avios between the Club and another Avios programme.

1. Reward Flights, The British Airways Club, British Airways, checked 18 October 2026
2. Transfer your Avios, The British Airways Club, British Airways, checked 18 October 2026
3. The British Airways Club terms and conditions, British Airways, checked 18 October 2026
4. Terms and conditions for linking British Airways Executive Club and Qatar Airways Privilege Club accounts, Qatar Airways, checked 18 October 2026