Wine and travel are two of life’s great pleasures. Put them together, and you’ve got a pretty irresistible pairing. A good glass of wine can make everything feel a little softer, conversations easier, and the evening brighter. And now, thanks to The Wine Flyer, that same glass can also make your next getaway closer, because every pour is a new way to earn Avios without even stepping on a plane.
In this blog, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about how to earn Avios with The Wine Flyer and watch your balance shoot up faster than a Champagne cork on New Year’s Eve.
What Is The Wine Flyer?
The Wine Flyer is British Airways’ very own wine shop and perhaps the most rewarding cellar you’ll ever browse. It’s a curated collection of well-priced, good-quality bottles that British Airways delivers straight to your doorstep.
The idea is simple but brilliant: the same people who curate the wines served at 35,000 feet now handpick a range that works just as beautifully at sea level.
The selection is far from a one-note list. Weeknight reds that pair with Tuesday pasta? Check. Celebration champagnes for anniversaries, promotions, or just surviving Monday? Absolutely. You’ll find crowd-pleasing classics, crisp whites from familiar vineyards, elegant rosés, and even some adventurous newcomers from up-and-coming wine regions. Many of these labels are served on British Airways flights or sourced from the same producers, so the bottle that once made a long-haul dinner feel special can now elevate your next takeaway night at home.
And yes, every single bottle earns Avios. So that the next time you pick a single Pinot or a full case of party bubbles, each pound you spend will also translate into Avios points for flights, upgrades, or cabin-class treats. It’s proof that not all loyalty programmes are dry, and stocking your rack can actually bring you closer to your next British Airways reward flight. In short, shopping BA now means Bordeaux today and Business Class tomorrow.
How to Earn Avios with The Wine Flyer
Earning Avios through The Wine Flyer is as easy. Every bottle you buy counts, no matter how small or big the occasion. Here’s how it works:
- Browse the site: Head to The Wine Flyer website. The range stretches from classic Bordeaux and crisp New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs to playful up-and-coming regions, plus champagnes, spirits, and even non-alcoholic options.
- Link your account: Log in with (or create) your British Airways Club account so every pound you spend converts to Avios.
- Buy and collect: Add your favourites to the basket and check out. That’s it. Your points will be deposited into your account as soon as the payment clears.
The headline reward is generous: You earn five Avios per £1 spent on most wine purchases, which easily beats the typical earn rates on the Shopping BA portal. Subscriptions and special cases can push that even higher, with bonus payouts that add up to 20,000 Avios a year if you keep the deliveries coming.
Promotions sweeten the deal. Limited-time offers often include welcome bonuses for first orders, double-Avios events, or extra points on seasonal mixed cases. Stack these with an Avios-earning credit card, such as a British Airways American Express, and you’ll add another 1–1.5 Avios per £1 on top of the Wine Flyer’s own rate.
Let’s look at the math: If you spend £120 on a case at Wine Flyer, you'll collect 600 Avios. Pay with a BA Amex that earns 1.5 Avios per £1, and you’ll pocket another 180 Avios, for a tidy 780 Avios.
Some Bonus Strategies to Sweeten the Deal
The smartest Wine Flyer shoppers don’t settle for a single splash of Avios. Instead, they layer them like a perfectly built Bordeaux blend. Every purchase starts with a generous earn rate of 5 Avios per £1 (and often climbs to 10 Avios per £1 during promotions), but the real value is in stacking those points with the right card and a timely offer.
Then there are the subscription cases, which deliver up to 20,000 Avios per year if you keep the monthly deliveries coming, along with regular bonus drops on your first few orders. Seasonal codes, like SUMMERWINE for a 3,000-Avios top-up on a qualifying case, add even more value to your total.
The best part? You can rack up these “frequent flyer” rewards without setting foot on a plane. For travellers (or stay-at-home sippers) who prefer their Avios earned from a sofa rather than a seat in 12A, this is stacking done right.
How to Spend Avios on Wine
Spending Avios at The Wine Flyer is simple. Once you’ve filled your basket with everything from weekday Malbecs to celebration Champagnes, log in to your British Airways Club account at checkout. Click “edit basket and spend Avios,” slide the on-screen bar to decide how many points to use, and watch the total shrink. You can trim a few pounds off the bill or, if your balance is positively bursting, cover up to 95% of the cost with Avios alone.
The beauty is in the flexibility. Maybe you drop a modest 1,000 Avios to make a school-night Pinot taste even better, or splash a larger stash on a party case of sparkling rosé. Seasonal promos and bonus codes occasionally add more value, an easy win if you’re already wondering how to spend Avios for the best value.
That said, the maths matters. Redeeming Avios for wine typically works out at around 0.5p per point, while earning Avios points through flights, especially long-haul upgrades, can deliver 1p or more per point in value. If your dream is a British Airways reward flight to somewhere sunny, saving may still be the smarter move. But when the choice is between a distant premium-cabin upgrade and a ready-to-pour Pinot waiting at your door this weekend, sometimes the best reward is the one you can sip tonight.
What’s the Best Strategy?
Ultimately, it comes down to a personal choice. A cellar full of Rioja today or a British Airways reward flight tomorrow, that’s the dilemma. On paper, Avios points through flights almost always win the value game. A long-haul upgrade to Club World can clock in at 1p–2p per point, while wine redemptions typically hover around 0.5p per point. From a spreadsheet perspective, the maths says “save it for the ticket.”
But points aren’t only about maths. If you’re a rare flyer with a balance under 10,000 Avios that’s nowhere near the cost of a flight, or you spot a bonus promo that boosts your redemption rate, using Avios to stock your wine rack can be a very satisfying move. After all, a perfectly chilled rosé on Friday night delivers instant gratification.
However, frequent travellers chasing a Business Class upgrade will want to keep earning (and hoarding) for the skies, but casual collectors can happily drink their points without regret. If you’re only a few thousand Avios away from a long-haul upgrade or plan to use them for premium cabin flights where the value is much higher, it makes sense to keep saving. The same applies if you’re redeeming at standard prices without any promotions.
The smart play is to mix strategies. Earn with wine, save for flights, and when the time finally comes, enjoy a celebratory glass of Wine Flyer Champagne. Because sometimes the best redemption plan is one you can both sip and fly.
