Avios has expanded its Avolta scheme to more airports
You can now earn and spend your Avios at more UK airports thanks to their partnership with Avolta, the company behind duty-free shops. The earn rate isn’t huge, but there’s a 250-point bonus on offer for your first transaction.
Spending and earning Avios at airports
Qatar launched an intriguing new feature in 2023: you can earn and spend Avios at Hamad (Doha) airport. This is available in over two hundred outlets, including shops and restaurants.
You can pay in full with points or part-pay with points and cash. You can redeem up to half a million points per day, and they will give you the points due on your upcoming flight after you check in.
They also promise a discount of between 10% (for Burgundy, basic members) and 20% (Platinum).
Whilst this is great if you’re travelling through the Middle East, what about UK airports?
What is being launched?
Avolta, the company previously called Dufry) run duty-free shops across the World. You will likely recognise their World Duty Free brand. They operate over five thousand locations across seventy countries.
In the UK, they cover all major airports: Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh and many more.
They have been running a trial at Heathrow that allows you to earn and spend Avios points. This has now been extended to more UK airports, including Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham.
About Club Avolta
Their Club Avolta scheme allows you to earn and spend points when you spend in their Duty Free and some restaurants.
The earn rate is 1 point per £/€ (excluding taxes). You can collect up to 3,000 points per transaction, have up to five transactions a day, and thirty a month.
The spend rate is around 0.5p per point. That is an ok rate. If you value Avios at 1p/point for flights, it’s not great, but most other points-to-cash options are similarly priced.
For spending, you have to convert your points into vouchers, and the denominations are fixed. The rate differs slightly depending on which one you choose, and the options are £50, £25, £10 or £5.
You can only use one voucher per transaction, meaning the maximum discount you can get on a single item is £50. I assume there is nothing stopping you from using multiple vouchers, across multiple items, if you run them through separately.
What earns you points?
Everything you buy will give you points, except for very specific exclusions. These same exclusions apply to the use of Avios points. These are tobacco products, medical products, and any items from Tag Heuer, The Macallan, Tissot, Rado, and Swatch.
How to use the Club Avolta app with Avios.
Download the App from your app store and then create an account. Click the Account icon, and select the Explore Partners link.
You can then connect your BA Club account to Avolta. There is also the option to link your Iberia Club and Finnair accounts, alongside Radisson and Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer.
Once you’ve logged into your BA Club account and approved access for Avolta you’ll see a confirmation page. If you have more than one partner, you can select one as the primary partner.
When you connect your BA (or Iberia) account to your Club Avolta and carry out your first eligible transaction, you’ll earn a 250-point bonus. There is no end date specified for this offer.
Where can you earn and spend your Avios?
Manchester Airport
The Avolta app seems to be a little out of date, as it still lists Terminal 1 on there, but Manchester has the widest earning options. This is even more than Heathrow.
- In Terminal 2:
- The main and express Duty Free shops.
- The Amber Alehouse
- Pot Kettle Black
- KFC (before security)
- Wrapchic (before security)
- In Terminal 2:
- The main Duty Free shop.
- KFC
- Brew’d
- Flat White
- Lion & Antelope
- Pork & Pickle
- The Nook Bar
- Tratoria Milano
- The new Sporting Chance bar
Edinburgh Airport
You’re limited to earning and spending Avios at just one location in Edinburgh, with no restaurants
- World Duty Free
Birmingham Airport
Birmingham has a slightly better set of options than Edinburgh, as there are three Duty Free options that can give you Avios, there are still no restaurants.
- World Duty Free and the two Express Duty Free shops.
Heathrow Airport
Despite its size, there’s only one dining option at Heathrow that allows you to earn or spend money through Club Avolta. You can, of course, use Heathrow Rewards instead.
- Leon in T2
- World Duty Free in T2, T3, T4 and T5
- Sunglasses Boutique in T3
- Jo Malone in T3 and T4
- World of Whiskies in T3 and T4.
Newcastle Airport
Newcastle’s earn and spend options are limited to Duty Free.
- Main and Express Duty Free shops.
You can explore more airports within the Avolta app. It’s easy to use and you an review all dining and shopping options at each airport.
It’s worth a look as some airports have discount codes for eateries, although the app does not list the actual restaurants you can get a discount at.
Is this partnership worth your time?
Yes, although the points earning potential is relatively low for most people, there’s still an opportunity to add to your points total from a transaction. Whether you want to spend your points on a voucher is another question.
If you have points that you are very unlikely to use, and you want to get some value from them, it could be useful. For most people who are building an Avios balance for a future flight, it’s not worth it.
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