Finnair Moves to Avios, Spending-Based Program in 2024
Joe Cortez August 16, 2023
The Scandinavian carrier announced sweeping changes to the Finnair Plus program, including changing the awards currency and shifting loyalty tiers to spending.
Finnair Plus in 2024: Avios and Spending-Based Loyalty Tiers
The biggest change to the 2024 Finnair Plus program is the shift from their own currency to IAG’s Avios. Following Qatar Airways, Finnair becomes the fifth carrier to move to the common loyalty currency. Flyers who currently have Finnair Plus points will automatically be converted to Avios at a rate of three Finnair Plus points to two Avios. Current award prices will also change at the same ratio starting in 2024.
Once the program makes the change, flyers will collect tier points and Avios for flight and travel extra purchases aboard Finnair, airfare for flights marketed or operated by a partner airline, and purchases made with a Finnair Visa credit card, if flyers spend over 1,500 Euros per month.
The loyalty program will continue to feature four tiers: Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Platinum Lumo. The airline has not announced how much in spending it will take to reach each tier, but they make it clear that “From early 2024 onwards, it will no longer be possible to reach tiers with the number of flights only – you can maintain your tier or reach a new tier by collecting the needed number of tier points.”
Much like the American AAdvantage program, the new Finnair Plus will offer loyalty tier rewards as well as “milestones” between tiers. Some of the milestone awards include extra Avios for basic members, lounge passes for Silver and Gold members, and upgrade benefits for Platinum and Platinum Lumo members. The airline has not announced how much it will take in spending to reach those milestones.
The announcement comes with other basic promises for flyers, including more customer service channels and a minimum number of award seats on flights. In addition to investing in customer service using WhatsApp, Finnair is guaranteeing at least six award seats on all flights within Europe, and eight award seats for long-haul international flights. Finnair Plus members will also receive improve internet access benefits on flights operated on their Airbus A320 family of aircraft.
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