Free transfer of Avios – Gold members do NOT need to be in a household account

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the new ‘transfer your Avios to someone else’ scheme launched by British Airways.

In summary:

A Gold Guest List or Premier BA member can transfer – free – up to 162,000 Avios per year to other people, up to a maximum of 27,000 each

A Gold British Airways member can transfer – free – up to 162,000 Avios per year to people who are on their ‘Family & Friends list

‘Family & Friends’ is part of the Household Account structure on ba.com.  If you are in a household account, you can only redeem your Avios for either other members of the household or one of the six people on your ‘Family & Friends’ list.

When British Airways launched ‘transfer your Avios to your ‘Family & Friends for free’, I automatically assumed that you would have to be in a Household Account to take part.

This was wrong.

You can now set up a ‘Family & Friends’ list even if you do not have a Household Account. 

This means that, if you are a British Airways Executive Club Gold member, you can now transfer your Avios points for free to other people without having to be in a Household Account.

I am still not desperately sure that this new ba.com feature has much merit.  However, it will – for example – allow me to top-up my Mum’s account to a level where it can be zero’d out.  It will also open up a market for Gold members who want to break the scheme rules and make a few quid by selling Avios points in 27,000 Avios chunks to other people …..

If you are a BA Gold and want to take advantage of a free Avios transfer to someone else, you can set up a ‘Family & Friends’ list here.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.