Do you earn Avios and tier points on a British Airways codeshare flight?

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Today I want to answer the question “Will I earn Avios and tier points on a British Airways codeshare flight?“.

In this article we’ll look at what code-hare flights are and how they impact your ability to earn Avios and tier points as part of British Airways Executive Club.

The practise of codesharing flights is fairly common, and if you have ever looked at a departures board you have probably seen at least one flight where the flight code rotates between airlines for the exact same flight.

Many airlines have codeshare agreements that allow them to book customers on each others’ flights. Though the flight is only operated by one airline, each airline places its own flight codes on it and so you may, for example, find yourself flying on an American Airlines aircraft with a British Airways flight number.

The rules for earning Avios and tier points on codeshare flights depend on both the operating carrier (ie. whose aircraft and crew you are flying with) as well as your flight number.

How do I know which airline is operating the flight?

You will normally be told who is operating your flight at time of booking when you select your flights. If you have already booked your flight, you will find this information online when you manage your booking under the flight information header.

Will I earn Avios or tier points?

The good news is that if you are flying on a British Airways flight number, you will always be credited with Avios and tier points, regardless of who is operating the flight.

You will also earn Avios and tier points when you fly with a oneworld airline flight code and on a oneworld-operated codeshare flight. So, for example, you would earn Avios and tier points if you flew from New York City to Los Angeles on American Airlines, as long as both the flight code and operating airline is American Airlines or another oneworld carrier.

There are no other circumstances (except one) in which you can earn Avios or tier points on a codeshare flight. For example, you will not earn Avios or tier points when you fly on a oneworld flight code on an aircraft that is NOT operated by a oneworld airline, eg a Cathay Pacific coded flight operated by Air New Zealand.

The only exception to this is with Qantas where, for example, you can fly Emirates (a non-oneworld airline) and still earn Avios and tier points on some flights. There is a similar arrangement on a small number of Air France and KLM routes.

Still confused? Here’s the table from the British Airways website:

Avios and tier point on codeshare flights British Airways Executive Club

If your flight qualifies, you can use this calculator on ba.com to work out how many Avios and tier points to expect.

(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.