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Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
British Airways Avios has long been one of my favorite airline currencies. They have a slew of great redemptions — even for U.S.-based flyers.
Until Aug. 31, you can pick up Avios awards at a discount thanks to a 30% transfer bonus from American Express Membership Rewards to British Airways Executive Club. This means points transfer at a 1:1.3 transfer ratio, giving you a great discount on Avios award tickets.
It’s easy to earn lots of Membership Rewards points with cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express and the American Express® Gold Card.
Here are the six best ways to maximize the Avios transfer bonus for flights worldwide. Remember, points transfer in increments of 1,000, so you may need to transfer slightly more points than required for an award. This is reflected throughout the article.
Book Qatar Airways’ famous Qsuite business class
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British Airways offers low-priced Qatar Airways awards booked with Avios. Coupled with the 30% Amex transfer bonus, you can leverage this to get an excellent deal on flights from the U.S. to the Middle East in Qatar Airways’ famous Qsuite, one of the world’s best business-class seats.
All Qatar Airways flights from the U.S. — everywhere from New York to Los Angeles — to Doha, Qatar, cost just 70,000 Avios one-way in business class with roughly $100 in taxes and fees. During the transfer bonus, you can transfer just 54,000 Amex points to British Airways to book this award, making it one of the best ways to book this business-class product with points and miles.
Related: Close to perfect: Qatar Qsuite on a 777-300ER from Doha to New York
Book cheap cross-border and domestic flights
MASSIMILIANO PIERACCINI/SHUTTERSTOCK
One of the best ways to use Avios in the U.S. is to book flights with American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. BA’s distance-based award chart makes short- and mid-haul domestic flights relatively cheap, often beating out the AAdvantage award chart.
Flights within North America start at 7,500 Avios — 6,000 Amex points with the transfer bonus — for economy flights less than 650 miles. Then, flights between 651 and 1,151 miles cost just 9,000 Avios (or 7,000 Amex points with the bonus).
This deal is great for saving money on expensive short-haul flights from the U.S. to Canada and Mexico on peak dates when travel is expensive, like Thanksgiving and the winter holidays. Just remember that saver award space has to be available to book with Avios.
Related: 6 award chart ‘sweet spots’ that will save you money on domestic flights
Fly to Europe in Iberia business class
CHRISTIAN KRAMER/THE POINTS GUY
Another excellent way to redeem Avios is by booking off-peak Iberia flights from the U.S. to Madrid.
These flights cost 34,000 Avios one-way in business class on off-peak dates, or just 27,000 Amex points with the current bonus. This pricing is valid on flights from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
You’ll find a solid business-class cabin with lie-flat seats and premium dining on board. It’s a great way to spend the short flight from the East Coast or Midwest to Spain, and you can continue your journey on a connecting flight out of Madrid for marginally more Avios.
However, even though this is an Iberia-operated flight, your best bet is to transfer your Amex Membership Rewards points to British Airways Avios — not Iberia Avios. (Our tests show that Amex transfers to Iberia Plus don’t process instantly.) Then, you can either book directly through BA or transfer your Avios to Iberia and book the award on Iberia’s website.
Related: Sweet Spot Sunday: Fly business class to Europe from 34,000 Avios each way
West coast to Hawaii for 10,000 points
CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY
Planning a trip to Hawaii? West Coast-based travelers can use British Airways’ distance-based award chart to book one-way flights to Hawaii for 13,000 Avios in economy — just 10,000 Amex points with the transfer bonus. You can book these flights on both American and Alaska on the BA website.
The trick is to keep your flights between 2,001 and 3,000 miles to get this pricing. Thankfully, this includes most flights from the West Coast to Hawaii, including from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
Related: The best ways to get to Hawaii using points and miles
South and Central America with American
JT GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Of the major U.S. airlines, American Airlines has long offered the most service to Central and South America. It serves nearly every major city in the two regions, with most service from its Dallas and Miami hubs.
Short- and mid-haul flights from these regions can be an excellent deal when combined with the transfer bonus. You can book them for as little as 11,000 Avios in economy or 22,000 in business class. This drops to just 9,000 and 17,000 Amex points, respectively, with the current transfer bonus.
Some interesting routes in this price range include flights from Miami International Airport (MIA) to the following destinations:
Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport (BOG)Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in San Jose, Costa RicaPanama City Tocumen International Airport (PTY)Medellin International Airport (MDE)Longer routes will cost marginally more Avios, depending on where they fall on the BA partner award chart.
Related: Every American Airlines premium seat ranked from best to worst
er Lingus flights to Dublin
NICKY KELVIN/THE POINTS GUY
Aer Lingus is a Dublin-based airline and the flag carrier of Ireland. You can use the Irish carrier to visit Ireland or continue elsewhere in Europe on a connecting flight.
Further, Aer Lingus is owned by the same company as British Airways, so you’re not subject to the partner award chart. You can leverage this to score excellent deals on off-peak tickets.
For example, you’d redeem just 13,000 Avios in economy and 50,000 Avios in business class for a flight to Dublin Airport (DUB) from any of the following gateways:
BOSORDJFKHartford’s Bradley International Airport (BDL)Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)Washington’s Dulles International Airport (IAD)This translates to just 10,000 Amex points in economy and 39,000 in business class with the transfer bonus.
Just note that we’re seeing abnormally high taxes and fees when booking Aer Lingus flights through British Airways, but Avios.com appears to have the correct amounts. As a result, you may want to call BA to see if they can price the flight(s) correctly — or, otherwise, use Avios.com to book these awards.
Related: 3 versions of Avios: When to use Aer Lingus, Iberia and British Airways
Earning Amex Membership Rewards points
The easiest way to earn lots of Membership Rewards points is by applying for a Membership Rewards points-earning American Express card.
Here’s a look at the current welcome offer, bonus-category structure, annual fee and benefits for some of the most valuable Membership Rewards credit cards to help you choose the best Amex card.
The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of account opening. Plus, earn 5 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 per calendar year) and prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Terms apply. The annual fee is $695 (see rates and fees).American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of card membership. Plus, earn 4 points per dollar on dining at restaurants; 4 points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1 point per dollar); 3 points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or amextravel.com. Terms apply. The annual fee is $250 (see rates and fees).American Express® Green Card: Earn 60,000 points after you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first six months of account opening. Plus, earn 20% back on eligible travel and transit purchases made during your first six months of Card Membership, up to $200 back in the form of a statement credit. Earn 3 points per dollar on virtually all travel purchases (including transit) and restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. Terms apply. The annual fee is $150 (see rates and fees).The Business Platinum Card from American Express: Earn 120,000 points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases within the first three months of card membership. Earn 5 points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com; 1.5 points per dollar on eligible purchases in select business categories and eligible purchases of $5,000 or more (on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year). Terms apply. The annual fee is $695 (see rates and fees).Bottom line
The current American Express 30% transfer bonus to British Airways is a great deal, especially if you’re headed to Europe or around the U.S. on partner airlines. Once again, it shows the value of transferrable credit card points like Membership Rewards.
Look at your upcoming travel plans and see if it makes sense for you to transfer Membership Rewards to Avios during this promo — which ends on August 31.
Additional reporting by Ben Smithson.
Title: Flights from 6,000 points: 6 ways you can maximize the current 30% American Express transfer bonus to Avios
Sourced From: thepointsguy.com/news/maximize-ba-transfer-bonus/
Published Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2023 12:00:42 +0000
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