How to buy Avios for 1p per point

BMI Diamond Club is, until 30th June, allowing you to buy BMI miles with a 20% bonus (log-in to www.flybmi.com to see this, there is a link at the bottom of your activity chart under Your Activities). 

Why is this interesting, you say?

Well, from 3rd July you will be able to convert Diamond Club miles into Avios on a 1:1 basis, with no fee.  The cheapest deal is for buying the maximum 24,000 miles, which comes out at £255, although it is not a lot more expensive per mile to buy fewer.  This is a touch over 1p per Avios.

I usually say that I value an Avios at around 0.75p.  However, this is a purposely conservative estimate to ensure that I don’t overpay.  If I was taking part in some Tesco promotion or similar, I would want to be paying 0.5p or less to justify the time involved. 

Using an Amex 2-4-1 on your redemption, though, would double the values I give above, and of course if you need to buy some miles to reach the required level for an award, it is an even better deal.

I am not jumping in on this deal with over 2.5m Avios and DC miles in the bank.  However, after 3rd July, the only way to buy Avios will be via ba.com.  That will cost you £399 for 24,000, rather than £255 via the deal above.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios:

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)