British Airways and the Executive Club program is one of the best flying programs you can be a member of. It allows you to earn Avios (or miles) that you can then turn in for free flights, reduced rates, or upgrades.

How Do I Join the Executive Club?

You first have to get yourself a BA Executive Club card, which you can easily do via the website. Once you are a member, you can start earning Avios and Tier Points.

What are Avios?

Avios are the miles that make up the currency that you can use for tickets, upgrades, or specials. These are extremely valuable. You earn them every time you fly based on the class you use. If you have a certain status, like Bronze, Silver, or Gold, you may get additional miles.

You have to check to see how many you will earn with each class. Sometimes it pays to buy your own ticket and then use Avios toward an upgrade. This is a good option when fares are really high. It does not matter which class you book, you can always upgrade one level up. For example, if you buy economy, then you can upgrade to a premium economy seat. If you started with a premium economy seat, you can upgrade to business class. If you started with business class, you can upgrade to first class.

What Are Tier Points?

Tier points are a way to track your status within the program. There are four tiers that correspond with how many Avios you have already earned:

Blue: No real benefits

Bronze: You have to earn 300 points in a year, and you get to check-in to business class and priority boarding.

Silver: You have to earn 600 tier points in a year, and you get priority boarding, lounge access, and extra luggage for you and a guest. You can get a choice seat as well.

Gold: You have to earn 1500 tier points in a year, and you get priority boarding, check-in, extra luggage, more reward seats, and pre-selection of seats.

You have to be creative about how you advance throughout the different levels, but it is easy if you travel quite a bit. You will have to pay attention to things like dates and deadlines so that you can get to the level you want.

However if you meet a tier, it is only valid for the rest of the calendar year.

Household

If you have another family member who travels often, you may combine your points to get a household account. You can pool your points together to earn better rewards and upgrades.

American Express

If you want to earn even more points, you can sign up for the American Express card. It will also give you more opportunities to upgrade your account quickly. There are two different options: the BA Amex, which has no annual fee, and a British Airways Premium Plus Card that costs nothing the first year but has a fee for the following years. Once again, you will have to pay attention to the fine print to see which is best for you.

Earning British Airways Avios Miles for free trips and for rewards is easy. If you need a little boost and are looking to buy Avios Miles for your next trip, we can help!