Buying British Airways Club Avios: How It Works and When to Buy
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Buying Avios: what it costs
A 40% bonus has been British Airways Club's usual offer in recent years. During the latest sale, from July 9 to 16, 2026, you could buy Avios from the British Airways Club program with a 40% bonus, for about 1.65 US cents per mile. That sale has ended, and no new one has been announced yet.
This promotion comes around roughly two to three times a year: in 2026, it ran in April and in July. The program has offered up to 50% in the past, but 40% has been the norm in recent years.
So by buying 100,000 Avios during that sale, you ended up with 140,000 Avios in total. It cost $2,315 USD, or 1.65 US cents per mile (about 2.28 Canadian cents per mile).
Since we value this currency at 1.77 Canadian cents per mile, this is not a great deal. Anything that costs less than 1.77 cents per Avios would be a bargain. Above 1.77 cents, it is not very profitable.
This kind of promotion only comes back a few times a year: if a purchase is in your plans, watch for the next one. The purchase cap is 200,000 Avios per calendar year, before bonus. With a 40% bonus, that is up to 280,000 Avios over the year.
Either way: buying Avios could help you out if you are short a few Avios to book an award flight (and you have already exhausted every other way to earn Avios through credit cards).
Avios are sold elsewhere too: Finnair Plus and Qatar Airways sell the same currency on their own tiers. Before you confirm, compare with our article on buying Finnair Plus Avios, since the cost per Avios differs from one program to the next.
A credit card with no foreign transaction fees
Since buying Avios is billed in US dollars, it is a good idea to use a credit card with no foreign transaction fees for purchases in foreign currencies. Here are two of them:
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $120 | |||
| $150 |
Other ways to earn Avios
Before buying Avios, you should look at the other options available to you in Canada, namely:
All of these programs are transfer partners with British Airways Club. You can therefore transfer your points to Avios easily.
Here are the best Avios credit card offers from these different programs:
| Credit card | Annual fee | Welcome offer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $150 | |||
| $191.88 | |||
| $250 | |||
| $120 | |||
| $120 |
And you can even earn them directly with the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite card (which is currently on promotion)!
- Annual fee
- $165
- Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$1,000Total$1,000Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.
- $1,000
- Welcome offerAfter $6,000 in 3 months
- 50,000 Avios
Apply Now
on RBC's website
Conclusion
Is it worth buying Avios? As with any points and miles purchase, it depends on your circumstances. You will have to decide based on the award flights you are hoping to book in the near future.
Find out everything you need to know about the British Airways Club program in this article, including the program’s sweet spots:
- With American Airlines in North America
- With Aer Lingus between North America and Dublin
- With Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong
- With Japan Airlines to travel around Japan
- With Qantas in Australia or New Zealand
- With Qatar Airways, which has switched to Avios – see our ultimate guide to Qatar Airways Privilege Club
