Earn more Avios when you fly Finnair in Business Class
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After Qatar Airways, Finnair is probably the oneworld partner which is most popular with British Airways Executive Club members, at least amongst those who are suitably switched on.
(Yes, Iberia may be a sister company of BA, but it has a fairly eclectic long haul route network and it tends not to launch price wars with its sibling.)
Before Russian airspace was closed, Finnair was a popular way of flying to Asia from the UK. Transiting in Helsinki didn’t delay you too much because it is ‘on the way’, and the airline would often launch aggressive fare sales for UK departures.
You would also earn Avios and tier points from your flight. You’d actually earn more tier points than you would if flying with British Airways, since (in Business Class) you got an extra 80 tier points each way for the hop between London / Manchester / Edinburgh and Helsinki.
Whilst Finnair has had to cut back its long haul flights to India and Asia due to Russian airspace restrictions – although some routes are still operating – you may still end up flying with them if heading to Helsinki. British Airways has now dropped this route, leaving it to Finnair.
You now earn more Avios when flying Finnair in Business Class
On 1st June, British Airways sharply increased the Avios you earn if you fly Finnair in Business Class and credit your flight to Executive Club.
You can see the earning rates for Finnair, and indeed all other British Airways partner airlines, on this page of ba.com.
Here are the old earn rates for flights up to 31st May:
| Economy lowest (A, G, N, O, Q, S, W, Z) | 25% |
| Economy low (K, M, P, T, L, V) | 50% |
| Economy flexible (H) | 70% |
| Economy flexible (Y, B) | 100% |
| Business (J, C, D, I, R) | 125% |
Here are the new rates for Finnair flights from 1st June:
| Economy lowest (Q, O, A, G, Z) | 25% |
| Economy low (K, L, M, V, S, N) | 50% |
| Economy flexible (Y, B, H) | 100% |
| Premium economy lowest (E, T, P) | 100% |
| Premium economy flexible (W) | 150% |
| Business lowest (R, I) | 150% |
| Business flexible (J, C, D) | 250% |
The percentages are based on the number of miles flown.
The key changes are:
- Premium Economy earning is added in, as Finnair has just launched this cabin
- Non-refundable Business tickets increase from 125% to 150% of miles flown
- Flexible and semi-flexible Business tickets increase from 125% to 250% of miles flown
The latter makes Finnair substantially more attractive for business trips if your employer lets you book flexible tickets.
Finnair has a brand new Business Class cabin featuring a unique ‘no recline’ seat, pictured above. Here is our news story on the new Finnair seat and here is my review of Finnair’s new Business Class, albeit on the short hop to Helsinki.
It is easy to tell if your aircraft has the new seat because it will also have Premium Economy seats for sale, although the old Finnair Business Class seat certaintly isn’t terrible – it’s a step up from old-style British Airways Club World.
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:
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 £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.
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.
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.
Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa
Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 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.
American Express Business Platinum
40,000 points sign-up bonus 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.
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