How to Maximise Avios in the Era of Spend-Based Loyalty
Where Avios actually come from now that flying earns less per pound. The earning hierarchy, credit card stack, eStore tactics and a 12-month plan.
Written by
Richard Viner
The earning rules have changed. Most collectors haven't caught up.
Until 2025, you could earn Avios by flying. Long-haul economy paid out at close to 100% of miles flown, and a few annual flights built a decent balance. That world is gone.
Today's Avios earning is dominated by credit cards. A cheap BA economy ticket now earns only 25% to 50% of miles flown, while a single Amex Platinum welcome bonus delivers more Avios in 90 days than two years of moderate flying. The hierarchy has flipped, and collectors who haven't restructured are leaving five-figure point totals on the table every year. This guide is the short version of where Avios actually come from now, in priority order, and how to stack them deliberately.
The earning hierarchy, ranked
By points per hour of effort, the order is unambiguous:
- Credit card welcome bonuses.{' '} 25,000 to 75,000+ Avios per application.
- Everyday spending on the right cards.{' '} Passive, compounds, runs on autopilot.
- The Avios eStore.{' '} Cashback portal that pays in Avios on shopping you'd do anyway.
- Hotel stays and conversions.{' '} Useful if you stay regularly; useless if you don't.
- Flying. Necessary for status, irrelevant for points volume.
Most beginners reverse this list, focusing on flights and ignoring the credit card stack. That's why their balances grow slowly. Get the top two right and the rest is gravy.
Welcome bonuses: the single biggest lever
A single welcome bonus typically delivers more Avios than a year of card spend. The current personal card offers in the UK:
| Card | Welcome bonus | Spend requirement | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amex Preferred Rewards Gold | 40,000 MR (doubled until 26 May 2026) | £5,000 / 6 months | £0 year 1, £195 thereafter |
| Amex Platinum | 75,000 MR + £250 travel credit | £10,000 / 6 months | £650 |
| Barclaycard Avios Plus | 25,000 Avios + upgrade voucher | £3,000 / 3 months | £20/month |
| BA Amex Premium Plus | 30,000 Avios | £6,000 / 3 months | £300 |
| BA Amex (free) | 5,000 Avios | £2,000 / 3 months | £0 |
Membership Rewards points convert 1:1 to Avios, so any MR-earning Amex is effectively an Avios card.
Three rules for working welcome bonuses properly
- Time the application around a planned large purchase. Insurance renewal, holiday deposit, school fees, a kitchen. Hit the spend target with money you'd have spent anyway. Manufactured spend chasing a bonus is a tax on your own discipline.
- Track the 24-month gap. Amex enforces roughly two-year gaps between bonuses on related cards. Apply too early and you forfeit the bonus. Keep a spreadsheet of application dates.
- Stack referrals. Referring a friend earns 4,000 to 9,000 Avios on BA cards and up to 12,000 MR on Platinum, capped at 90,000 per year. Free points if you've already got the card.
Promotional welcome bonuses rotate fast. A doubled Amex Gold offer typically lasts a few weeks. Missing one can cost tens of thousands of Avios.
Everyday spending: the two-card stack
The serious collector runs two cards minimum. One Amex for high earn rates, one Mastercard or Barclaycard for places Amex isn't accepted. This stack covers virtually all UK spending.
The Amex Preferred Rewards Gold earns 1 MR per £1 standard, 2 per £1 on travel and foreign currency, 3 per £1 on Amex Travel. The BA Amex Premium Plus earns 1.5 Avios per £1 standard, 3 per £1 direct with BA, and triggers a Companion Voucher at £15,000 annual spend. The Barclaycard Avios fills the Amex gap: the free version earns 1 Avios per £1 with no monthly fee, and the Plus earns 1.5 per £1 for £20 a month and triggers a cabin upgrade voucher at £10,000 spend.
Route every payment that accepts Amex through the Amex. Subscriptions, utilities (where allowed), insurance, the weekly shop, work expenses you'll be reimbursed for. Where Amex isn't accepted, the Barclaycard is the fallback.
Non-negotiable: pay the balance in full every month. Representative APR on these cards is 29.1%+. A single month of carried balance destroys a year of rewards.
The Companion Voucher: the highest-leverage perk
Both BA-branded cards trigger a Companion Voucher at an annual spend threshold. The Premium Plus voucher at £15,000 spend works in any cabin (including First) and is valid two years. The free BA Amex voucher triggers at the same spend but is restricted to economy and premium economy.
On a long-haul business return{' '} for two, the voucher saves roughly 200,000 Avios. Worth £2,000+ in{' '} avoided Avios value on a single redemption. It is the highest-leverage benefit in the UK Avios market and the reason both BA cards justify their fees for the right user.
Trap to avoid: don't trigger the voucher prematurely. It expires two years from issue. Cross £15,000 in February with no premium-cabin trip in mind and the clock starts running on a redemption you might not be ready for.
The Avios eStore: the underused channel
The eStore (shopping.ba.com) is a cashback portal that pays in Avios instead of cash. Click through, buy as normal, earn on top of whatever your credit card already gives you.
High-value categories
- Booking.com, Hotels.com, Agoda: 6 to 10 Avios per £1
- Insurance comparison sites: Sporadic but lucrative
- Fashion retailers (John Lewis, Selfridges, Reiss): 2 to 6 Avios per £1
- JD Sports: 9 Avios per £1
- Uber Eats: Added April 2025
- Avios Hotels platform: Around 10 Avios per £1
Tracking discipline matters. Clean browser session, cookies cleared, ad-blockers off, no third-party voucher codes (they break tracking). Mobile apps often don't track properly; desktop is safer.
Always cross-check against TopCashback before buying. TCB often pays better cashback in cash than the eStore pays in Avios, and you can convert TCB cash to Avios with a 5% bonus.
Balance Boost: the cheapest top-up
When you're short for a specific redemption, Balance Boost is the{' '} cheapest way to acquire Avios outside welcome bonuses. Take any qualifying transaction from the last 30 days (flights, eligible card spend, eStore purchases, Amex MR transfers) and multiply the points earned, paid in cash.
| Boost level | Cost per Avios |
|---|---|
| Double (100%) | 0.96p |
| Triple (200%) | 0.94p |
| Quadruple (300%) | 0.92p |
Beyond 300,000 boosted Avios per calendar year, the rate jumps to 1.77p. The 300,000 ceiling is the meaningful limit. Two rules: Boost only with a redemption ready, and read the per-point price at checkout rather than the headline percentage.
Flying for Avios is no longer the play
Two flights on the same route now earn dramatically different Avios totals based on cabin and fare class. For most readers, flying for points is a side effect of travel they were already going to do, not a deliberate strategy.
A realistic 12-month plan
Months 1–3
Apply for Amex Preferred Rewards Gold, hit the spend target, sign up to all seven Avios schemes, and set up the eStore.
Months 4–6
Apply for Barclaycard Avios Plus and use it where Amex isn't accepted.
Months 7–9
If income supports it, apply for Amex Platinum and time the spend requirement around a planned large purchase.
Months 10–12
Use Balance Boost before booking, search reward availability 355–360 days ahead, and book using your Companion Voucher.
Expected yield: 200,000–300,000 Avios.
What this means in practice
Year one is about welcome bonuses. Year two onward shifts to consistent everyday earning plus opportunistic Balance Boost top-ups before redemptions. The credit card stack is the engine; flights are the product you spend on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do Avios actually come from now?
Welcome bonuses, everyday card spending, the Avios eStore, hotel partners and finally flying—in that order. Flying is now one of the least effective ways to build a large Avios balance.
Which credit card earns the most Avios?
The Amex Platinum offers the largest welcome bonus, while the BA Amex Premium Plus is one of the strongest cards for ongoing Avios earning and the Companion Voucher.
How much does a Companion Voucher save?
On a long-haul business class redemption for two, it can save around 200,000 Avios, making it one of the most valuable perks available to UK Avios collectors.
How long does it take to earn 100,000 Avios?
Using welcome bonuses, everyday spending and the Avios eStore, many collectors can reach 100,000 Avios within their first year without relying on flying.
Is it worth manufactured spending for a welcome bonus?
No. It's better to time applications around planned large purchases and hit the spend target using money you would have spent anyway.
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