When do my Avios points expire? How can I stop my Avios expiring?
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In this article I want to explain when your Avios points expire and what you can do to stop your Avios points expiring.
As you already know, Avios is the reward currency used by British Airways Executive Club and several other frequent flyer programs (Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling, LEVEL, Qatar Airways and Finnair).
For every eligible flight with British Airways or its partner airlines you earn a certain number of Avios. You can see your Avios balance in your British Airways Executive Club account.
Unfortunately, Avios do not last forever. If you do not earn, spend, purchase or share at least one Avios every 36 months they will expire.
However, if you keep your account active and complete one Avios transaction every three years or less your points will never be removed.
Luckily, it is very easy to keep your account active and to earn or spend at least one Avios every 36 months, even if you are not a regular flyer. British Airways partners with a long list of businesses, including high street brands, to allow you to earn Avios on your daily spending.
It is very, very easy – once every three years – to take a British Airways or a partner flight, credit a hotel stay to BA, credit an Avis car rental, transfer some points from BPme Rewards / Nectar / Heathrow Rewards / American Express Membership Rewards etc. Spending Avios also counts as activity on your account.
In reality, anyone who is even vaguely interested in their Avios balance can find a way to earn or spend just 1 Avios point every three years, which is all you need to do to keep your Avios points alive and not expiring.
(This article is part of our ‘BA Q&A’ series which explains how British Airways Club works. You can see all of our ‘BA Q&A’ articles here. )
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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!
In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.
Capital on Tap Visa
NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review
Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.
American Express Business Platinum
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
