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 2025)

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

Get 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

30,000 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 £15,000 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large 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, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

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.

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus 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.