Why the growth of oneworld means you've never had it so good
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As I wrote on Thursday, SriLankan Airlines is now a full member of the oneworld alliance. This means that you can use it to book redemption seats using Avios points.
It is not uncommon on Head for Points and elsewhere to complain about changes to British Airways Executive Club, such as the recent move to make Gold members pay £35 per ticket for changes to bookings. A lot of this came out in the discussion in the comments section on Friday.
However, as the press release I received from oneworld about SriLankan reminded me, the growth of oneworld in recent years has added substantial value to your Avios points.
Amazingly, in just the last two years, FIFTEEN new airlines have joined oneworld as full or affiliate members.
I admit that some of the affiliate member are not hugely useful to a UK resident – LAN Colombia, US Airways Express, Iberia Express and Austria’s Niki for example. BA’s sister airline transatlantic carrier OpenSkies also joined as an affiliate, but that has always been available as an Avios redemption.
Looking at ‘proper’ airlines, though, we have gained access to:
SriLankan, the first airline from the Indian subcontinent to join an alliance
TAM, the largest airline in Brazil, from March 2014 (was in Star Alliance)
US Airways, which joined in March 2014 following the merger with American Airlines (was in Star Alliance)
Qatar Airways, which joined in October 2013 and was the first of the ‘big three’ Gulf carriers to join an alliance
Malaysia Airlines, in February 2013
airberlin, which joined in March 2012 and which offers some outstandingly low tax Avios redemptions, such as New York to Germany for £1 of tax in Business
I wrote larger articles on all of these airlines when they joined, if you do a search via the search box in the top right hand corner.
All of them have something to offer – SriLankan opens new routes to the Maldives, TAM has incredibly low taxes to Brazil, US Airways offers very low taxes to the US (as does airberlin which also has great deals to the Middle East for £75 tax). Qatar Airways has a very high quality product – better than BA on its newest aircraft – and a fantastic network. Even Malaysia is running brand new A380’s out of Heathrow.
Put together, these additions since 2012 have added 250 new destinations that can now be reached with Avios points. They have also made it easier to avoid BA fuel surcharges. Let that be a happy thought for you on this Bank Holiday weekend.
How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 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:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £12,000 Read our full review
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.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review
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.
Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa
Get a 10,000 points bonus plus an extra 500 points for our readers Read our full review
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.
British Airways Accelerating Business American Express
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
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.
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive a huge 120,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Platinum by 9th April 2024. You receive 80,000 points for spending £12,000 within 90 days and a further 40,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: You receive 60,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply for American Express Business Gold by 9th April 2024. Remember that the card is FREE for the first year. You receive 40,000 points for spending £6,000 within 90 days and a further 20,000 points if you retain the card for 14 months. Click here to apply.
American Express Business Platinum
Crazy 120,000 points bonus (to 9th April) and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
Huge 60,000 points sign-up bonus (until 9th April) and free for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
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