British Airways moves to revenue-based Avios earning

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British Airways moves to revenue-based Avios earning | Secret Flying

British Airways to change ways of earning Avios from October.

 

In a huge move, British Airways has announced a transition to a new Avios earning system which will be based on how much you spend (revenue based) over how far you fly (distance based).

 

From 18 October 2023, the Oneworld airline is abandoning the long-standing practice of calculating how many Avios its Executive Club members earn based on the number of miles they fly.

 

Avios earning will instead be based on how much their ticket costs (minus government taxes), along with additional spending on the likes of upgrades, pre-paid seat selection and excess baggage, at a rate of between six and nine Avios per £1 spent.

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  • Blue Tier Members will earn 6 Avios/ 1 GBP spent
  • Bronze Tier Members will earn 7 Avios/ 1 GBP spent
  • Silver Tier Members will earn 8 Avios/ 1 GBP spent
  • Gold Tier Members will earn 9 Avios/ 1 GBP spent

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For other currencies, the total eligible spend will be converted into GBP to calculate the number of Avios to be earned.

 

British Airways describes the new model as “a more consistent and clearer approach” to earning points which can later be turned into upgrades or free flights.

 

“This is a simpler and more transparent system offering more opportunities to collect Avios than ever before and rewarding loyalty based on customers’ cash spend,” said Ian Romanis, British Airways’ Director of Retail and Customer Relationship Management.

 

Within hours of the announcement, many frequent flyers have expressed their disappointment with the change on social media.

 

A BA Gold member under the previous system could earn a 100% bonus for the distance flown on a ticket. However, under the new revenue system, they will only make a 50% bonus.

 

British Airways is just the latest of many carriers who have switched from miles based earnings to revenue.

 

US carriers had long moved to a spend-based model for mileage earning on their flights.

 

European airline, Lufthansa and SkyTeam giants Air France and KLM already offer 4-8 points per €1 spent in their respective frequent flyer programs.

 

The same approach was also adopted by Iberia in 2022.

 

Sadly, Secret Flying members who exclusively fly on our Error Fares deals will earn fewer Avios than before.