Earn double Avios on all British Airways flights until 31st December

British Airways has brought back its ‘double Avios’ promotion for flights booked and taken between now and the end of the year.

It is a decent deal and may even work for some leisure travellers as well as business travellers.  You need to be wary about the small print though.

Here are the rules:

you receive double Avios on flights you BOOK and take between now (assuming you register today) and 31st December 2017

you MUST register via this page at ba.com to take part

all Executive Club members can register except for those based in the US, Canada, Mexico or South Africa

you can fly in any cabin on any regular ticket type

you will receive the bonus on your first FOUR return trips (or eight one-way trips)

double Avios only applies to your base points and not to any cabin or status bonus

Registration is here.

Here is the list of what flights would and would not qualify:

YES – any BA operated flight where your ticket has a BA flight number

YES – a transatlantic flight operated by AA, Finnair or Iberia where your ticket has a BA flight number

YES – the OpenSkies services from Paris to New York

YES – any BA flight operated by SUN-AIR Of Scandinavia 

NO – flights on other oneworld partners, even with a BA flight number

NO – flights on BA codeshare services

NO – flights on BA franchise partners such as Comair in South Africa

Remember that pre-booked flights do not count.  In reality, if your flight was booked by a travel agent then it might slip through but you shouldn’t rely on this.

Don’t be caught by the ‘four flights’ rule

British Airways thought that it made sense to restrict this offer to your first eight flights taken after registration, but it may backfire.

Let’s imagine that your travel plans between now and the year end are:

Johannesburg in Business Class

Edinburgh in Economy

Glasgow in Economy

Edinburgh in Economy

Johannesburg in Business Class

Because only the first eight segments will earn double Avios, your 2nd Johannesburg flight won’t count.  You therefore have two options:

remove all traces of your BA account from one of the domestic flights (but be careful your corporate travel agent doesn’t keep adding it back) or

using a different airline to fly one of the domestic routes

If you know that you will have four long-haul flights between now and the New Year, you may want to move your short-haul flights to other carriers.

How to sign up

The registration page on ba.com is here.

As usual, the registration process is not working properly.  After clicking register you will be taken to a blank page headed “British Airways offer registration” but with no message.

It has worked, however, because if you try to register again you will get a message saying that you are already registered.

This offer is not targetted and, as long as your BA account is not based in one of the excluded countries above, you will be fine to register.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 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

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 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 30,000 Avios. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 80,000 Avios! The spend requirement is changed to £10,000 in six months for this offer. 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

Huge 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, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

20,000 points (ONLY TO 9TH DECEMBER) Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

30,000 points (TO 9TH DECEMBER) 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.