Guide to British Airways Avios Transfer Partners

There are plenty of ways to redeem British Airways Avios points, and many travelers choose to use their Avios to snag British Airways award flights or to upgrade existing reservations. But another excellent way to use them is to book partner airline flights.

British Airways is a member of the Oneworld alliance, and it has its own partners as well, so there are several partner airlines and destinations to choose from. Here’s what you need to know about British Airways Avios transfer partners, plus how to use your Avios to book partner airline flights.

Partner airlines and how to redeem

Oneworld partners

As a member of the Oneworld Alliance, you can redeem your Avios to book flights with the following member airlines:

• American Airlines.

• Cathay Pacific.

• Finnair.

• Iberia.

• Japan Airlines.

• Malaysia Airlines.

• Qantas.

• Qatar Airways.

• Royal Air Maroc.

• Royal Jordanian Airlines.

• S7 Airlines.

• SriLankan Airlines.

To book, head to the book a rewards flight section of the British Airways website and log in. You'll find available flights under “Book with Avios,'' and you can pick the flight that works best for you. Flights that operate as partner airlines are clearly marked as such.

British Airways will walk you through the finalization of booking the award flight.

Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus flights can be booked through Avois.com due to their special partnership with British Airways and Iberia. You’ll first need to create an AerClub account to officially become a member of the Aer Lingus rewards program. You’ll then be able to log in to your AerClub account to search and book flights. It will guide you through the Avios points transfer process (from British Airways Avios to Aer Lingus Avios) before completing the checkout process.

Alaska Airlines

At this time, you have to contact British Airways via phone to book Alaska Airlines flights with Avios — it's not possible to do it online. First, use the Alaska Airlines website to find the flight that you want, and then call British Airways at 800-247-9297 to book the flight.

The phone operators will guide you through the process of redeeming Avios points for Alaska flights. Not all flights may be available, so you'll need to be prepared to be flexible.

Other partners

British Airways also has other partners, including subsidiaries, franchise partners and code-share partners. Franchise partners include Comair and Sun-Air, and you can redeem Avios with subsidiary company BA CityFlyer.

Additionally, you’ll see some flights listed on British Airways that are operated by other partners, including Aer Lingus, airBaltic, Bangkok Airways, China Eastern, Fiji Airways, Loganair, Vistara and Vueling Airlines. You can use your Avios to book these flights.

» Learn more: Your guide to British Airways’ award chart

How you can save

Partner flights can be more rewarding than British Airways flights. While you can use earned Avios to book flights directly with British Airways, using Avios to book with partner airlines can potentially save you money.

British Airways is known for charging high carrier fees, fuel fees and taxes for its own international flights, and these additional fees can result in your Avios becoming less valuable. For this reason, many travelers choose to use their Avios on partner and alliance airline members to avoid fees and get more value from their Avios.

» Learn more: How to redeem British Airways Avios for maximum value

Here’s one trip example

Let’s say you live in the U.S. on the East Coast and want to take a trip to Ireland. You could use your Avios and book your Philadelphia to Dublin flight directly with British Airways. Traveling on off-peak dates round-trip will cost you 43,000 Avios and $600.64 in taxes and fees.

Using the same dates and location preferences as above, this trip with Aer Lingus will cost only 26,000 Avios and $240.22 in taxes and fees. Plus, it's a nonstop route.

Check with potential partner airlines before assuming that you need to book a British Airways-operated flight. You may be able to save yourself a lot in fees and get better use of your Avios points.

Earning Avios with partners

You can earn Avios in many ways, including on flights operated by alliance and partner airlines. The earning potential depends on which airline you’re flying with, how far the trip is, the cabin that you book, the type of ticket and your current Executive Club tier level.

British Airways provides a calculator that can be used to determine how many Avios and tier points can be earned.

Elite benefits on partner flights

You’ve worked hard to earn elite status. The good news is your British Airways Executive Club status will also come in handy when you fly with a British Airways partner.

Silver and Gold Executive Club members and members traveling in first or business class on Oneworld airline flights will have access to the following perks when available:

• Priority check-in.

• Priority boarding.

• Preferred or pre-reserved seating.

• Priority on waitlists and when on standby.

• Access to business lounges.

• Extra baggage allowance.

Further, Gold Executive Club members flying in business class or on Oneworld member airline flights will have access to fast-track security lines, first class priority check-in and first class lounges, when available.

» Learn more: Reasons to love the British Airways loyalty program

The bottom line

As a British Airways Executive Club member, you can both earn and redeem Avios by flying with partner airlines. You can do this in lieu of booking a British Airways flight or booking a partner flight using that airline’s own miles or points currencies. It takes some planning, but it can be a great way to travel to amazing destinations while putting your saved Avios to use.