01 Collecting Avios with Tesco (UK residents only)
Tesco is the UK’s largest supermarket chain. It operates a loyalty card scheme called Tesco Clubcard which awards 1 point for every £1 spent. Points can be spent in-store or with partners, including BA. Every £2.50 you receive in Clubcard vouchers can be converted into 500 Avios and every additional 50p worth of vouchers gives you 100 Avios.
As with the BA AmEx, you can only convert points to Executive Club accounts that are UK domiciled.
How do I join Clubcard?
Pick up a free card at any Tesco, and then register it online or by posting back the form attached to the card. Alternatively, apply for the Tesco Credit Card. This doubles as a Clubcard and, in addition, earns you 1 point for every £4 (equal to 0.5 Avios per £1) you spend on the card anywhere, not just at Tesco. This is nowhere near as good as the BA Premium Plus AmEx (1.5 Avios per £1) but it can be used at places that refuse AmEx e.g. council tax and other utility bills. It can also be useful if you normally use your BA AmEx but want to delay the issuance of your next '2 for 1' redemption voucher.
Can I have multiple Clubcards?
Yes. However, Tesco does appear to be getting cleverer at spotting multiple mailings to the same address, and you may find that you can only qualify for a promotion on one of your accounts. To avoid duplicated mailings, ring the Clubcard Helpline and have the accounts merged. You will then only get one statement with one points total. However, if you receive multiple statements then you will also receive multiple bonus points coupons, of course!
Do other businesses award Clubcard points?
Tesco has a range of partners that award Clubcard points. See tesco.com for the current list. These include Avis, E.On, and Esso.
How can I earn bonus points?
We have seen a gradual reduction in in-store promotions in the last few years, and you are now more likely to earn extra points from using special bonus codes for your online shopping. These usually give you an extra 200 / 500 / 1000 points when spending £x in specific areas of the Tesco website. These promotions, when available, are listed in Post 1 of the current ‘Tesco and BA’ thread. Post 1 also explains how to join the various Tesco clubs (lots of opportunities to receive bonus points coupons!) and how to recycle old mobile phones and inkjet cartridges for points.
How do I convert Clubcard points to Avios?
You can check your points balance at any time by going to tesco.com and clicking 'My Account'.
Once every quarter, you will receive a statement with vouchers for points earned (minimum 250). Quarters run from Aug-Oct, Nov-Jan, Feb-Apr and May-July and you will receive your statement 2-3 weeks later. Each statement comes with a number of bonus points coupons to use in-store.
Historically Tesco would automatically convert your points to Avios. This is no longer available to new cardholders but is still being done for those of us who signed up when it was possible. Today, you convert your points by going to the Tesco website and inputting the numerical code from your clubcard voucher. Ensure that your BAEC account address is the same as your Clubcard address.
Can I do anything else travel-related with my Tesco points?
There are a number of tour operators who offer discounts on holidays for Tesco points. You can get a £10 reduction for every £2.50 on Tesco vouchers you use. The more upmarket operators in the scheme include Cadogan Holidays and P&O Cruises. You can also redeem for Hilton, Marriott, Novotel and Mercure hotel stays, although there are often restrictions on minimum stay or weekend stays. See tesco.com/clubcard for details.
02 Heathrow Rewards (No domicile restriction)
Receive 1 point for every £1 you spend in shops, bars, cafes and restaurants, at car parks and on pre-booked Heathrow Express tickets, and 1 point for every £10 exchanged at Bureaux de change. (Excludes tobacco and certain other products and outlets. Read the Heathrow Rewards terms and conditions for details.)
As an Executive Club Member you can then convert your points for Avios in increments of 250 points. 250 points will give you 250 Avios.
If you're not currently a member and wish to join Heathrow Rewards, an initial visit to ba.com for available sign-up bonuses.
03 American Express Membership Reward points (No domicile restriction)
Certain American Express cards offer Membership Reward points for purchases. The amount of points varies considerably between the different cards offered by Amex. The Reward points can then be transmitted to BAEC (and a long list of other loyalty programmes) via an online menu. There is an initial registration process to link your BAEC card number to Membership Rewards - this can take 2 weeks to be completed - but thereafter any transferred Reward points will arrive in your BAEC account within a few days.
The conversion rate may vary depending on the country. In the UK, 1 Membership Reward Point will transfer over as 1 Avios point, there is a minimum transfer of 1,000 Reward Points / Avios. In Hong Kong it is 15 MR to 1 Avios. There are sometimes promotions with bonus Avios points awarded above the normal 1 to 1 exchange rate. Reward Points can also be transfered into Iberia Plus' frequent flyer programme at the same rate.
04 Transfer from (and to) other IAG programmes
Iberia Plus (No domicile restriction)
Avios collected in your existing Iberia Plus account can also be transferred into your existing BAEC account using the "Combine My Avios" tool on ba.com. Note, Combine My Avios does not apply to accounts that are less than three months old.
AerClub and
Vueling Club
If you are a AerClub and/or Vueling Club member, the Avios you collect and spend are held in a single Avios bank account stored on the Common Avios Platform. Any Avios accrued via a BAEC and/or IB Plus are stored on separate stand alone platforms but you can transfer Avios between accounts using the Combine My Avios tool.
The BAEC and IB Plus programmes are expected to migrate onto the Common Avios Platform in the near future although at the time of writing there is no fixed implementation date. When the migration happens, all your Avios will be stored in a single bank account which will allow you to collect and spend via any of the programmes you belong to without having to manually move Avios between accounts. The diagram below will give you a picture of what the future arrangement might look like:
Avios Travel Rewards Programme (UK/ROI/ZA domicile restrictions)
IAG also own a standalone Avios Travel Rewards Programme but this is more of a historical note as this is currently being wound down. The UK/ROI programme closed last year and the ZA programme will close at the end of May this year.
Introduction and overview of the Executive Club | Avios and Tier Points explained | Membership Tiers | Earning Avios and Tier Points on flights | Earning Avios on hotel stays | Credit card partners | Earning through everyday spending | Exchanging other points for Avios