British Airways Avios expire after 36 months of account inactivity. However, you can extend their validity every time you earn, spend, purchase, or share at least one Avio.
How to Keep Your Avios from Expiring
Here are several ways on how you can extend the validity of your Avios.
1. Earning Miles Flying British Airways or Any Oneworld Airline
You can earn Avios by flying with British Airways or any of its OneWorld partners and credit the flight to your British Airways Avios account.
Simply provide your British Airways frequent flyer number at the time of booking or check-in when flying with a OneWorld partner.
OneWorld Alliance Airlines
|
|
|---|---|
Alaska Airlines
|
American Airlines
|
British Airways
|
Cathay Pacific
|
Finnair
|
Iberia
|
Japan Airlines
|
Malaysia Airlines
|
Qantas
|
Qatar Airways
|
Royal Air Maroc
|
Royal Jordanian
|
SriLankan Airlines
|
|
2. Redeeming Avios for Awards
You can redeem your Avios for rewards flights, upgrades, or use a combination of cash and Avios to book a flight.
3. Earning Avios Using A British Airways Co-branded Card
Earn Avios from the British Airways Visa Signature® Card (review).
The card earns rewards on flights booked on British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia. It also earns rewards on direct hotel bookings.
- bonus_miles_full
- 3x Avios on British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia
- 2x Avios on Hotels Booked Direct
- Up to $600 Reward Flight Statement Credits
- Baggage Delay and Lost Luggage Insurance
- Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $95 Annual Fee
4. Stay at a Hotel Partner
Earn Avios when you stay with any British Airways hotel partner by booking directly with dozens of different brand partners. The number of Avios you’ll earn varies per partner.
You can also earn 1 Avios for every $1 spent when you book a hotel-only reservation with British Airways Holidays.
Redeeming your Avios for hotel stays will also reset the expiration clock of your points.
5. Rent A Car from Avis or Budget
Rent a car from Avis or Budget and earn Avios.
- Earn 5 Avios per £1 spent when you rent with Avis.
- Earn 1 Avios per $1 spent when you rent with Budget.
Alternatively, you can also spend your Avios on car rentals for your next vacation.
6. Booking a British Airways Vacation
Book a British Airways Vacation and earn 1 Avios for every dollar spent. You can even combine flights, hotels, and car rentals to earn Avios faster.
7. Booking with a Travel Partner
Earn Avios when you book with a travel partner such as Airbnb Experiences, ParkCloud airport parking, Heathrow Express, or lounge partners.
- Earn 3 Avios for every £1/€1/$1 spent on Airbnb Experiences.
- Earn 5 Avios per $1 spent when you book on the British Airways Lounge Pass website
- Earn 5 Avios for every £1 spent on Heathrow Express tickets.
- Earn varying Avios depending on your ParkCloud booking.
8. Shopping Online or at Participating Stores
Earn Avios when you shop at the British Airways shopping portal. The Avios you earn vary per merchant.
9. Transferring Points from Partners
You can extend the validity of your Avios when you transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, or Marriott Bonvoy to your Avios account.
10. Buy Avios
Boost your Avios balance by purchasing Avios directly. You can buy a minimum of 2,000 Avios up to a maximum of 200,000 Avios per year.
11. Share Avios
You can share Avios with up to 6 Club members. Sharing Avios will reset the expiration clock for both the sender and the receiver.
To share Avios, log in to your account, enter their membership details, and select the amount to share.
You can share up to 27,000 Avios per person, per calendar year. Keep in mind that transfer fees may vary based on the amount you transfer.
Comparison of Mileage Expiration Policies
Below are the mileage expiration policies for the major airline points program so you can see how British Airways stacks up to the competition.
| Airline | Expiration |
|---|---|
AeroMexico
|
Never |
Aer Lingus
|
36 Months after inactivity |
Air Canada (Aeroplan)
|
18 months after inactivity |
Air France (Flying Blue)
|
24 months after inactivity |
|
Alaska Airlines
|
24 months after inactivity |
|
American Airlines
|
24 months after inactivity |
ANA
|
36 months |
Asiana Airlines
|
10 years |
|
British Airways
|
36 months after inactivity |
Delta Air Lines
|
Never |
Emirates
|
3 years |
Etihad
|
18 months from inactivity |
EVA Air
|
36 months |
|
Iberia
|
36 months after inactivity |
Korean Air
|
10 years |
Lufthansa
|
36 months |
|
Qantas
|
18 months after inactivity |
|
Qatar Airways
|
36 months after inactivity |
Singapore Airlines
|
36 months |
Turkish Airlines
|
3 years |
United Airlines
|
Never |
Virgin Atlantic
|
Never |
The Verdict
Resetting your Avios’ expiration date is simple and doesn’t require much time or money.
There are several ways to do it, however, using a British Airways Credit Card is a great option since you can earn Avios and enjoy benefits that come with the card.
- bonus_miles_full
- 3x Avios on British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia
- 2x Avios on Hotels Booked Direct
- Up to $600 Reward Flight Statement Credits
- Baggage Delay and Lost Luggage Insurance
- Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $95 Annual Fee
