Just how much is an Avios point actually worth?
Ever wondered, “What is an Avios point worth?” The answer is both simple and complex. In this article, I break down how to value Avios points… and why you probably shouldn’t value them at all.
What are Avios points?
Avios points are the frequent flyer currency of a group of airlines, predominantly British Airways, Qatar, Finnair, Iberia and Aer Lingus. All of those airlines belong to the oneworld alliance, and most are interlinked. IAG (International Airlines Group) owns BA, Iberia and Aer Lingus. Qatar owns 25.2% of IAG.
A short history of Avios points
Avios launched in 2011, replacing both BA and Iberia’s frequent flyer points, as well as the Air Miles scheme in the UK.
The rebranding of Air Miles to Avios brought about a number of changes. Whilst it was possible to earn Air Miles using some of the methods that you can use now (it had an equivalent to the Avios Shopping website), the new look Avios scheme was a much better fit for what consumers want.
There are now multiple credit cards from different providers that will give you Avios points every time you spend, on top of any initial or ongoing bonuses. Consumers and businesses can earn points via cards from American Express, Barclays and Capital On Tap. You can also earn points with Revolut.
What is an Avios point worth?
Most people put the value of an Avios point at 1p per point.
When valuing points, people will keep a record of flights they have taken, and what those flights should have cost them if they paid in cash. This approach is flawed for two reasons. Firstly, the prices of flights fluctuate significantly, meaning that you are valuing the points at that moment in time. If you had waited a week, the flight could have been more expensive, or cheaper.
The second reason that the valuation approach doesn’t work is that it assumes that you have the option of either paying for a flight with points or with cash.
A high number of points collectors would not pay £8,000 for a First Class flight with British Airways or even a £3k Business Class flight with Qatar. Therefore, the value of the point is much greater. You’re getting something (A first-class seat) that you wouldn’t normally have bought.
To give some context to this, we used to pay for Business Class flights as long as they were less than £1,200. This usually meant waiting for sales and connecting via Dublin. Now we’ll fly in Business Class using Avios, often on flights where it would cost £2k – £3k, a price we never would have paid.
Why you shouldn’t value your Avios points
For most points collectors, booking a flight using Avios alone means valuing your Avios points is a waste of time. It’s unlikely you’ll find an accurate price per point, and the whole purpose of collecting Avios is to have amazing experiences.
I flew in The Residence last year with Etihad using points. That experience was priceless. I haven’t considered the value of the points it cost us; we just had an amazing flight in an incredible room on a plane.
Why you should value your Avios points
There is one instance where you should consider the value of your points when flying, and that’s when you have more than one option to pay, and one of those options is cash.
If you’re looking to book a flight and you have the cash to pay for the seat, or the points, then determining the value of the points allows you to make a direct comparison.The same goes for if you are going to use Avios points to upgrade a flight.
If you’re going to use your Avios points on something other than flights, then it is absolutely worth looking at the value. You might want to use points to pay for a hotel room, via Avios Hotels. In most cases you probably shouldn’t, as it’s a poor use of points, but by calculating the value of your points, you can determine that.
You can also swap Membership Reward points for things of value, such as gift vouchers. Again, this is a poor use of points, but you can see that by calculating the points needed at a 1p rate.
What if you want to get rid of some orphaned points?
It’s possible that you’ve got a small number of points in your BA/Qatar/Finnair/Iberia/Aer Lingus account, and you just want to get rid of them. If that’s the case then there’s no need to value them, anything you can do with them is fine as you just want to get some value – any value – from them.
How much is an American Express Membership Reward point worth if you transfer it to Avios?
If you’ve earned the Membership Reward points through a GBP card, then you will be able to swap them to Avios at a rate of 1:1, which would value the MR points at 1p per point.
If you’ve got the points from a USD or EUR card, then you’ll have earned points at a rate of 1 cent per point; however, the transfer rate to Avios is 3:2. This means your Avios will be worth 0.8p. There are a small number of airline partners that have a 1:1 transfer rate, for example, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. That means the points you have via a EUR/USD card will be worth 1.2p
A table of Avios valuations
(All of the rows below use the 1p per point valuation)
| Avios Point(s) | Value (at 1p/point) |
|---|---|
| 1 Avios Point | £0.01 |
| 100 Avios Points | £1.00 |
| 250 Avios Points | £2.50 |
| 500 Avios Points | £5.00 |
| 1,000 Avios Points | £10.00 |
| 2,000 Avios Points | £20.00 |
| 5,000 Avios Points | £50.00 |
| 10,000 Avios Points | £100.00 |
| 20,000 Avios Points | £200.00 |
| 50,000 Avios Points | £500.00 |
| 60,000 Avios Points | £600.00 |
| 100,000 Avios Points | £1,000.00 |
| 200,000 Avios Points | £2,000.00 |
| 300,000 Avios Points | £3,000.00 |
| 500,000 Avios Points | £5,000.00 |
| 750,000 Avios Points | £7,500.00 |
| 1,000,000 Avios Points | £10,000.00 |
| 2,000,000 Avios Points | £20,000.00 |
What’s the difference between Avios and Tier Points?
Tier Points are separate from Avios points, and they were awarded to you when you took a flight with BA (or some partners) and paid for it using cash. Tier points determine your status with BA (e.g. Bronze or Gold) and they were directly linked to the distance the flight covered and the cabin you flew in. That was a ham-fisted way of linking tier points to how much you spent. The longer the flight, and the closer to the front of the plane you get, the more you will have spent with BA.
In 2025, everything changed. The tier points you earn are now directly related to the amount you spend with BA. You get 1 tier point per pound. The number of tier points you need to move up from Blue to Bronze, and higher, has also changed.
Another big change on tier points is that you can now earn them via other methods. You can collect them by hitting a spend goal on a credit card, via BA Holiday bookings, and also by making a donation to sustainable aviation fuels.
You can even (kinda) buy Tier points using Avios.
Making the Most of Your Avios – Top Tips and Tricks
There are two ways to earn Avios that are often overlooked. Firstly, the Avios Shopping portal. That’s been a gold mine for us. Despite the name, it’s not just about buying goods online; you can also earn a lot of points when you renew your insurance, your utilities or your TV package.
Secondly, there are credit cards. From BA’s branded cards with American Express, to the Avios Barclaycard, there are more options than ever for earning points. The best cards come with an annual fee, but there are still free options that allow you to put your usual spend through the card and amass points for it.
If you’re an SME, there are more card options available to you, particularly the Capital On Tap card. I wrote a long article about how to earn Avios points as a business.
If you’re starting out on your points collection journey, I’ve written about three things to do when you’re getting started with Avios.
When it comes to spending Avios, there are a few ways to cut down the number of points that you need for a flight:
- Booking a flight during off-peak periods.
- Utilising a companion (2-4-1) voucher, via a BA credit card.
Combining the two will reduce the number of Avios you need for a flight by more than half.
2 comments
Roberto donato jr
Where can i sell my qatar avios points?
Al
There’s no direct way of selling them, but you can swap them for gift cards if you’re willing to convert them into Marriott points first. If you’re based in the UK you can swap them to BA Avios, then Nectar Points which can be used in Argos and Sainsbury’s. It’s not the best way to get value from them, but it’s one way. I wrote a guide on swapping Avios to Gift Cards.