Do I have to live in the UK to join British Airways Executive Club?

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In this article I want to look at whether there are any geographic restrictions to joining British Airways Executive Club. Do you need to live in Britain to join British Airways Executive Club?

Executive Club is British Airways’ frequent flyer membership program, allowing you to collect and save Avios, the British Airways equivalent of airmiles. Once you save enough, you can choose to spend them by booking reward flights or part-paying cash bookings with Avios to reduce the fare.

Joining the Executive Club also allow you to earn elite status with British Airways, which come with benefits including lounge access, free seat selection, bonus Avios earning rates and many more. You can read a brief explanation of the different British Airways Executive Club tiers here.

You do not have to live in the United Kingdom to join the Executive Club. It is open to citizens of almost every country.

The exception to this is residents of Australia and New Zealand. Unless you have an address elsewhere in the world, British Airways recommends that you join Qantas’ frequent flyer program since both airlines are part of the oneworld alliance and therefore elite status and reward earning and spending can easily carry over.

This odd anomaly dates back to 2003 and is a remnant of the joint venture British Airways and Qantas had. British Airways appears to have little appetite to change this small rule despite the fact that they are no longer in a joint venture together.

If you live in Spain, of course, you may find it easier to join Iberia Plus and earn Avios with them. You can still transfer your Avios to British Airways Executive Club via ‘Combine My Avios’.

If you live in the home country of another oneworld airline (eg Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong) you might find it more convenient to join that and credit your flights there. However, it is relatively easy to earn status with British Airways Executive Club compared to other oneworld schemes and – for example – even if you live in Doha you may find BAEC more attractive than Qatar Airways Privilege Club even though it is not your ‘home’ scheme. There is no ‘right’ answer, however, as your personal travel pattern is a key part of the equation.

(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.