Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

Finnair has joined Avios – but you can’t transfer points in or out yet

Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission.  See here for all partner links.

Finnair has now adopted Avios as its loyalty currency. This was announced last August and has now gone live in impressively speedy fashion.

It joins British Airways, Qatar Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus in adopting the currency.

With ‘just’ 4 million members, Finnair Plus is a minnow compared to British Airways Executive Club and Qatar Airways Privilege Club, adding just 10% to the total member base. However, it brings new options to earn and redeem Avios on non-airline partners, as well as letting BA members use Avios to upgrade Finnair flights.

Finnair has joined Avios

Full details of the changes are on the Finnair website here.

Important: you can’t transfer Avios to/from BA yet

The one aspect of the transition which is not yet live is, unfortunately, the one we actually need.

You won’t be able to transfer Avios between your British Airways Executive Club account and your Finnair Plus account until May / June.

This means:

  • you can’t (yet) transfer Avios into Finnair Plus to upgrade a Finnair flight
  • you can’t (yet) transfer Avios into Finnair Plus to redeem for a partner which only works with Finnair
  • you CAN earn Avios in a Finnair Plus account from a company which is not a BA partner (eg Hertz) but you can’t merge them with your BA balance (yet)
  • you CAN redeem for Finnair flights via ba.com – there’s nothing new in that

Got Finnair Plus points? They are now Avios, converted at 3:2

The entire Finnair Plus programme underwent a 3:2 REvaluation. Not a DEvaluation, a REvaluation. This was done to bring their pricing in line with other Avios partners.

If you had 30,000 Finnair Plus points, you now have 20,000 (Finnair) Avios.

However, a flight that used to cost 30,000 Finnair Plus points should also now cost 20,000 (Finnair) Avios.

Finnair has joined Avios

The delay in letting you move Avios to/from British Airways accounts gives us a two month window to see what deals – if any – may be available via the Finnair Plus reward chart.

Whilst, in theory, Finnair reward flights should cost the same at ba.com and finnair.com, it is possible that – for example – a Cathay Pacific flight could be cheaper when booked via the Finnair platform. Let’s see what turns up.

What new opportunities will this give you as a British Airways Executive Club member?

When Qatar Airways Privilege Club adopted Avios, it opened up a huge new list of car rental, airline and hotel partners. You can now earn Avios via Hertz and Virgin Australia, for example.

This is what Finnair Plus will bring you (I have only listed non-BAEC partners):

  • Car hire – earn Avios via Hertz, Sixt, Europcar
  • Hotels – earn Avios via GLO, Scandic, Sokos, Strawberry / Nordic Choice, Shangri-La
  • Hotels – spend Avios via GLO, Scandic, Sokos, Strawberry / Nordic Choice, Clarion Hotels Finland
  • Airlines – there will be two new airline earn and spend partners: Braathens (13 routes within Sweden) and Juneyao Air, a Chinese carrier

There are also a lot of individual earn and spend deals with specific hotels in Finland, plus leisure options such as restaurant vouchers.

Finnair has joined Avios

The IHG partnership appears to be a victim

You were always able to transfer Finnair Plus points into IHG One Rewards.

The rate wasn’t great. Given the 3:2 revaluation, I was expecting to see 13,333 Avios = 10,000 IHG One Rewards points.

However, IHG has disappeared completely from Finnair Plus website.

Strawberry – the top luxury hotel group in Scandinavia – is still there. However, Strawberry is merging its reward programmme with airline Norwegian and I can’t imagine Finnair Plus wlll want you transferring points into a competitor airline. I suspect this transfer option will disappear in time.

Reminder: Finnair Plus has moved to a spend-based programme

As part of the Avios move, Finnair has moved to spend-based Avios earning. You will earn 6 to 10 Avios per €1 spent, excluding taxes etc, depending on your Finnair Plus status.

If you were not bothered about British Airways tier points, you may want to do the maths to see if you would be better off crediting any cash Finnair flights to Finnair Plus rather than BAEC. Remember that you won’t be able to move the Avios across to your BA account until May / June.

Reminder: Finnair now guarantees four to eight award seats

Finnair will now guarantee a minimum number of award seats for Avios redemption on each flight. This should make it significantly easier to redeem Avios for Finnair flights.

Finnair is offering:

  • 4-6 award seats on shorthaul European flights (two in Business where it exists, four in Economy)
  • 8 award seats on long haul flights (two in Business, two in Premium Economy and four in Economy)

These should be bookable via ba.com so there is no need to wait until you are able to transfer Avios into Finnair Plus.

Finnair Schengen lounge

Conclusion

Whilst, strategically, a big deal for IAG Loyalty, the impact for British Airways Executive Club members from this Finnair move isn’t huge.

The key things to look out for are:

  • the ability to upgrade Finnair cash flights with Avios (but you can’t do this until May/June when you can transfer Avios across)
  • guaranteed Avios availability on every Finnair flight (already up and running, and showing at ba.com)
  • the ability to earn and spend Avios with additional car, flight, hotel and leisure partners (already up and running, but you won’t be able to transfer the Avios out of your Finnair Plus account to your BA account until May/June)

You can find out more on the Finnair website here.

PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

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 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.

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.

Category

British Airways and Avios, Finnair and Finnair Plus

Comments (55)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • BJ says:
    12 Mar12 March 06:11

    At one point we were expecting to be able to transfer avios within a week but now it’s 2-3 months. The IT cannot be so complex so presumably this is just to see how new system beds down with the relatively small number of AY+ members. A lot of good in the ‘new’ AY+. For once it benefits us in the regions over those in London/SE as the latter will presumably be less-inclined to pay the zone 1-2 connection (12k Y, 24k J each way IIRC) for what would effectively be a long detour exLHR for most destinations both East and West. Direct flights from HEL or connecting flights from zone 1 (free) could be extremely attractive to those who are able to squeeze real value out of positioning flights to visit family or friends or take short breaks.

  • zapato1060 says:
    12 Mar12 March 06:18

    Well done to those who purchased 266,666 Avios back in Sep at 0.83p.

    • BJ says:
      12 Mar12 March 06:32

      That’s debatable as there is a lot of value to be had in miles-earning AY revenue flights. But then 0.83p could still be good value on some partner flights when used wisely. I think many probably also made the purchase with the intention of moving the avios to BA to use with amex vouchers, they will likely be a bit frustrated and need to be patient a while longer.

  • Martin says:
    12 Mar12 March 06:59

    It might be worth looking at the Finair ability for converting avios to tier points

  • Bhupindar Chowdhary says:
    12 Mar12 March 07:20

    Has anyone compared to see if it will be easier to get to Gold status with BA or Finnair?

    • BJ says:
      12 Mar12 March 08:50

      If status is your priority you would be better going for MVP Gold or Gold 75k (OW Emerald ) with Alaska, at least for the next year. Sectors on Alaska metal are no longer requured.

  • Bhupindar Chowdhary says:
    12 Mar12 March 07:22

    I mean BA gold equivalent status

    • Rob says:
      12 Mar12 March 07:49

      Too complex to say – Finnair status points are € driven but partners are miles based. You can also convert Avios to status points.

      You need to pick a specific mix of flights (class, airline, cost) and do the maths.

      Anyone doing fully flex Finnair business class is 99% likely to be better off at Finnair.

      • LittleNick says:
        12 Mar12 March 07:56

        Has status points always been revenue based? I thought as part of adopting Avios it went revenue based?

        • Rob says:
          12 Mar12 March 08:25

          Went revenue based for Finnair flights. Partner flights count differently as Finnair does not see the fare.

  • Bernard says:
    12 Mar12 March 08:18

    Finnish people spending avios on BA are in for a shock.
    Late flights, boarding scrums, missed connections, filthy aircraft, and a lottery on up to date long haul business seats. Everything Finnair isn’t.

    • aseftel says:
      12 Mar12 March 08:38

      Finnair is still flying planes with the old A330 and A350 business class isn’t it? I didn’t think they had completed the roll-out.

      • Rhys says:
        12 Mar12 March 08:40

        Can only be a few aircraft now

        • BJ says:
          12 Mar12 March 08:53

          And not a big deal anyway as it was a decent seat.

          • Rob says:
            12 Mar12 March 09:16

            They are very close to being finished – weeks, not years. They kept going during covid. Not sure about the aircraft that Qantas is using, if that is even still ongoing.

          • QFFlyer says:
            16 Mar16 March 11:53

            The aircraft QF are using have the new seats. Wet lease using Asia crew for a couple of years, then will use QF crew for a couple more. Currently operating SYD-SIN-SYD, will soon be (or maybe has just started? soon at worst) SYD-BKK-SYD.

            I flew with them on the AY aircraft last November-ish, and it makes Qantas’ A330s look poor, in my opinion, but the seat is like Marmite. I personally love it.

    • riku says:
      12 Mar12 March 09:56

      On the other hand BA don’t have to stop in Amsterdam to refuel for LHR-SIN because of a two week fuel delivery strike (as is happening now in Finland with long haul flights stopping to refuel just after leaving Helsinki)

    • jjoohhnn says:
      12 Mar12 March 10:30

      At least they aren’t striking in the airports/airlines in the UK anymore like in Finland! “some of our long-haul flights will make a refueling stopover during the journey”

      • meta says:
        12 Mar12 March 11:45

        For two weeks only. It was only a year ago when flights were disrupted at Heathrow due to strikes and it could happen any time again.

        Would you rather be delayed for an hour or two or have your flight cancelled with the next one available in three days?

        BA would probably rather cancel the flights, then find a workable solution to minimise disruption for passengers.

    • Phillip says:
      12 Mar12 March 16:57

      My 4 flights with Finnair two weeks ago were all delayed by a minimum of one hour. They have also taken to last minute aircraft substitutions on AY1338 on certain days of the week from A350s to A320s. The Platinum/First lounge in HEL closed before 18:00 with everyone turfed out to the business lounge despite many a flight in the evening!

      • riku says:
        12 Mar12 March 17:15

        The platinum non schengen lounge is also closed in the morning, so the opening times are quite limited now, they are really keeping it just for the benefit of a few flights to Asia

  • flyforfun says:
    12 Mar12 March 09:07

    What chance Amex 2-4-1s will be redeemable on Finnair flights at some point?

    • Rob says:
      12 Mar12 March 09:15

      I suspect Finnair don’t want it. Takes out seats from their own members.

      Qatar on the other hand really DID want it but couldn’t and so are looking at Plan B.

      • Andrew says:
        12 Mar12 March 10:10

        Interesting. Why couldn’t Qatar adopt the Amex 2for1?

      • Numpty says:
        12 Mar12 March 11:54

        Plan B? Amex Qatar card?

        • BJ says:
          12 Mar12 March 12:30

          Probably not, looks like BA agreement is exclusive. I cannot recall any other amex airline cards except those issued by MBNA. Still, here’s hoping that is Plan B, assuming one exists at all.

          • meta says:
            12 Mar12 March 12:45

            They don’t have to go with Amex.

          • BJ says:
            12 Mar12 March 14:07

            It’s going to be very difficult to come up with something both viable and attractive with Mastercard or Visa.

  • Alastair says:
    12 Mar12 March 09:09

    Very interesting to be able to do the credit card comparison between UK and Finland now:

    – Barclaycard Avios (free) 1 Avios / GBP
    – Barclaycard Avios (120GBP/y) 1.5 Avios / GBP
    – Finnair Visa (72EUR/y) 1.7 – 2 Avios / EUR

    Assuming no status, and the ECB average from last year of 0.86432 EUR/GBP, the Finnair visa, at half the price of the premium Barclaycard, earns nearly 2 Avios / GBP equivalent. There are no upgrade vouchers but you do earn tier points with it (probably not enough to be meaningful though).

    The catch is that you’ve gotta live in Finland (in practice for 2+ years too)…

    • zapato1060 says:
      12 Mar12 March 11:54

      Thank you but a pretty pointless breakdown. Like stating the perks of US credit cards to a UK audience.

      • QFFlyer says:
        16 Mar16 March 11:56

        Not really, because it is possible to acquire international credit cards.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

New to Head for Points?

Welcome!  We’re the UK’s most-read source of business travel, Avios, frequent flyer and hotel loyalty news. Let us improve how you travel. Got any questions? Ask them in our forums.

Get 25,000 Avios with the Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

GET A SIGN-UP BONUS OF 18,000 VIRGIN POINTS!

Latest Forum Posts

Get 80,000 bonus points (worth 80,000 Avios) and £400 of dining credit with The Platinum Card (Offer ends 27th May)

Check reward flight availability instantly for free!

See a whole year of reward seat availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Get up to 10,000 bonus Hilton Honors points

Booking a luxury hotel?

Our luxury hotel booking service offers you GUARANTEED extra benefits over booking direct. Works with Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, The Ritz Carlton, St Regis and more. We've booked £1.7 million of rooms to date. Click for details.

SME? GET THE ONLY FREE SMALL BUSINESS CREDIT CARD WHICH CAN EARN AVIOS

Get points worth 30,000 Avios with 'first year free' American Express Gold (ends 27th May)

The UK's biggest frequent flyer website uses cookies, which you can block via your browser settings. Continuing implies your consent to this policy. Our privacy policy is here.

Got it!