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How many Avios points are needed to book a flight for an infant or baby?

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Today I want to look at how many Avios points you need to book a seat for an infant or baby on a flight.

First, let’s clarify what British Airways counts as a baby or infant.  To get the infant fare, your child must:

  • be under 2 years old on the date of the OUTBOUND flight and
  • not be occupying a seat
How many Avios points are needed to book a flight for an infant or baby?

If your child turns 2 years old during the trip, British Airways will give your child a free seat for the return flight.  You don’t pay any extra cash or Avios.

What happens if I want my baby to have its own seat?

For older babies, it often isn’t comfortable to have them on your lap for the entire flight.  British Airways is happy to book a seat for your baby but you will need to pay the full Avios and full taxes and charges for a normal child ticket.

What does it cost to book an infant ticket with Avios?

For long-haul flights, an infant ticket costs:

  • 10% of the Avios of an adult ticket, and
  • 10% of the Reward Flight Saver charges element

For short-haul flights, an infant ticket costs:

  • 10% of the Avios of an adult ticket, and
  • 10% to 20% of the Reward Flight Saver charges element

Can an infant earn Avios on cash tickets?

If you are flying with British Airways on a cash ticket, not using Avios, your child can earn Avios points if – and only if – you enrol it into a British Airways Household Account.  This article explains how to earn Avios when your child flies.

(This article is part of our ‘BA Q&A’ series which explains how British Airways Executive Club works.  You can see all of our ‘BA Q&A’ articles here. )

(Head for Points is the UK’s biggest frequent flyer website with 2.6 million monthly page views.  Want to learn more about earning and spending Avios?  Click here to read our latest news stories and click here to join the mailing list for our weekly or daily email newsletters.)


How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (November 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 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 card

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.

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

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.

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