How do I close a British Airways Household Account? What happens to the Avios?

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How can you close a British Airways Household Account – and what happens to the Avios?

We recently wrote about how to open a British Airways household account in order to pool Avios. In this article we’ll look at how household accounts can be closed.

Only the main ‘head of the household’ account holder is able to close a household account. Before it can be closed, you must remove each member of the household account one at a time.

Any members of the household account above the age of 18 will retain their Executive Club membership and the Avios and tier points they accrued on flights.

However, members under 18 will not be able to maintain their membership since solo Executive Club accounts are only permitted for those aged 18 and above. Any associated Avios and tier points will be lost upon their removal and cannot be reclaimed.

If you have any children in your household account with a substantial Avios balance it is therefore advisable that it is not closed! Until a few years ago, BA used to give Avios from children to the head of the household account but this policy was discontinued. Ignore any references to this policy which you may see online.

Once you are no longer part of a household account your Avios will no longer be pooled and you are able to book Avios redemption tickets for anyone.

(This article is part of our ‘BA Q&A’ series which explains how British Airways Executive Club works. You can see all of our ‘BA Q&A’ articles here. )

(Head for Points is the UK’s biggest frequent flyer website with 1.8 million monthly page views. Want to learn more about earning and spending Avios? Click here to read our latest news stories, click here to join our email list and click here to read our ‘Avios Redemption University’ series.)

How to get 20,000 Avios from Amex Gold or 30,000 Avios from Amex Platinum (December 2021 offer)

The sign-up bonus on American Express Preferred Rewards Gold converts to 20,000 Avios and the card is free for the first year. You can apply here.

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

You don’t qualify for the Amex Gold bonus if you have a British Airways American Express card. You DO qualify for the bonus on The Platinum Card, which converts into 30,000 Avios. You can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

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

If you have your own small business, the best way of earning Avios is via the Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa. It has a sign-up bonus which converts to 10,000 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 look at the British Airways Accelerating Business card, because it currently has a limited time offer of 60,000 Avios when you sign up by 14th November. You can apply here.