[AIRLINE] Earning British Airways Executive Club Avios

British Airways’ frequent flyer program is called the Executive Club where you earn Avios points to redeem for rewards, especially reward flights. As a Canadian, you can rack up your Avios points through several different avenues. Below is a list of several different ways and I have ranked them in the best ways to earn points:

1) British Airways is a member of the Oneworld alliance, so if you fly on any of its member airlines, you can bank your points directly to Executive Club.

2) Earn E-rewards dollars and transfer them to the Executive club. Below are the conversion rates:

• $12 = 250 Avios points
• $20 = 500 Avios points
• $35 = 1,000 Avios points

I would convert $35 for 1,000 Avios points because that is the best rate per $1. Keep in mind that you can only convert once every 30 days, so if you need the points, plan well ahead of time.

3) Also with RBC, if you have Avion points, you can convert your points to Executive Club at a 1:1 ratio with a minimum of 10,000 Avion points. I would wait for the 50% transfer bonus that RBC usually offers twice a year (usually once in the spring and once in the fall).

4) If you collect American Express Membership Rewards points, you can transfer a minimum of 1,000 Membership Rewards points for 1,000 Avios, and increments of 100 thereafter. There has been a 50% transfer bonus before, but not since the March 1, 2013 to March 31 2013 promotional period. Hopefully we will see it again one day.

5) Earn sign up bonus points with the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite (normally 15,000 sign up bonus, but we have seen 30,000 or even 45,000). Once you have the credit card, you will earn 2 point for every $1 spent on British Airways purchases and 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases.

6) You can transfer Starwood Preferred Guest points at a 1:1 ratio. Keep in mind that you get an additional 5,000 bonus points every time you transfer 20,000 points (20,000 Starpoints = 25,000 Avios points).

Keep in mind that Avios points need to be active once every 36 months, which should be easily maintained with all the above options.

What other ways do you have to earn Avios points?