NEW: Spend your Avios on duty free shopping at Heathrow

You can now redeem Avios on duty free shopping at London Heathrow. I’m not saying that you will want to, when you see the details, but the option is now there.

You may not have heard of Club Avolta, but its previous name – Red By Dufry – probably rings a bell.

For a start, 1,800 HfP readers took part in a Red By Dufry status match earlier in the year. This allowed them to match their British Airways or hotel status to top tier in Red By Dufry.

(If you did this, there is some exciting news coming. Club Avolta will soon launch a Radisson Rewards status match, with top tier Club Avolta status getting top tier Radisson Rewards VIP status.)

Avolta (the renamed Dufry) is the company which runs the main duty free stores at Heathrow and many, many other airports across the UK and globally.

Back in November 2023, the Avolta-run shops at Heathrow launched a new partnership with Avios.

You earn 1 Avios for every £1 you spend in World Duty Free and other shops at Heathrow run by Avolta.

Even better, you will receive 250 bonus Avios with your first transaction after linking your Club Avolta account to your Avios account.

This is totally separate from the Heathrow Rewards loyalty scheme – which also earns Avios – and it appears that you can double up by earning in both programmes.

You can now SPEND Avios with Club Avolta too

Very quietly, Club Avolta has rolled out the ability to spend Avios in its Heathrow and Madrid stores.

It’s another innovative use of the Avios API which allows partners to link directly to your Avios account and add or remove points. It is how, for example, Uber can credit Avios from a ride within 30 seconds of you getting out of the car.

Because your Club Avolta account is already linked to your British Airways Executive Club account, you can see your Avios balance in the Club Avolta app and use it to create an e-voucher which can be immediately spent on duty free.

How does it work?

Download the Club Avolta app:

If you are not a member of Club Avolta (ex-Red By Dufry) you need to download the app to your phone.

Link your Avios account:

Once your account is set up, go to ‘Account’ and ‘Explore Partners’. You will be able to link your Avios and Club Avolta accounts on this page.

Going forward, you will earn 1 Avios per £1 spent at participating Heathrow and Madrid stores. There is a 250 Avios bonus for your first transaction after linking accounts.

Whilst I’m not covering it in detail here, you will also save 5% on purchases at Avolta outlets at Heathrow and in other airports globally. These include, in the UK, Aberdeen, Belfast City, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Glasgow Prestwick, Humberside, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool John Lennon, London Gatwick, London Luton, London Southend, London Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Southampton and Teesside. You do NOT earn Avios at these airports, however.

Order an e-voucher:

Once your Avios account is linked, you will see your points balance showing on the ‘Partners’ page.

Click on the BA logo and you will be taken to another page with a menu option marked ‘Add voucher’. (It would make more sense to say ‘Order a voucher’ but what do I know ….)

You select ‘Heathrow’ or ‘Madrid’ as the airport where you intend to shop. You can then select the value of voucher you want:

The voucher sits in the Club Avolta app and can be scanned whilst making your purchase.

Vouchers cannot be used for tobacco purchases.

Which Heathrow stores accept Club Avolta vouchers?

You can’t use these vouchers at every retailer in Heathrow. They are only valid at:

Terminal 2

• World Duty Free (three branches)

Terminal 3

• World Duty Free (two branches)
• Haute Perfumerie
• World of Whiskies
• Jo Malone
• Sunglasses Boutique
• Glorious Britain

Terminal 4

• World Duty Free (three branches)
• Glorious Britain
• Jo Malone / Tom Ford

Terminal 5

• World Duty Free (four branches)
• Collections
• Glorious Britain
• Sunglasses Hut

Is using Avios for duty free a good deal?

Not really.

You are getting 0.5p per Avios.

This is the same rate you get if you redeem Avios for Nectar points or for many other non-flight items.

Regular HfP readers will know that we target 1p+ when redeeming your Avios for premium cabin flights. This article (click) is our core ‘what is an Avios worth?’ piece.

However, if you are determined not to use your Avios for premium cabin flights, redeeming them for 0.5p each via Club Avolta is no worse than your alternatives.

Irrespective of the redemption value, anyone who shops in the Heathrow outlets listed above should join Club Avolta. You’ll earn 250 bonus Avios with your first purchase after linking your British Airways Executive Club account and will earn 1 Avios per £1 spent going forward.

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.

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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:

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.

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