If you’ve always wondered how people are constantly flying in business class, it’s probably because they’re using points and air miles to pay instead of cash.
So how does it work? And is it even possible for us mere mortals to get in on the points and miles game here in the UK?
We’re breaking down everything you need to know in our super simple guide to points and air miles.
Coming up in this guide
Points and air miles: The basics
- What are points and air miles?
- What can you use points and air miles for?
- How do you earn points and air miles in the UK?
- Which airlines allow you to earn points and air miles?
- Which airlines allow you to redeem points and air miles?
- What is Avios?
- Are there alternative ways to earn points and air miles?
The best ways to earn points and air miles for beginners
- Sign up to frequent flyer programmes
- The best airline reward credit cards in the UK
- Earn points on everyday spending
- Other ways to earn
Redeeming your points and air miles
- How many points and air miles do you need to get a free flight?
- How many points and air miles do you need to fly business class?
- Do I still need to pay taxes if I book a flight with points or air miles?
- Can I do a part payment using points and air miles?
- Are there ever reward flight sales?
- Can my points or air miles expire?
- Can I send someone my points or air miles?
The Basics
In this section we break down exactly what points and air miles are, how you can earn them and how much money they can save you.
What are points and air miles?
Points – also known as air miles or frequent flyer miles – are a form of travel reward currency that you can earn by being a member of an airline reward schemes. It’s a bit like a loyalty scheme! The most well-known way of earning them is through flying but you can earn them in other ways too. We’ll go through that in this guide.
What can you use points and air miles for?
You can spend points and air miles on a number of things, but the most popular one is redeeming them against the cost of flights and upgrades.
However, you can also use them for other travel products and services including priority boarding, baggage allowance, car rental, hotels, package holidays and even cruises.
In fact, there are lots of options that aren’t even travel related, like shopping and charity donations!
How do you earn points and air miles in the UK?
You can earn points and air miles by:
- Joining airline loyalty programmes
- Flying often (especially on long-haul flights)
- Signing up to credit cards that reward you in points for everyday spending
- Using services that an airline is partnered with, such as car rental companies, restaurants and even supermarkets
Which airlines allow you to earn points and air miles?
Bad news for us cheapskates, low cost airlines like easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air don’t allow you to earn points and air miles.
However, there are plenty of other airlines that do! These include British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific and so it’s always worth checking with the airline you’re booking with.
Which airlines allow you to redeem points and air miles?
Whilst it would be a lot more straightforward to explain if you could only redeem your Emirates points on Emirates flights, that’s not the reality.
Instead, airlines often have partnerships with other airlines or are part of airline alliances. This means you’ve got a lot more options when it comes to spending your points and miles.
For example, British Airways is part of the oneworld alliance which is made up of 15 airlines. That means that you can potentially spend your British Airways points and air miles (called Avios) with any of those partnered airlines.
The other two main global airline alliances are Star Alliance (25 airlines including Air Canada, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines) and SkyTeam (18 airlines including Air France, Delta and Virgin Atlantic).
Confusingly, airlines also have partnerships outside of their alliances too, so it’s always worth checking where you can use the points and air miles you’ve collected too!
What is Avios?
Whilst there are many points and air miles currencies you can earn, Avios is perhaps the most well known (and arguably most useful) loyalty currency for UK travellers.
This is because it’s the currency used by British Airways’ loyalty programme, The British Airways Club.
Since British Airways is part of the oneworld alliance, this means you will be able to use or transfer your Avios to fly with any of the 15 alliance airlines which includes American Airlines, Iberia and Qatar.
However, Avios isn’t just about British Airways. In fact, it’s the currency of 5 airline loyalty programmes. This is useful because in addition to the oneworld alliance airlines, you’ll also be able to use your Avios points with airlines that have partnerships with the following loyalty programmes:
- Aer Lingus AerClub: United Airlines
- The British Airways Club: Aer Lingus, China Southern, LATAM and Vueling
- Finnair Plus: LATAM
- Iberia Plus: Vueling
- Qatar Privilege Club: Airlink, Bangkok Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Hawaiian, Jet Blue, LATAM, Mea, RwandaAir, S7 Airlines, Xiamen and Virgin Australia.
Are there alternative ways to earn points and air miles?
If you only fly low cost or don’t fly often – don’t worry! There are other ways to earn points and air miles through spending on credit cards and with airline partners. We’ll go into it in more detail below.
The Best Ways To Earn Points and Air Miles for Beginners
So, you’re interested in earning points and air miles? Here’s how to get started and begin banking those points.
Sign up to frequent flyer programmes
First and foremost, make sure you’re signed up for the airline reward programmes that you’re interested in earning points from. It’s free to do this and the best way to find them is to google the name of the airline followed by ‘rewards programme’.
Fly often
The traditional way of earning points and air miles is by flying! The amount you earn is often based on the miles flown – you see where the name air miles comes from now!
Whenever I fly any airline, I check whether they have a rewards programme and make sure my frequent flyer number is on my booking. Also, some airlines will let you claim recent flights if you weren’t signed up before booking.
The best airline reward credit cards in the UK
In the UK, you can get a credit card that earns points or miles on your everyday spending.
There are two types – you can sign up for a credit card where you earn a specific airline or airline group’s points, or you can sign up for a credit card where you earn points that you can then choose to convert into airline points at a later date.
The former may give you a better earning rate, but the latter gives you more flexibility.
There are 7 main options here in the UK and so here’s our run down of what’s worth looking into.
The best No Fee points and miles credit cards in the UK
Barclaycard Avios
- Sign up bonus: 5,000 Avios if you spend £1,000 in the first 3 months
- Points: £1 spent = 1 Avios
- Airline redemption: You can redeem Avios points with oneworld airlines, as well as other partners
- Extras include: Upgrade voucher or bonus Avois points if you spend £20,000 within 12 months
- Fee: No fee
Virgin Atlantic Reward Credit Card
- Sign up bonus: 3,000 points if you make a purchase in the first 90 days.
- Points: £1 spent = 0.75 Virgin Points on everyday card purchases, plus £1 spent = 1.5 Virgin Points on Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays
- Airline redemption:
- You can redeem Virgin Points on Virgin Atlantic or any of their airline partners
- Extras include: Spend £20,000 in a year to unlock exclusive benefits like companion flights or upgrades
- Fee: No fee
The conversion on everyday spending isn’t as high as other cards, but it’s certainly better than not earning at all – especially when there’s not a fee to be paid! This is also a good one if you do spend often with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays anyway.
I also want to flag that if you do spend £20k in a year, the cabin you can use your companion reward seat in will be based on your Virgin status. I.e. if you’re the lowest level (Red) you won’t be able to use it on an Upper Class flight.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
- Sign up bonus: 20,000 points if you spend £3000 in the first three months
- Points: £1 spent = 1 membership reward point; £1 spent = 2 points when spending directly with an airline or in a foreign currency
- Airline redemption: AMEX points can be converted 1:1 across a number of airlines including British Airways, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic
- Extras include: Deliveroo cashback, airport lounge passes, hire car discounts, hotel upgrades and more
- Top tip: Around twice a year, they boost the sign up bonus. Try and find a friend to refer you too.
- Fee: First year free, then £195/ year
The Best Points and Air Miles Credit Cards for Earning Avios
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
- Sign up bonus: 25,000 points if you spend £3,500 in the first three months
- Points: £1 spent = 1.5 Avios points
- Airline redemption: You can redeem Avios points with oneworld airlines, as well as other partners
- Extras include: Upgrade voucher or bonus Avois points if you spend £10,000 per year, discounted airport lounge passes
- Fee: £20/ month
The big perk here is that £1 to 1.5 point conversion and so if you’re saving for a flight that requires Avios, this could be a great shout. Plus, the spend is much lower for the upgrade voucher versus the free Barclaycard card, which you can use on long haul flights too. Also handy is the fact that it’s a Mastercard, which is widely accepted as a payment type.
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
- Sign up bonus: 30,000 points if you spend £6,000 in the first three months
- Points: £1 spent = 1.5 Avios points, plus £1 spent with BA or BA Holidays = 3 Avois points.
- Airline redemption: You can redeem Avios points with oneworld airlines, as well as other partners
- Extras include: Companion voucher if you spend £15,000 per year, travel insurance, up to 90,000 bonus Avois/ year when you invite friends to join
- Fee: £300/ year
The best points and air miles credit card for earning Virgin points
Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard
- Sign up bonus: 18,000 points if you make a purchase in your first 90 days
- Points: £1 = 1.5 Virgin Points on everyday card purchases, plus £1 spent = 3 Virgin Points on Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays
- Airline redemption: You can redeem Virgin Points on Virgin Atlantic or any of their airline partners
- Extras include: 2-4-1 voucher or flight upgrade if you spend £10,000 per year, family travel insurance, car hire insurance, airport lounge passes, hotel upgrades, dining credit and more
- Fee: £160/ year
I like that there’s no need for a big spend in your first 3 months to get a bonus. Plus if you’re someone who spends with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays anyway, this card has got great point earning potential. Oh, and it’s a Mastercard too!
The best points and air miles credit card for frequent travellers
American Express Platinum Credit Card
- Sign up bonus: 50,000 points (if you spend £6000 in the first three months)
- Points: £1 spent = 1 membership reward point
- Extras include: Family travel insurance, airport lounge access, hotel upgrades, car rental benefits, £400 dining credit
- Top tip: Around twice a year, they boost the sign up bonus – I got 65,000 points when I signed up! Try and find a friend to refer you too
- Fee: £650/ year
The annual fee on this one is eye- watering and so I really do think this is only a good option if you travel a lot and can make good use of the unlimited lounge passes. The yearly £400 dining credit helps too – but only if you’d realistically spend in those places anyway.
This is actually the card that I use and I wrote up a very thorough overview on whether it was worth the huge fee. Spoiler: it is for me, but it won’t be for others so really think through whether it will work for you.
Earn points on everyday spending with airline partners
Airlines will often have relationships with other businesses, both in the travel industry – like hotels and car rental companies – and beyond – like restaurants and shops. You can snag extra miles just by using these partner services or buying stuff.
Here’s some of my favourite partners that you may be spending with already.
Groceries
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury’s customers can collect Nectar points on their shop which can in turn be converted into Avios points. You’ll earn 1 point for every £1 spent online and in store and the current conversion is 400 Nectar points = 250 Avios. They do offer bonus points at certain times of the year too.
Tesco Clubcard
With a Tesco Clubcard, you have the option to automatically convert your points into Virgin Points. You’ll earn 2 Clubcard points for every £1 you spend at Tesco. £2.50 in Tesco vouchers currently converts to 500 Virgin Points. Plus, they sometimes offer bonus points when you set up your auto-exchange!
Fuel
BP Garages
When you fill up at BP Garages, you’ll be able to earn BPme Rewards which can be converted into Avios. Every 40 BPme Reward points = 25 Avios. Plus, they sometimes offer bonus Avios points on your first conversion.
Esso
Did you realise you can collect Nectar points at Esso garages too? You’ll earn 1 Nectar point for every litre of fuel purchased, and 2 points for every £1 spent in the shop at participating Esso service stations.
Sainsburys
Again, you can use your Nectar Card to collect points when you’re filling up at a Sainsbury’s petrol garage which you can then opt to convert into Avios. You’ll earn 1 Nectar points for every litre of fuel purchased.
Shopping
Argos
You’ll earn 1 Nectar point for every £1 you spend at Argos which you can then opt to convert into Avios points. Currently, 400 Nectar points = 250 Avios.
Trains & taxis
Uber
Earn 1 Avios per £1 spent on all taxi rides, trains (including the Eurostar), coaches, Uber boat and Lime E-bike and Scooters booked via the Uber app. You just need to link your Uber account with your The British Airways Club account.
Virgin Trains Ticketing
If you book your train with Virgin Trains Ticketing, you’ll earn 3 Virgin Points for every £1 spent – that’s a great conversion!
Buy with airline shopping portals
As well as converting other loyalty points to air miles, there are other ways to earn on the purchases you’re making already – through airline’s shopping portals!
A great example of this is British Airways who have an eStore with over 1500 retailers you can earn Avios from including:
- ASOS
- Booking.com
- Boots
- Deliveroo
- Dunelm
- Hotels.com
- John Lewis
- National Express
- Trainline
There’s also an option to link your regular debit card to your British Airways account so that if you want to shop in person on the high street, you can still earn.
The way this works is that the eStore makes commission by sending sales to the retailers and so rewards you with Avios. It’s really similar to how cashback sites work!
Our top tip is to bear in mind that 1 Avios point tends to be worth around 1p, and so it’s worth checking other cashback sites to check which deal is best. That, and we always check the price booking direct as well as sometimes it can work out cheaper and therefore not worth the points or money earned.
Other ways to earn
Refer your friends to a points and miles credit card
If you’ve got a points and miles credit card, many of them offer referral bonuses. As well as earning points for yourself, this often grants your friends and family a better sign up bonus and so it’s quite the win win.
In the past, I’ve earned 12,000 points each time I’ve referred someone – and that adds up quick!
Sign up for a business airline reward credit card
This won’t be relevant for many people, but if you happen to run your own business or work for a company that allows you to apply for a business credit card, you can earn points on this too.
American Express Business Gold
American Express Business Platinum
British Airways Accelerating Business American Express
Promotions and special offers
If you’re set on earning a certain type of air miles, it’s worth keeping an eye out for promotions and special offers from airlines, airline partners and credit card companies. These could be in the form of bonus points or limited-time earning opportunities.
Buy points and miles
This doesn’t always make financial sense, however airlines can often hold sales where you get more value when you’re purchasing air miles. This can be handy when you already have a lot of miles but you need a few more to top up.
Just remember that it’s generally accepted that 1 air mile or airline point should hold a value of at least 1p each. If this converts to less than a penny for what you’re hoping to use the miles for, then it’s not a great value swap.
Redeeming your points and air miles
So you’ve started to earn yourself some points, but what are you going to do once you’ve got enough to book a flight? And how many air miles do you actually need?
How many points and air miles do you need to get a free flight?
The number of points or air miles you need for a free flight depends on a few things: the airline, whether you’re travelling off peak or peak, the route, the class of service and the rules of the loyalty programme. Remember, there isn’t one set standard, and each airline sets its own redemption rates.
However, here’s an idea of how many points you need for the following routes when flying one way in economy in off peak:
One-way flight route | Airline | Air miles needed (off peak) | |
|---|---|---|---|
London / Manchester- New York | Virgin Atlantic | 20,000 Virgin points + £206 tax | |
London – Cape Town | British Airways | 33,000 Avios + £85 tax | |
Birmingham – Dubai | Emirates | 17,500 Skywards miles + £182 tax | |
London – Sydney | Qantas | 63,500 Qantas points + £257 tax |
But don’t let those big numbers scare you off. As well as using points to pay for long haul flights, it’s also possible to use them for short haul too.
In fact, you can get a one way economy seat with British Airways to Europe from just 13,750 miles, or a spot in Club Europe, their business class product, from just 24,250 miles.
It’s just that often, these fares are in the clutches of affordability already and so many people like to save their points for a more expensive journey.
How many points and air miles do you need to fly Business Class?
Again, the exact number of points or air miles you need depends on the same factors as we mentioned above.
Here’s an idea of how many points you need to fly one way in business class in off peak:
One-way flight route | Airline | Air miles needed (off peak) |
|---|---|---|
London / Manchester – New York | Virgin Atlantic | 200,000 Virgin points + £637 tax |
London – Cape Town | British Airways | 99,000 Avios + £249.50 tax |
Birmingham – Dubai | Emirates | 87,000 Skywards miles + £568 tax |
London – Sydney | Qantas | 166,300 Qantas points |
Whilst the Virgin Atlantic miles needed looks low compared to the rest, this is because the taxes and fees you need to pay works out higher. More on that below!
Do I still need to pay taxes if I book a flight with points or air miles?
Yes, even if you book a flight using points or air miles, you are still required to pay taxes and fees. These charges often include government-imposed taxes, airport fees and fuel surcharges.
For long haul, this isn’t just a few quid either; the extra fees can rack up to hundreds of pounds on top of the final price. So, it’s always a good idea to check if using points or just paying full price for the ticket is the better deal.
If you’d rather not spend a fortune in taxes and fees, we recommend looking at using your Avios to fly to Europe where you can pay as little as £1 plus points which is inclusive of taxes, fees and carrier charges.
Can I do a part payment using points and air miles?
Some airlines and programmes do let you pay for part of a flight – this is generally known as “cash and points” or “points plus cash,” so you can use a mix of cash and loyalty points to pay for different portions of your ticket.
Are there ever reward flight sales?
Yes! Airlines do run sales on reward flights meaning you could need a lot less points than usual to book.
For example, in the past Virgin Atlantic have run a 50% off Reward Seat Sale for journeys between the UK and the US, with return economy flights starting at 10,000 points + £279 in taxes and fees.
There were also reward flight sales in the recent Black Friday and January sales too, so it’s always worth checking!
Can my points or air miles expire?
Yes, most points or air miles have an expiration date. The specific policies vary between different airlines and loyalty programmes, so make sure to give those terms and conditions a quick once-over for the lowdown on what applies to you.
Can I send someone my points or air miles?
Yes, it is generally possible to transfer air miles to another person, but there are usually limitations and restrictions. Most airlines put caps on the number of miles that can be transferred between accounts.
Also, there may be fees associated with the transfer, and the recipient may need to meet certain eligibility criteria or pay additional charges.
Some airlines allow you to pool your points with family members:
How I Earned 100,000 Air Miles in 1 Year
I started earning points and air miles back in 2021 so here’s how I got started and how I managed to earn over 100,000 points in just one year.
How I got started earning points
My first step was to sign up to a credit card that would allow me to earn points on the spending I was doing already, and so I signed up for an American Express Platinum Card.
It took a lot of deliberation since the annual fee cost me £575, but I persuaded myself by saying I’d track all the costs so that I could give a full report of whether I thought it was worth it at the end of the year – which I did!
The TL;DR is that I more than got my money’s worth in the first year – phew!
My sign up bonus was a whopping 65,000 Amex points and on top of that, I put a lot of my every day and business spending through my card for the following year meaning that I racked up an additional 25,000 Amex points.
One of my big spends in my first 3 months was my work laptop which I also bought through the Avios store, which rewarded me 8 Avios points to every pound spent so I earned 12,000 Avios points!
I also earned by referring people to the Amex Platinum Card which gained me a huge 12,000 Amex points each time and in my first year, I got 2 referrals.
I could have earned more by buying items through the Avios online shopping portal, but I opted to buy many items through cashback sites instead as they had a better rate. Ultimately, it’s just based on what your priority is and who is offering the best deal for you and your needs.
So overall, my total for the first year was: 114,000 Amex points and 12,000 Avios points.
How did I spend my points and air miles?
It took me another year and earning through other methods (mentioned above!) but I finally clawed my way to 150,000 Amex points which I converted to 150,000 Virgin Atlantic Points.
With that, I was able to book me and James a return flight in upper class to India and it was incredible.
Of course, we still had to pay taxes – £395 each way per person – but it was so worth it for a seat that would normally set you back £3,000!
What's my next points and air miles goal?
I still have the Platinum card so am earning through my own spending but my other half James now has the British Airways American Express Premium Plus. So our goal is to spend £10,000 on that in 12 months meaning, we’ll earn a companion voucher.
We’ll also need to earn plenty of Avios points and so writing this article up has been so helpful in reminding me all the different ways we can make that a reality in the next year!
Start Earning With Our Guide to Points and Air Miles
Points and miles are a great way to enjoy upgraded travel experiences without overspending. Our guide to points and air miles shows that there are plenty of ways to collect those air miles, from signing up for airline loyalty programs to racking up points through everyday credit card spending and simply buying groceries.
