Do I earn Avios or tier points if I book British Airways flights via Expedia or Opodo?

Links on Head for Points may pay us an affiliate commission. A list of partners is here.

Do you earn Avios or tier points if you book British Airways flights via Expedia or Opodo?

Like most airlines, British Airways is bookable both on their own website as well as that of flight comparison sites and travel agents. In this article we’ll look at whether you still earn Avios and tier points if you book British Airways flights on third party sites such as Expedia and Opodo.

The good news is that Avios and tier points are awarded based on ticket type and not on where the ticket was purchased. So, for the exactly same ticket, you would earn the same number of Avios and tier points (usually a multiple of the miles flown) whether you booked via ba.com or Expedia.

To earn your reward points when booking with a third party, you must make sure your Executive Club number is included on the booking. This can be done at any point prior to the flight with ‘Manage My Booking’ on ba.com – the details of which you should have on your flight confirmation email. You may even be able to add it during the booking process.

If you have forgotten to include your Executive Club number on a recent flight, it is possible to claim back Avios and tier points within a certain time frame as this article explains.

Don’t do this with hotels though ….

To be absolutely clear ….. airlines and hotels treat online travel agents such as Expedia and Opodo in entirely different ways.

All airlines, as far as I know, will give you the same frequent flyer miles and status benefits irrespective of where you book

Hotel chains will NOT give you any loyalty points or status benefits if you book through a third party – you must book direct with the chain to get your rewards and stay credit

The reason for this is the huge difference in commissions paid. Airline commissions are now around 1% and British Airways is not too concerned if it has to pay Expedia for processing your booking. Hotels tend to pay 20%-25% to Expedia and other online travel agents and they do what they can to encourage you to book direct.

(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.