Want to supercharge your Avios and get away quicker? Here’s how

Words: Ally Wybrew

Eyeing up that seductive spa resort in Santorini? Or maybe it’s the green slopes of Costa Del Sol’s golf courses that have got your feet itching. Whatever your dream European getaway looks like, it could be just around the corner, thanks to a smart way to collect Avios with Barclays Premier Banking and Barclays Avios Rewards.

Barclays Avios Rewards furnishes British Airways Club members with a generous Avios joining bonus, 1,500 Avios every month and even the possibility of a cabin upgrade. To enjoy these features, you’ll need to be a Barclays Premier Banking customer so, if you’re not already, head here to open an account.¹ To qualify for Premier, you’ll need an annual income of £75,000, or £100,000 or more to save or invest with Barclays. Once your account is open, go to the Barclays mobile phone app and switch on Barclays Avios Rewards.² You’ll be in the skies before you know it.

The Avios joining bonus

If there’s ever been an incentive to switch banks, surely bagging 25,000 Avios is it? After all, that’s enough for an off-peak British Airways Euro Traveller return flight to Lisbon⁴ (including taxes and charges). Intrigued? We thought so. New Barclays customers who complete a full switch via the Current Account Switch Service within three months of joining Barclays Avios Rewards will receive a 25,000 Avios joining bonus, which is a welcome account boost, no matter your balance.³ There are perks for existing customers, too: a tidy 2,500 Avios will greet Barclays account holders who have been with the bank for four months or more.

The monthly Avios influx

The perks of Barclays Avios Rewards don’t stop on sign up. Every month, customers who have opted in will receive at least 1,500 Avios into their British Airways Club account, simply for having it. Add that to the new customer joining bonus and your balance will be supercharged by a comfortable 43,000 Avios by the end of the first year – that’s enough for two British Airways Euro Traveller return flights to Europe. All you have to do is pick where to go.

The Reward Flight

Avios are made to be spent, but how you do that is up to you. Our suggestion? Take advantage of British Airways’ Reward Flights.⁴ These are bookable with Avios (plus a cash amount for taxes, fees and carrier charges), and available to worldwide destinations through British Airways and its oneworld® partners. Seats are subject to availability, so try and book your Reward Flights as early as possible. Plan it right, and you could be flying off to Dubai or New York for as little as 25,000 Avios plus £50.⁴

The cabin upgrade

Loyalty should always be rewarded, and Barclays takes this seriously. For each year you're a member of Barclays Avios Rewards, you’ll receive a British Airways cabin upgrade voucher for use on a Reward Flight of your choice.⁵ The voucher works across all tiers, meaning you could jump from premium economy (World Traveller Plus) to business (Club World). Alternatively, customers can opt for an injection of 7,000 additional Avios to use on whatever they choose, from hotel and car hire to destination experiences – or even crates of wine. You’ll receive your chosen anniversary reward every year (after 12 monthly payments of £12) you’ve been signed up to Barclays Avios Rewards.

The additional Avios advantage

Because Barclays Premier is an account with a difference...(because it's the only UK current account that collects Avios for you), the potential for Avios collection doesn’t stop there. Customers can also collect additional Avios for selected products and services held with Barclays. See you in Barbados!

Find out more

Terms and Conditions
1. Join Premier Banking by opening a Premier Current Account. You also need a gross annual income of at least £75,000 paid into the account, or a total balance of at least £100,000 in savings with Barclays, in eligible investments, or a mix of both. 
2. You can opt in to Barclays Avios Rewards if you’re a Premier Banking customer or have a personal Wealth current account with Barclays – you’ll need to register for the Barclays app and have a British Airways Club account too. There’s a £12 monthly fee and you have to opt out of Barclays Blue Rewards and go paperless for all your accounts and services with Barclays. To access Barclays Avios Rewards in the Barclays app, you need to be over 18. You can join Premier Banking if you have an income of £75,000 or £100,000 to save or invest with Barclays. T&Cs apply.
3. To qualify for the 25,000 Avios joining bonus, you’ll need to join Barclays Avios Rewards  within 4 months of opening your first Barclays current account. Then, you’ll need to complete a full switch of your old current account to Barclays, using the Current Account Switch Service within 3 months of joining Barclays Avios Rewards. You will then receive your joining bonus in the fourth month of Barclays Avios Rewards membership.
4. Reward Flights are available to any British Airways Club Members with an Avios balance. In addition to your Avios, the only cash amount required for Reward Flights is a fixed cash amount. Your chosen date of travel will determine whether you pay a peak or off-peak Avios amount. When booking Reward Flights, you can choose all peak dates, all off-peak dates or a mixture of the two. For travel in First, a cash amount to cover taxes, fees and carrier charges will be payable. The taxes, fees and carrier charges will vary dependent on airline and destination and will be calculated when you book your flights. The final fee (i.e. Avios plus payable taxes, fees and carrier charges) will be displayed at the final stage of your booking. Find out more about Reward Flights here. Club Terms and Conditions and Conditions of Use apply. The price referenced in this publication is for a Reward Flight and based on an off-peak, one-way fare for 1 passenger travelling in World Traveller (Economy) from London to Lisbon and an off-peak, one-way fare for 1 passenger travelling in World Traveller (Economy) from London to Dubai/New York. Information is correct at time of publication.
5. You can find out more information about the cabin upgrade voucher in the Barclays app. Cabin upgrade vouchers must be used on Avios Reward Flight bookings. Reward Flights and cabin upgrades are subject to availability. Taxes, fees and carrier charges per person apply. Additional terms and conditions apply to use the cabin upgrade voucher. Please go to ba.com/barclays-avios-rewards for more information.