Update on the Zipcar / Avios relationship

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I wrote recently about the new partnership between pay-by-the-hour car sharing site Zipcar and avios.com / British Airways Executive Club.

It wasn’t clear at the time what would happen if you were an existing Zipcar member. There is no option on the Zipcar site to add your BA details.

With my own Zipcar membership up for renewal this month, I emailed the company at aviosrenew@zipcar.co.uk to ask.

It appears that they will not allow you to collect Avios points during your current membership year. However, as long as your provide the company with a BA or avios.com membership number before your renewal date, you will start collecting from that point.

I have now sent over my BAEC details and look forward to receiving a few miles from October onwards.

If you want to join Zipcar, you can sign up via their website here.

How to earn Avios points from UK credit cards

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 BA Amex American Express card

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 BA Premium Plus American Express Amex credit card

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.)

Category

British Airways and Avios

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Brian says:

9 Sep9 September 08:04

On my Avios.com offers page, there is an offer for bonus miles with Zipcar. I guess this must be generally available.
Nick Burch says:

9 Sep9 September 11:09

I’m on the “free but no weekends” Access Rate Plan. I’ve just emailed, and they said that normally the number can only be added at signup or renewal, but as I’m on the free plan they’ve added my BAEC number straight away.

Not sure why they won’t add it mid-year for others, but it might be worth pushing as it’s clearly possible within their system!
Ryan says:

9 Sep9 September 11:16

Any idea whether this applies to Zip Van memberships as well? I’m planning to join at lunchtime. I’ll give it a go and report back.
- Ryan says:
  
  9 Sep9 September 21:34
  
  Was told that Zipvan membership doesn’t count. I get the feeling that renting a Zipvan on a Zipcar membership would get you Avios though.
  - Rob says:
    
    10 Sep10 September 08:21
    
    Agreed. I can get access to the Zipvan fleet though my normal Zipcar membership.
Sam says:

9 Sep9 September 11:29

I’m a member of City Car Club – them & Zipcar used to offer free membership if you were a member of the opposition. Does anyone know if this is still the case? Cannot find reference on Zipcar website.

Not wishing to take advantage of Zipcar’s generosity, but only free membership & free Avios would pursuade me to join them (hell, if I could get a referral from Raffles so we both benefit that would be even better!) – simply because i’m so content with City Car Club.
- Nick Burch says:
  
  9 Sep9 September 11:40
  
  If you don’t need weekend use of zipcar, then they do have the Access Plan which is free. Can be a bit tricky to sign up for – some countries have it listed, others it’s nominally only available as a downgrade
- Rob says:
  
  9 Sep9 September 13:22
  
  Ironically I had a big fight with Zipcar on Sunday when they changed the car around the corner for an automatic. I had booked it via the mobile app and didn’t bother digging into the detail of the car because I assumed it was the usual one. Wasn’t happy using an automatic in London with the two kids in the back.
  
  They gave us another car quickly which was under 10 minutes walk away but we had to get ourselves, the kids and the car seats round there. We did get our rental extended and in theory some credit on the account – no idea how much. They are very good at dealing with complaints in my experience.
  - Alan says:
    
    9 Sep9 September 13:57
    
    Glad they dealt with the complaint well – out of interest, what’s the problem with an automatic though?
    - Rob says:
      
      9 Sep9 September 15:34
      
      I haven’t driven one for at least 10 years and I didn’t want to find myself in a tricky situation with the kids in the back and with a sudden blank about how to operate it.
      - Alan says:
        
        9 Sep9 September 15:42
        
        Ah OK – I only ever drive one when renting a car but find it simpler – worst case scenario you brake and press a non-existent clutch at the same time 😉
      - Waribai says:
        
        9 Sep9 September 23:42
        
        Glad you cleared that up. I was starting to panic thinking you knew about some hidden danger for kids lurking in automatics!
ewb says:

9 Sep9 September 12:28

I’ve just renewed my Zipcar membership so I’ll have to wait 11 months until I start collecting points.

I asked Customer services what would happen if I cancelled my membership and re-joined. This was the answer:

“Unfortunately that would not be possible as the system would recognise you as a previous member. There is no way to join the scheme earlier than renewal.”