Swap your Avios points for beer …. or wine …. or Bollinger

Not many people know that British Airways Executive Club has a service, in association with their wine partner Laithwaites, to allow you to trade your Avios for beer, wine or champagne.

I thought I’d give this another plug today as there are still three days left to redeem Avios for selected cases at a 20% discount.

Here are the cases currently on offer until 28th June:

• Big Red Dozen (was 18,100 Avios / now 14,400 Avios)
• Celebration Dozen (was 19,600 Avios / now 15,600 Avios)
• Prosecco Dozen (was 22,300 Avios / now 17,800 Avios)
• Deluxe Mix Dozen (was 18,200 Avios / now 14,500 Avios)
• New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Dozen (was 22,700 Avios / now 18,100 Avios)
• Everyday Mix Six (was 9,000 Avios / now 7,200 Avios)
• Deluxe Mix Six (was 10,000 Avios / now 8,000 Avios )
• Prosecco Six (was 11,900 Avios / now 9,500 Avios)
• Everyday Red Six (was 9,300 Avios / now 7,400 Avios)
• Everyday White Six (was 9,000 Avios / now 7,200 Avios)

The good news is that the alcohol is genuinely free.  You don’t need to pay a penny of postage.  Simply order online and your alcohol will be delivered to your door “within 7 days”.

Now, of course, the question you should ask is : “Is this good value for my Avios?”.  And, to be honest, the answer is usually No.  That is a little beside the point, though.  If you are Avios-rich, then trading in a few for a nice treat is a good way to go.

I cannot link directly to the website because you need to tick a box to agree that you are over 18.  Go here, scroll to the bottom and click the link.

The issue with wine – especially when it is primarily own-label, as most of Laithwaites bottles are – is that it is difficult to work out if you are getting a good deal or not.  However, there is a clue.

Laithwaites is offering Laurent Perrier Rose for 12,600 Avios per bottle, including delivery.  You can currently buy this on the Marks & Spencer website for £60 with free delivery if you spend over £100.  This means you are getting 0.5p per Avios which is hardly a fantastic deal.

Meanwhile, a single bottle of Dom Perignon 2009 is 22,900 Avios.  This sells for £145 at Amazon here which means you are getting 0.63p per Avios point.  This is a lot better in terms of value – better per point that using your Avios for some British Airways services such as seat selection.

There are cheaper options, of course.  The cheapest wine package is a very reasonable 7,200 Avios for 6 mixed bottles in the current 20% off promotion which – as it includes delivery – can’t be sniffed at.  Beer lovers may prefer a case of 20 bottles of British beer for 8,900 Avios.

Clearly this is not the greatest use of your Avios points.  However if, like myself, you are sitting on a large pile of them indeed, the temptation to swap a small percentage of them for some Bollinger or Laurent Perrier Rose for the Summer barbeque is tempting ….

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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.