How to use the British Airways multi-partner chart to redeem Avios on 2+ oneworld airlines

We write a lot about how to book Avios redemptions on British Airways flights as well as BA’s oneworld partner airlines (full list here).

But what if you want to ‘mix and match’ and book a single trip on multiple different airlines, for example for a ‘round the world’ trip?

For that, British Airways has something called the ‘multi-carrier chart.’ You may not have heard of it because British Airways keeps it low key.

What is the Avios ‘multi-carrier reward chart’?

This is the reward chart that British Airways uses to price redemptions which include two or more oneworld partner airlines, excluding British Airways:

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Cathay Pacific
• Finnair
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Oman Air (coming in late 2024)
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian
• SriLankan Airlines

British Airways flights can be booked as part of a multi-partner redemption, but you need to have at least two other oneworld airlines involved as well.

If, for example, you flew from London to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific and then caught a Japan Airlines flight to Tokyo, it would be priced using the multi-partner chart.

What do multi-partner Avios redemptions cost?

The chart below is for economy travel.  Multiply by two for Business Class and by three for First Class.

Take a moment to note what I just wrote.

Whilst a standard long haul Avios redemption in Business Class on British Airways costs 3x an Economy redemption, using the multi-partner chart only costs 2x.  This makes the multi-partner chart very good value for Business or First Class Avios tickets.

The only snag is that you can’t use a British Airways American Express 2-4-1 voucher or a Barclaycard upgrade voucher.

Here’s the pricing:

Miles in your journey	Avios required (economy)
0–1,500	30,000 + taxes, fees and carrier charges
1,501–4,000	35,000 + taxes, fees and carrier charges
4,001–9,000	60,000 + taxes, fees and carrier charges
9,001–10,000	70,000 + taxes, fees and carrier charges
10,001–14,000	90,000 + taxes, fees and carrier charges
14,001–20,000	100,000 + taxes, fees and carrier charges
20,001–25,000	120,000 + taxes, fees and carrier charges
25,001–35,000	140,000 + taxes, fees and carrier charges
35,001–50,000	160,000 + taxes, fees and carrier charges

You can see the original on BA.com here.

How to calculate the total distance of your trip

The above chart is priced in total miles travelled, but how do you know how long your trip is?

The best tool to use is Great Circle Mapper (gcmap.com). This is a free but very powerful website that lets you look up the most direct flight path between two cities.

Simply input the three-letter airport codes of your itinerary in the search box and hit enter. Great Circle Mapper will generate a map as well as the distances for each sector, as well as the total distance travelled. For example, Heathrow – Tokyo – Brisbane – Hong Kong – Heathrow (LHR-HND-BNE-HKG-LHR) returns:

LHR	HND	5,974 miles
HND	BNE	4,415 miles
BNE	HKG	4,306 miles
HKG	LHR	5,994 miles
	Total	20,690 miles

At just a hair over 20,000 miles, this itinerary would price into the 120,000 Avios price band for economy, or 240,000 Avios band in Business Class.

It would be worth trying to optimise it so it drops just under 20,000 miles, saving you 20,000 Avios (in economy) and more in premium cabins.

Here’s an example for a ’round the world’ itinerary.

London – Delhi – Hong Kong – Tokyo – Los Angeles – New York – London is just under 20,000 miles.  Here’s the maths:

LHR	DEL	4,191 miles
DEL	HKG	2,331 miles
HKG	HND	1,805 miles
HND	LAX	5,487 miles
LAX	JFK	2,475 miles
JFK	LHR	3,451 miles
	Total	19,740 miles

This is a LOT of flying for just 200,000 Avios in Business Class.

What are the rules when using the multi-carrier reward chart?

It is worth noting that we have never seen a firm list of the rules for booking multi-partner reward tickets.  Because it is not widely publicised, most BA call centre agents will never have booked one.

• In theory you are limited to eight sectors with just one overland sector – although we have seen examples where multiple overland sectors were ticketed

• In theory you need to have every segment in the same class as just one in a higher class will reprice the entire itinerary.  However, some people have reportedly had agents charge based on the longest class flown, ie if 60% is economy and 40% First then they were charged economy!

• In theory you can book a segment in economy – and the rest of the itinerary in business – and upgrade that segment later for free if availability in Business Class appears

• In theory, there are no rules on backtracking although this may be down to badly trained agents.  One example I have seen was basically multiple holidays from London to somewhere, back to back, to get to eight sectors.  If the agent allows it you could book, say, London to Qatar and home, London to Hong Kong and home, London to Tokyo and home, London to Kuala Lumpur and home as one booking – as long as you are using at least two oneworld carriers – and save a huge number of Avios on booking four holidays separately.

In truth, nothing seems clear.  The ‘eight flights maximum’ rule does seem to be firm – but that still gives you a huge amount of flexibility to put together a great trip.

Conclusion

The multi-carrier reward chart can be a very useful tool, particularly if you are planning a longer trip or sabbatical.

It is perfect for flights to Australia – which can be cheaper than booking a direct British Airways Avios redemption, depending on route – or ’round the world’ itineraries.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 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:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

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.

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.

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

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 60,000 points. You receive 40,000 points when you spend £6,000 within three months and a further 20,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.