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 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.