How to Earn More Avios on Hotels and Flights

Want to know how to earn more Avios on your next trip? Most travellers still assume that the flight is the biggest Avios earner. 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 on British Airways Flights?

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

The number of Avios you earn depends on your British Airways Club membership tier:

• 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. Eligible extras, such as paid seat selection and additional baggage, can also earn Avios.

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 from the ticket itself. 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.

How to Earn More Avios on Hotel Bookings

This is where things become interesting. If your goal is to collect more Avios without flying more, hotel bookings are one of the best opportunities to investigate.

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 promotional rates can go even higher.

Hotel Partners That Can Earn You Extra Avios

Examples of hotel partners and promotional earning rates include:

• 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

These are examples of advertised earning rates, including promotional offers. Rates, availability, eligible bookings and regional conditions can change. Always check the current offer before booking.

How Many Avios Can You Earn on a £1,000 Hotel Stay?

That changes the maths completely. If you spend the same £1,000 on a qualifying hotel booking instead of a flight, the potential 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 vs British Airways eStore: Which Earns More?

There are two particularly interesting ways to maximise your Avios earnings from hotel stays.

1. Booking Through Avios Hotels

Avios Hotels, powered by Expedia, is especially interesting because the Avios return is shown directly during the booking process, making it easy to compare.

For example, a qualifying £1,200 hotel booking at 10 Avios per £1 would generate 12,000 Avios, already more than many premium cabin flights.

One important detail: to earn the advertised 10 Avios per £1, the booking must meet the applicable conditions and be paid entirely in cash. If you pay partly or fully with Avios, the booking does not qualify for that earning rate.

2. Booking Through the British Airways eStore

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 and meets the partner’s conditions, the Avios are credited afterwards at the applicable advertised rate.

The key point is that hotel Avios earning 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.

Also remember that some partners exclude certain booking types, taxes, gift cards or bookings made using discount codes not listed by the eStore. Always read the individual retailer’s conditions.

How to Maximise Avios Without Overpaying for Hotels

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.

In other words, maximising Avios is about getting the best overall value, not simply earning the largest number of points.

Hotel Loyalty 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, particularly if you value your hotel elite status benefits.

What About Earning Avios on 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: The Best Way to Earn More Avios

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 earning rates, and look at the total trip rather than only the airfare.

And if you are looking for ways to save money on the flight itself, don’t forget to check our latest Business Class flight deals.

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