KEY POINTS

• You can move Avios between all seven Avios airline programs at a 1:1 ratio, for free, as often as you like within annual limits.
• Linking accounts takes about ten minutes, but transfers themselves are instant once your accounts are connected.
• Choosing the right program before you transfer matters more than the transfer itself, since award pricing varies significantly between Avios programs.

Introduction

If you collect Avios, you already know the currency works across seven different airline programs. What trips people up is actually moving Avios between accounts to unlock the best redemption. The good news: transferring Avios between programs is free, fast, and available to any traveler with at least two linked accounts. This guide walks through exactly how to link your accounts, move your balance where you need it, and avoid the small mistakes that cost people real money. If you're still getting comfortable with how transferable currencies work in general, our guide to understanding miles and points is a good primer before you dive in here.

What Is Avios, and Which Programs Use It?

Avios is a shared points currency used by seven separate loyalty programs. Understanding this upfront matters, because your Avios balance isn't tied to one airline the way Delta SkyMiles or United MileagePlus points are, and it works differently than the partner award systems most alliance programs use.

The seven Avios programs are:

• British Airways Club — the largest and most established Avios program
• Iberia Club — often the cheapest way to book Avios awards on Iberia and select partners
• Aer Lingus AerClub — useful for transatlantic sweet spots
• Finnair Plus — strong for one-way award pricing
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club — access to Qsuite business class awards
• Vueling Club — a Spanish low-cost carrier program
• Loganair Loyalty — a smaller regional UK carrier program

Since these programs all share the same currency, 1 Avios in your British Airways account is worth exactly 1 Avios in your Qatar account. What changes is how many Avios each program charges for the same flight, which is why transferring matters.

Before You Transfer: Setting Up Linked Accounts

You can't move Avios between programs until your accounts are linked, and linking has a few requirements worth knowing upfront so you don't waste time.

Account requirements:

• Each account needs to be open for at least 30 days before you can transfer into or out of it.
• Use the exact same name, email address, and date of birth across every account you want to link. Mismatched details are the number one reason linking fails.
• There's no minimum transfer amount, but most members are capped at 999,999 Avios per single transaction and 1,000,000 Avios per rolling 12-month period.

To start linking, head to the Avios transfer tool and log in using credentials from any of your affiliated accounts, with one exception: Qatar Airways Privilege Club doesn't log in directly through this tool, so use your British Airways Club login instead and link Qatar from there.

Step-by-Step: How to Transfer Avios

Once your accounts are set up, the actual transfer process is straightforward.

1. Log in to the Avios transfer tool. Use your British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, Aer Lingus, Vueling, or Loganair credentials (not Qatar, as noted above).

2. Select "Transfer now." Your current Avios balance for the logged-in account will display on the left side of the screen.

3. Link the account you want to transfer to or from. You'll be prompted to log in to that second account and complete two-factor authentication. Once you confirm the link, it's permanent, so double-check you're linking the right accounts before submitting.

4. Choose your transfer direction and amount. With both accounts linked, select which program you're moving Avios from and which you're moving them to. There's no minimum amount and no transfer fee.

5. Confirm with two-factor authentication. Complete the verification step and wait for your confirmation message. Transfers are typically instant, though it's worth refreshing both account balances to confirm before you book anything.

How to Actually Earn Avios in the First Place

Most U.S.-based travelers don't earn Avios by flying. Instead, they earn transferable credit card points and move them into an Avios program when they're ready to book. This is where your choice of everyday card matters: the American Express® Platinum Card and the American Express® Gold Card both earn Membership Rewards points, which transfer 1:1 into four of the seven Avios programs.

Here's what transfers directly into Avios programs, and at what ratio:

• Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer 1:1 to Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Club, and Iberia Club
• American Express Membership Rewards points (earned with cards like the Amex Platinum or Amex Gold) transfer 1:1 to Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Club, Iberia Club, and Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Capital One miles — including from the Capital One Venture X — transfer 1:1 to British Airways Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, and Finnair Plus
• Citi ThankYou Points transfer 1:1 to Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Bilt Points, earned through the no-annual-fee Bilt Mastercard®, transfer 1:1 to Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Club, Iberia Club, and Qatar Airways Privilege Club
• Marriott Bonvoy points transfer at 3:1 to most Avios programs, with a 5,000 Avios bonus for every 60,000 points transferred (so 60,000 Marriott points become 25,000 Avios, not 20,000). If you're sitting on a Bonvoy balance, our guide to calculating Marriott Bonvoy point value can help you decide whether transferring to Avios beats booking a hotel stay.

Because your credit card currency won't always transfer directly to the exact Avios program you need, the transfer tool becomes essential for routing your balance. If you hold Capital One miles and want to book an Iberia award, for example, you'd transfer to British Airways Club first, then move those Avios over to Iberia Club. For a deeper look at how long these initial credit card transfers can take before your Avios even show up, check our guide on Capital One miles transfer times.

Which Avios Program Should You Actually Use?

This is the part most guides skip, and it's the part that determines whether your transfer was worth it. All seven programs price the same routes differently, so where you land your Avios matters as much as earning them.

A few quick rules of thumb:

• British Airways Club is the easiest to use day-to-day and has the widest partner network, making it the default choice if you're only building one account.
• Iberia Club frequently prices short- and medium-haul Avios redemptions lower than British Airways for the same route, especially on Iberia and American Airlines flights.
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club is the go-to for booking Qatar's own Qsuite business class, which isn't bookable through other Avios programs at the same value.
• Finnair Plus tends to have the cheapest one-way pricing for certain long-haul redemptions, which matters if you're not booking a round trip.

If you want to see how a similar sweet-spot strategy plays out in a different alliance, our breakdown of Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles sweet spots follows the same logic: the right program, not just the right balance, determines your value per point.

Before you transfer a large balance, search award space and compare pricing across programs. Moving 100,000 Avios into the wrong account and later needing to move it again isn't a disaster, since transfers are free, but it does cost you time and the two-factor authentication back-and-forth.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Transferring before checking award availability. Confirm your seat exists in the program you're transferring into before you move a large Avios balance.
• Mismatched account details. If your name, email, or date of birth don't match exactly across accounts, the linking step will fail or delay.
• Forgetting the Qatar workaround. Qatar Airways Privilege Club can't be accessed directly through the transfer tool login; you have to route through British Airways Club credentials.
• Not accounting for the Marriott ratio. Since Marriott transfers at 3:1 rather than 1:1, it takes a much larger Marriott balance to generate a meaningful number of Avios. If you're weighing which transferable currency to prioritize earning in the first place, our guide on maximizing frequent flyer miles covers how to pick a strategy that fits your travel goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a fee to transfer Avios between accounts?
No. Transfers between the seven Avios programs are free and can be done as often as you like within the annual caps.

How long do Avios transfers take?
Transfers are typically instant once both accounts are linked and two-factor authentication is complete.

Can I transfer Avios to someone else's account?
The transfer tool is designed for linking your own accounts across Avios programs, not for sending Avios to another person's account.

What happens if I link the wrong account by mistake?
Once an account link is confirmed, it's permanent, so verify the account details carefully before completing the link step.

Bottom Line

Transferring Avios between accounts is one of the most useful, and most underused, tools available to points collectors. It costs nothing, takes minutes once your accounts are linked, and lets you shop the same currency across seven different award charts to find the best price for your redemption. If you don't already hold a card that earns into the Avios ecosystem, the Amex Platinum and Amex Gold are the fastest way in, since Membership Rewards points reach four of the seven programs directly.

Ready to put this into practice? Start by linking your British Airways Club and Iberia Club accounts, since that pairing covers most transatlantic sweet spots on its own.

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