How to Earn More Avios on Your Next Trip (It May Not Be the Flight)

Most travellers still assume that the flight is the biggest Avios earner of a trip. In reality, that is no longer always true.

Depending on where and how you book your hotel, you can sometimes earn more Avios from the hotel stay than from the Business or First Class flight itself.

That may sound surprising, but it makes sense once you look at how Avios are awarded. Flights do not earn on the full ticket price, while hotel partners in the British Airways eStore or via Avios Hotels can offer very generous rates per £1 spent.

How Many Avios Do You Earn When Flying?

For British Airways-marketed flights, Avios are awarded based on eligible spend rather than distance flown.

• Blue: 6 Avios per £1
• Bronze: 7 Avios per £1
• Silver: 8 Avios per £1
• Gold: 9 Avios per £1

But there is one important catch: you do not earn Avios on the full ticket price.

British Airways awards Avios on the fare and carrier-imposed charges, while government taxes and airport charges do not count. So a £1,000 ticket does not necessarily mean £1,000 of Avios-earning spend.

For example, a £1,000 Business Class ticket might break down roughly like this:

• Fare: £200
• Carrier-imposed charges: £570
• Taxes and airport charges: £230

That means only £770 would be eligible for Avios earning. The result would be approximately:

• Blue: 4,620 Avios
• Bronze: 5,390 Avios
• Silver: 6,160 Avios
• Gold: 6,930 Avios

So even an expensive premium ticket may earn fewer Avios than many people expect.

Now Compare That With Hotels

This is where things become interesting. Hotel bookings can often earn Avios at a much higher rate per £1 spent, especially when booked through Avios Hotels or through the British Airways eStore.

Rates change frequently, but offers such as 6, 8, 10 or 12 Avios per £1 are not unusual, and sometimes rates go even higher. At the moment, examples include offers such as:

• ALL – Accor Live Limitless: up to 15 Avios / £1
• Thistle Hotels: 12 Avios / £1
• Avios Hotels | Powered by Expedia: 10 Avios / £1
• Agoda: 10 Avios / £1
• Hotels.com: 8 Avios / £1
• Booking.com: up to 6 Avios / £1
• Radisson Hotels: 4 Avios / £1
• IHG Hotels & Resorts: up to 3 Avios / £1

That changes the maths completely. If you spend the same £1,000 on a hotel instead of a flight, the Avios return could look like this:

• 4 Avios / £1 = 4,000 Avios
• 6 Avios / £1 = 6,000 Avios
• 8 Avios / £1 = 8,000 Avios
• 10 Avios / £1 = 10,000 Avios
• 12 Avios / £1 = 12,000 Avios
• 15 Avios / £1 = 15,000 Avios

Avios Hotels is especially interesting because the Avios return is shown directly during the booking process, making it easy to compare. In some cases, a £1,200 hotel booking at 10 Avios per £1 would generate 12,000 Avios, already more than many premium cabin flights.

The British Airways eStore can be just as valuable. Instead of booking directly with the hotel or online travel agency, you first go via the eStore, click through to the partner site, and then book as usual. If the booking tracks correctly, the Avios are credited afterwards at the advertised rate.

The key point is that rates change frequently. A partner showing 4 Avios per £1 one week may run a promotion at 8 or 10 Avios per £1 the next. That is why it is worth checking before every booking rather than assuming the rate will be the same as last time.

Of course, Avios should not be the only factor. The best strategy is not to overpay for a hotel just to collect more points. If one site is £100 cheaper, that saving may be worth more than the extra Avios. The sweet spot is when the hotel price is the same, or very similar, across several booking channels and one of them offers a much higher Avios return.

Hotel Status Can Change the Calculation

There is one more thing to keep in mind. If you have status with a hotel programme such as Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards or ALL, booking through a third party may affect what you receive from the hotel itself.

Depending on the chain, you may miss out on benefits such as:

• hotel points
• elite night credits
• room upgrades
• free breakfast
• other status perks

That does not mean third-party hotel bookings are a bad idea, only that the calculation should include the full picture. Sometimes the extra Avios are worth it, and sometimes booking direct with the hotel is still the better deal.

What About Oneworld Flights?

This article focuses mainly on British Airways because the comparison is easiest there. British Airways uses a spend-based Avios system, so it is simple to compare flight spend with hotel spend.

However, not every oneworld airline works in exactly the same way. Some partners may still award Avios based on distance flown, booking class and cabin rather than purely on spend. So the exact comparison will vary depending on which airline you fly and where you credit the flight.

Still, the broader conclusion remains the same: do not assume that your flight is automatically the biggest Avios earner of the trip.

Bottom Line

For many travellers, especially those booking premium fares, the flight is no longer always the best part of the trip for earning Avios.

A Business or First Class ticket may look expensive, but only part of that price earns Avios. Hotel bookings, by contrast, can sometimes generate very attractive returns, and in some cases more Avios than the flight itself.

If you want to maximise your Avios balance, think beyond the flight alone. Check the hotel options, compare rates, and look at the total trip rather than only the airfare.

Sometimes the smartest way to earn more Avios is not by flying more, but by booking the right hotel in the right place.