Last Updated: 23 Jul 2026

Your next Uber ride could earn three times as many Avios - or none at all. That's because loyalty programmes are increasingly rewarding the behaviour they want to encourage instead of handing out points across the board. The latest casualty seems to be Uber, which has overhauled the way its customers earn Avios in the UK.

The flat 1 Avios per £1 rate that had been in place since 2022 disappeared on 15 June this year, replaced by a tiered structure that rewards specific types of journeys. How to collect Avios on Uber now depends on what you book and when you book it.

Let's break it down and see what it means for users and travellers.

What are the New Uber Avios Earning Rates?

The new structure works like this:

• 3 Avios per £1 on Uber Reserve bookings
• 2 Avios per £1 on journeys to or from an airport
• 2 Avios per £1 on premium rides such as Uber XL, Exec and Lux
• 2 Avios per £1 on train and Eurostar tickets booked through the Uber app
• 1 Avios per £1 on Uber Eats orders over £25 (this remains unchanged)

The biggest change, though, is not even on that list: standard UberX and regular taxi journeys no longer earn any Avios, unless they're booked via Uber Reserve or if you’re travelling to or from an airport. In other words, a normal UberX across town, hailed on the day, earns nothing.

Uber Reserve is the advanced-booking option within the app, and it’s not available everywhere. Coverage currently includes Greater London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Leicester, Merseyside, Nottingham and the South West, including Bristol and Bath. Anyone outside those areas has one route left to earn on an UberX: the airport run.

It's also unclear whether products such as Uber Boat, Lime bikes and coach travel will continue to earn Avios. The updated terms suggest they won't, although Uber hasn't explicitly confirmed this.

Who Wins and Who Loses

As is the case, whenever there's a change, it creates clear winners and losers. Travellers who pre-book rides or head to the airport regularly will earn Avios faster than before, and anyone already partial to the pricier cars keeps a healthy rate. Members who use Uber mainly for everyday local trips will earn fewer points than before, and in most cases, none at all.

There's an obvious temptation to book an Uber Exec purely to keep the points flowing. But once you resist that immediate urge, you’ll realise that it's not the right move. A typical fare earns only 20 or 30 Avios, which is worth pennies, compared with the several extra pounds a premium car costs over an UberX. Run the sums through an Avios calculator if you need convincing: paying extra pounds to gain a handful of points is a poor trade. Book the cheapest car that suits the trip and treat any Avios as a bonus.

The Small Print Worth Knowing

• Avios are calculated on the trip price before any promotions are applied, and tips don't count.
• Neither does the cleaning charge, should your Friday night go a bit sideways.
• Cancelling one trip in a multi-trip booking wipes out the earnings on the whole booking.
• Uber Eats orders earn on the basket subtotal, so a £40 order discounted to £20 still earns on the full £40, as long as the order is over £25.

How to Start Earning

Most Avios tips for beginners revolve around linking a partnership once and never thinking about it again, and this one still qualifies. Head to Settings inside the Account section of the Uber app, then scroll to Rewards and connect your British Airways Club or Aer Lingus AerClub account. One Uber account links to one Avios account, and the names on both must match.

One thing hasn't changed: once you've linked your Uber and Avios accounts, points are credited automatically after every eligible trip.

What This Means for Avios Collectors

We've seen this happen before, and it really should not come as a surprise. Uber is borrowing a page from the airline playbook: reward the expensive behaviour and starve the cheap stuff. The question of ‘How to collect Avios from ground transport’ then becomes one of planning, which is a shame, because the old arrangement's charm was that it asked nothing of you.

The strategy now should be to take advantage of the higher earning rates when they match your travel plans, not to change your behaviour just to earn a few extra points. You can maximise Avios earnings by routing airport runs and pre-planned journeys through the app and pay with a card that earns Avios on the transaction to keep the overall rate respectable. Price-check the alternatives everywhere else, because a cheaper fare elsewhere beats a few points every time.

Every point earned still counts towards British Airways reward flights, and because Avios transfer freely between programmes, Iberia reward flights as well.

The Verdict

Let's be honest, a year of Uber trips was never going to pay for British Airways reward flights in Business Class on its own anyway, but strong balances are built from lots of small streams, and stacking passive earners like this one still remains a staple.

But, is it a better deal? The answer is subjective, and it really depends on your Uber usage habits. It’s great news for airport travellers and anyone who already books Uber Reserve or premium rides. You'll earn up to three times as many Avios as before. But it's a clear devaluation for everyone else.

However, you can still maximise Avios earnings under the new structure and book whatever's cheapest everywhere else. After all, the points were only ever a bonus.

Last Updated: 23 Jul 2026

Your next Uber ride could earn three times as many Avios - or none at all. That's because loyalty programmes are increasingly rewarding the behaviour they want to encourage instead of handing out points across the board. The latest casualty seems to be Uber, which has overhauled the way its customers earn Avios in the UK.

The flat 1 Avios per £1 rate that had been in place since 2022 disappeared on 15 June this year, replaced by a tiered structure that rewards specific types of journeys. How to collect Avios on Uber now depends on what you book and when you book it.

Let's break it down and see what it means for users and travellers.

What are the New Uber Avios Earning Rates?

The new structure works like this:

• 3 Avios per £1 on Uber Reserve bookings
• 2 Avios per £1 on journeys to or from an airport
• 2 Avios per £1 on premium rides such as Uber XL, Exec and Lux
• 2 Avios per £1 on train and Eurostar tickets booked through the Uber app
• 1 Avios per £1 on Uber Eats orders over £25 (this remains unchanged)

The biggest change, though, is not even on that list: standard UberX and regular taxi journeys no longer earn any Avios, unless they're booked via Uber Reserve or if you’re travelling to or from an airport. In other words, a normal UberX across town, hailed on the day, earns nothing.

Uber Reserve is the advanced-booking option within the app, and it’s not available everywhere. Coverage currently includes Greater London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Leicester, Merseyside, Nottingham and the South West, including Bristol and Bath. Anyone outside those areas has one route left to earn on an UberX: the airport run.

It's also unclear whether products such as Uber Boat, Lime bikes and coach travel will continue to earn Avios. The updated terms suggest they won't, although Uber hasn't explicitly confirmed this.

Who Wins and Who Loses

As is the case, whenever there's a change, it creates clear winners and losers. Travellers who pre-book rides or head to the airport regularly will earn Avios faster than before, and anyone already partial to the pricier cars keeps a healthy rate. Members who use Uber mainly for everyday local trips will earn fewer points than before, and in most cases, none at all.

There's an obvious temptation to book an Uber Exec purely to keep the points flowing. But once you resist that immediate urge, you’ll realise that it's not the right move. A typical fare earns only 20 or 30 Avios, which is worth pennies, compared with the several extra pounds a premium car costs over an UberX. Run the sums through an Avios calculator if you need convincing: paying extra pounds to gain a handful of points is a poor trade. Book the cheapest car that suits the trip and treat any Avios as a bonus.

The Small Print Worth Knowing

• Avios are calculated on the trip price before any promotions are applied, and tips don't count.
• Neither does the cleaning charge, should your Friday night go a bit sideways.
• Cancelling one trip in a multi-trip booking wipes out the earnings on the whole booking.
• Uber Eats orders earn on the basket subtotal, so a £40 order discounted to £20 still earns on the full £40, as long as the order is over £25.

How to Start Earning

Most Avios tips for beginners revolve around linking a partnership once and never thinking about it again, and this one still qualifies. Head to Settings inside the Account section of the Uber app, then scroll to Rewards and connect your British Airways Club or Aer Lingus AerClub account. One Uber account links to one Avios account, and the names on both must match.

One thing hasn't changed: once you've linked your Uber and Avios accounts, points are credited automatically after every eligible trip.

What This Means for Avios Collectors

We've seen this happen before, and it really should not come as a surprise. Uber is borrowing a page from the airline playbook: reward the expensive behaviour and starve the cheap stuff. The question of ‘How to collect Avios from ground transport’ then becomes one of planning, which is a shame, because the old arrangement's charm was that it asked nothing of you.

The strategy now should be to take advantage of the higher earning rates when they match your travel plans, not to change your behaviour just to earn a few extra points. You can maximise Avios earnings by routing airport runs and pre-planned journeys through the app and pay with a card that earns Avios on the transaction to keep the overall rate respectable. Price-check the alternatives everywhere else, because a cheaper fare elsewhere beats a few points every time.

Every point earned still counts towards British Airways reward flights, and because Avios transfer freely between programmes, Iberia reward flights as well.

The Verdict

Let's be honest, a year of Uber trips was never going to pay for British Airways reward flights in Business Class on its own anyway, but strong balances are built from lots of small streams, and stacking passive earners like this one still remains a staple.

But, is it a better deal? The answer is subjective, and it really depends on your Uber usage habits. It’s great news for airport travellers and anyone who already books Uber Reserve or premium rides. You'll earn up to three times as many Avios as before. But it's a clear devaluation for everyone else.

However, you can still maximise Avios earnings under the new structure and book whatever's cheapest everywhere else. After all, the points were only ever a bonus.