Part of The British Airways Club hub · Qatar Airways Privilege Club hub
Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What are Avios?
Avios is the loyalty currency of The British Airways Club and its partners, and also the reward currency Qatar Airways Privilege Club members collect when they or their nominated family members travel with Qatar Airways, oneworld airlines or airline partners. [1] [7] The British Airways–Qatar Airways linking terms state that Avios do not have a fixed or par value and are not redeemable for cash. [4] British Airways says Avios can be transferred to or from Iberia Club, AerClub, Loganair Loyalty, Vueling Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Finnair Plus accounts. [1]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Avios is the loyalty currency of The British Airways Club and its partners, and the reward currency Qatar Airways Privilege Club members collect when they or their nominated family members fly with Qatar Airways, oneworld airlines or airline partners. [1] [7]
- The British Airways–Qatar Airways linking terms state that Avios have no fixed or par value and are not redeemable for cash. [4]
- British Airways says Avios will not expire as long as a member collects, spends, buys or shares at least one Avios every 36 months; Privilege Club says each earn or spend keeps the balance valid for a further 36 months. [1] [7]
- Linked British Airways and Qatar Airways accounts can move Avios in either direction at 1:1 with no fee and no minimum or maximum amount, except where fraud is suspected. [4]
What are Avios and which programmes use them?
British Airways describes Avios as the loyalty currency of The British Airways Club and its partners, collected on flights, online shopping, hotel bookings and the weekly shop, with partners across fashion, travel and finance, and spent on flights, hotels, experiences, seat upgrades and car hire. [1] Qatar Airways Privilege Club describes Avios as the reward currency a member collects when the member or nominated family members travel with Qatar Airways, oneworld airlines or airline partners, and says members can also earn with more than 100 global partners. [7] The linking terms effective 29 January 2025 define Avios as redeemable points earned, purchased or received by a Privilege Club member or a British Airways Executive Club member and credited to their BAEC or Privilege Club account. [4]
British Airways says Avios can be transferred to or from Iberia Club, AerClub, Loganair Loyalty, Vueling Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Finnair Plus accounts. [1] The British Airways page uses the name The British Airways Club; the linking terms effective 29 January 2025 refer to the British Airways Executive Club and define it to include any successor programme. [1] [4]
How do you earn and spend Avios?
British Airways lists collecting Avios on flights, online shopping, hotel bookings and the weekly shop, with partners across fashion, travel and finance. [1] It lists spending Avios on Reward Flights to worldwide destinations, seat upgrades, hotel stays, car hire and experiences, and says a member can reduce the price of a regular flight booking by paying part of it in Avios, so that the more Avios used, the less cash is paid. [1]
Qatar Airways Privilege Club says Avios are earned when the member or nominated family members fly with Qatar Airways, oneworld airlines or airline partners, and through more than 100 global partners; Qatar Executive bookings collect 4 Avios for every US$1, and a member can link a Visa or Mastercard to a Privilege Club account to collect or spend Avios with partners. [7] On the award side, Privilege Club says award seats are subject to availability and that Avios cannot be earned on award flights with oneworld and other partner airlines. [6]
| Use | Programme | What the programme says |
|---|---|---|
| Award flights | The British Airways Club | Reward Flights to worldwide destinations. [1] |
| Award flights | Qatar Airways Privilege Club | Bookable online with Qatar Airways, oneworld and partner airlines; seats subject to availability. [6] |
| Upgrades | The British Airways Club | Seat upgrades listed among the ways to spend Avios. [1] |
| Cabin upgrades | Qatar Airways Privilege Club | Upgrades to Business or First Class on flights marketed and operated by Qatar Airways, subject to availability. [6] |
| Hotels, car hire, experiences | The British Airways Club | Listed among the ways to spend Avios. [1] |
| Part-payment of a cash fare | The British Airways Club | Part of a regular flight booking paid in Avios; more Avios means less cash. [1] |
| Cash + Avios | Qatar Airways Privilege Club | Using Avios to save up to 50% of the cash amount on flight tickets purchasable with Qatar Airways, as defined in terms effective 29 January 2025. [4] |
| Privilege Deals | Qatar Airways Privilege Club | Standard award flights at a reduced Avios rate on selected Qatar Airways flights, routes and dates. [6] |
How do Avios move between accounts and programmes?
British Airways offers a household account for sharing Avios with household members, including children, and also allows transfers of Avios to other people. [1] The linking terms define a BAEC Household account as enabling up to seven members of a household, including a maximum of six people under 18, to earn Avios and redeem them for rewards for any one person in the account and no other individual. [4] Between British Airways and Qatar Airways, the mechanics are set by the linking terms effective 29 January 2025. To link, a member must be at least 18 and hold both a Privilege Club account and a BAEC account; the personal details registered on both accounts must match; only one account of each can be linked at a time; the linking feature is only available 30 days after the account creation date and is not available offline; and a Privilege Club account can be linked to a BAEC account at most twice in any 50-year period. [4]
Once linked, Avios move in either direction with no fee, no minimum or maximum amount and no limit on the number of movements, and are credited to the target account immediately at 1:1 — although British Airways and Qatar Airways reserve the right to impose limits where fraud is suspected, and Avios not moved within 24 hours can be raised with either airline. [4] A linked member can also redeem from either or both accounts without moving Avios first, deducting Avios proportionally from each account, from Privilege Club first or from BAEC first, as the member chooses. [4] Avios that move take on the rules of the receiving programme: Privilege Club Avios are issued, redeemed and expire under Privilege Club terms, while BAEC Avios are issued by and redeemed with Avios Group (AGL) Limited and expire under BAEC terms. [4] Inside Privilege Club, the Family Programme lets a main member and up to nine family members pool Avios in the main member's account, and only the main member can move Avios from that account to a BAEC account. [4] A member of a BAEC Household account can link their individual membership number to a Privilege Club account if they are over 18, but only their individual balance of Avios can be moved. [4]
Do Avios expire?
British Airways says Avios will not expire as long as the member collects, spends, buys or shares at least one Avios every 36 months, and that if the member does not collect or use Avios at all for three years, the Avios expire and are removed. [1] Qatar Airways Privilege Club says every time a member earns or spends, the balance is valid for a further 36 months. [7] Because each programme applies its own terms, Avios moved into an account follow that account's expiry rules. [4]
How do credit cards and other partners fit in?
British Airways also lists personal Avios credit cards and business Avios credit cards. [1] Qatar Airways Privilege Club lets a member link a Visa or Mastercard to a Privilege Club account to collect or spend Avios with its partners, and lists partner categories including banks and finance, hotels, car rental, retail and lifestyle, and payment cards. [7]
For Avios moved between linked British Airways and Qatar Airways accounts, the receiving programme's terms apply: Privilege Club Avios are issued, redeemed and expire under Privilege Club terms, and BAEC Avios are issued by and redeemed with Avios Group (AGL) Limited under BAEC terms. [4] The linking terms state that Avios have no fixed or par value and are not redeemable for cash. [4]
Exceptions and limits
- Cash value and account closure. The British Airways–Qatar Airways linking terms state that Avios have no fixed or par value and are not redeemable for cash; Avios Group (AGL) Limited and British Airways reserve the right to suspend a BAEC member's account access, remove Avios and close the account for breach of the linking terms or the BAEC terms, and Qatar Airways holds the same rights over a Privilege Club account for breach of the linking terms or the Privilege Club terms. [4]
- Qatar Airways award flights. Taxes and carrier-imposed fees starting from USD 30 apply and may vary with travel dates and exchange rates, and award flights are not available when travelling to or from London in First Class on A380 aircraft. [5]
- Qatar Airways upgrades. Upgrades apply only on flights marketed and operated by Qatar Airways, on tickets issued by Qatar Airways with a number starting 157; Economy Promo bookings in classes W and G are not eligible, redemption tickets cannot be upgraded, and First Class upgrades are not available on A380 services to or from London. [6]
- Privilege Deals bookings. Taxes, duties, surcharges, facility charges and service fees must be paid in cash at booking, and Avios cannot be used for visa fees or airport, customs or government charges. [6]
- British Airways personal balances. In its guidance on divorce, British Airways says Avios collected by a member personally are not transferable and remain in that individual account, that a balance is unchanged by divorce, and that Avios earned by each household member stay linked to their own account. [1]
- Claim windows. Missing Avios can be claimed within six months of the flight, and new members can claim Avios for British Airways flights flown up to three months before joining; this does not apply to flights with other airlines. [1]
Frequently asked questions
Do Avios expire if I stop flying?
Flying is not the only activity British Airways names. It keeps Avios alive when a member collects, spends, buys or shares at least one Avios every 36 months, and removes them after three years without any collection or use. [1] Privilege Club says each earn or spend extends the balance for a further 36 months. [7]
Can Avios be converted into cash?
No. The linking terms state that Avios do not have a fixed or par value and are not redeemable for cash. [4]
Can I move Avios from British Airways to Qatar Airways?
Yes, once the two accounts are linked: Avios move in either direction with no fee, no minimum or maximum and at 1:1, credited immediately. [4] Linking requires both memberships, matching personal details, an age of at least 18, one linked account of each kind, and no more than two links of a Privilege Club account to a BAEC account in any 50-year period. [4]
Can I buy Avios?
Yes. British Airways says a member who does not have enough Avios for a reward can buy more, and can buy Avios as a gift. [1] Privilege Club asks members to have sufficient Avios before requesting an award ticket and says that members with insufficient Avios can buy Avios. [6]
Sources
Sources used for this page; access dates are shown below. It does not describe the Avios rules of Iberia Club, AerClub, Loganair Loyalty, Vueling Club or Finnair Plus.
- About Avios, The British Airways Club, checked 18 October 2026
- Avios terms and conditions: linking British Airways Executive Club and Qatar Airways Privilege Club accounts, checked 18 October 2026
- Privilege Club My Calculator, Qatar Airways, checked 13 October 2026
- Fly with Avios, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, checked 6 October 2026
- Discover how to collect Avios, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, checked 6 October 2026