Big news for Avios collectors: As of May 22nd, members can now transfer their points from Finnair Plus to their British Airways Club accounts with no limits.
Last year, Finnair announced that it was shifting its loyalty programme to a fully dynamic earnings model for both miles and tier status and adopting Finnair Avios as its new mileage currency. This change aligned Finnair with other major airlines in the IAG group, including British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Level, as well as Qatar Airways, which holds a 25% stake in IAG.
Now, the airline has officially rolled out the new feature allowing Avios transfers between the two accounts. Pekka Antila, head of loyalty at Finnair, said: “As we continue on our journey into a new era with Finnair Plus, we are excited to be joining forces with our friends at British Airways.”
Here's everything you need to know.
How to Transfer Avios Between Finnair Plus and BA Club
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you link your accounts and start transferring your Finnair Avios to your BA Club, previously known as the British Airways Executive Club, account.
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Linking Your Accounts
- Log in to Finnair Plus: Start by logging into your Finnair Plus account through the Finnair website.
- Enable Two-Factor Authentication: For added security, Finnair recommends enabling two-factor authentication on both your Finnair Plus and British Airways Club accounts. For Finnair, this can be done on the Update Profile page. For British Airways, you may need to contact their customer service for specific instructions.
- Ensure Name Consistency: Make sure your first and last names match exactly on both accounts. The system will handle special characters like hyphens and accents automatically, but the basic name information should be consistent.
- Link Your Accounts: Navigate to the Balance and Transactions page in your Finnair Plus account. Here, select the option to link your accounts. You will be redirected to the British Airways website to complete this process.
- Confirm Account Linking: Once the accounts are linked, you’ll receive a confirmation email. This step ensures that the linking process has been successful and you’re ready to transfer Avios.
Transferring Avios to Your BA Club Account
- Select Transfer Avios: Go to the Balance and Transactions page in your Finnair Plus account and select the Transfer Avios option.
- Complete the Transfer on BA's Website: You’ll be redirected to the British Airways website to finalise the transfer. Follow the prompts to complete the process.
- Check Transaction History: Transfers are almost instantaneous, so you can check your account’s transaction history to confirm that the Avios have been successfully moved.
Benefits for Travellers
Already a well-known and widely used currency among frequent flyers, Avios allows for greater integration and flexibility across airlines. The ability to transfer Avios between Finnair Plus and British Airways Club accounts makes it easier for travellers to access flights, upgrades, and other rewards across a broad network of airlines, regardless of where their Avios were initially earned.
While Finnair Plus might seem modest with its 4 million members compared to the extensive bases of the British Airways Club and Qatar Airways Privilege Club, it adds a valuable 10% to the overall member pool. This means new avenues for earning and redeeming Avios with a variety of non-airline partners.
For example, Finnair Plus members staying at Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts (a partner not affiliated with British Airways Club) can now credit their stays to their Finnair account and then transfer those Avios to their BA Club account. With no transfer limits, travellers can easily shift their points to where they will be most beneficial, whether for an upgrade, booking a flight, or taking advantage of other loyalty programme perks.
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Another major benefit is access to the broader route network available through the BA Club. British Airways connects travellers to over 200 destinations across six continents. By transferring Avios to the BA Club, Finnair Plus members can tap into this network and take advantage of more BA reward flight search opportunities.
Booking Finnair flights via BA.com is another advantage. Once the accounts are linked, members can easily book Finnair flights through the British Airways website. This makes it easy to manage travel plans, earn and redeem Avios, and enjoy the benefits of both loyalty programmes without the hassle of navigating multiple booking systems.
And finally, the ability to choose the best rates is another key benefit. Since reward charts and fees can vary between airlines, transferring Avios to take advantage of more favourable redemption rates can lead to major savings. For example, Cathay Pacific rewards are often more reasonably priced when booked through Qatar Airways' programme, and Iberia’s flights can be more cost-effective when booked directly through their programme.
All in all, partner airlines can provide their customers with a more unified and versatile loyalty experience by joining forces under the Avios umbrella.
Final Thoughts
Frequent flyers should take full advantage of this new feature for their BA reward flight search. The broader range of redemption options means you can tailor your travel plans to fit your specific needs more effectively than ever before. In a nutshell, it’s about giving you, the traveller, more control and more choices and making sure that your hard-earned points work harder for you. So, go ahead and link those accounts and start taking advantage of this added flexibility.
