British Airways Avios is one of our favourite loyalty programs because it’s one of the best ways to get the most value from your RBC Avion points.
You can transfer RBC Avion Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards points to Avios at a 1-to-1 ratio. Plus many times, multiple times a year, tehre are transfer bonuses.
You can also earn British Airways Avios from RBC British Airways co-branded cards like the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite.
With the Oneworld partner network, you’ll find the most value with long-haul flights from Toronto to Europe, and from Vancouver to Asia, Fiji, and Australia.
Business class flights to Europe and Asia are most lucrative, but keep in mind that these seats are more limited.
Here’s my guide to how to find British Airways Avios award flights for the best value.
Business Award Concierge
Have a business? Book a complimentary call to see how our done-for-you Business Award Concierge can turn your business expenses into $50K luxury travel.
Limited spots available.
Business Award Concierge
Have a business? Book a complimentary call to see how our done-for-you Business Award Concierge can turn your business expenses into $50K luxury travel.
Limited spots available.
Best American Express Cards
Welcome Points: Elevated 170,000
Welcome Value: $6,424
Annual Fee: $799
Welcome Points: Elevated 70,000
Welcome Value: Elevated $1,960
Annual Fee: $199
Welcome Points: 15,000
Welcome Value: $590
Annual Fee: $191.88 ($15.99 Monthly)
⚠ Disclaimer: The information in this content may become outdated over time. For the most accurate and up-to-date details, please visit the Apply Now link provided.
How to Earn British Airways Avios Points
It’s easy to earn plenty of Avios in Canada by transferring points from RBC Avion Rewards or American Express Membership Rewards cards. Plus, co-branded cards like the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite.
These personal and business cards come with generous welcome bonuses and strong earning rates on dining, groceries, and transportation, like the Amex Cobalt and RBC ION+.
Some cards, like the Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum, include great travel benefits like lounge access and hotel and car rental status. The RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege also comes with 6 lounge passes. All of which make it easier to earn points while getting more value from your travel.
American Express Membership Rewards points and RBC Avion points transfer to British Airways Avios at a 1-to-1 ratio. Plus, both offers transfer bonuses that make it even more worthwhile.
Best RBC Avion Cards
Welcome Points: Elevated 70,000
Welcome Value: $700
Annual Fee: $399
⚠ Disclaimer: The information in this content may become outdated over time. For the most accurate and up-to-date details, please visit the Apply Now link provided.
British Airways Avios Award Flights Sweet Spots
You’ll find the best value British Airways Avios redemptions when you redeem points for standard awards with partner airlines instead of British Airways itself. BA tends to have higher points rates as well as high taxes and fees on its own flights.
Look for One-Way Avios Flights
When you’re paying cash, round-trip tickets are more affordable than one-way.
That’s not the case with award flights, like British Airways Avios. One-way flights are half the points of a round-trip.
You’ll find the best British Airways Avios award flights by searching and redeeming for one-way flights.
Most airlines release their space 355 days out. Booking one-way means you can book your flight as soon as it’s available without waiting for the return dates to open and risk losing your award seat.
You can even mix and match different loyalty programs and cabin classes for each direction.
We sometimes redeem for a lie-flat Business Class seat on the overnight flight to get some sleep, then fly back in Premium Economy to save points on the way home.
Plus, if you ever need to change just one part of your trip later, it’s way easier to do it for one way only.
The AWP Newsletter
Travel more using points
Get my free beginner guide and weekly tips on credit cards, points, and travel loyalty programs.
The AWP Newsletter
Travel more using points
Get my free beginner guide and weekly tips on credit cards, points, and travel loyalty programs.
Consider Adjacent Airports for Avios Award Flights
You can find the best British Airways Avios award flight by expanding your search and getting way more options by not sticking to just one airport. You’ll find a lot more seats when you check nearby airports for both your departure and arrival.
With British Airways Avios you can search some metropolises like both Heathrow and Gatwick all at once by selecting “LON”. Which is super valuable if you’re lookign to connect in London to other European destinations.
Top Offers
Wondering which credit card to get next?
Our recommendations for the best credit card offers in Canada for July 2026.
Top Offers
Wondering which credit card to get next?
Our recommendations for the best credit card offers in Canada for July 2026.
Find Avios Award Flights with Seats.aero
Before you go to the British Airways website to book flights with your Avios points, start with a search tool like Seats.aero.
This is the most effetive was to find British Airways Avios award flights without having to spend time clicking through the award calendar day by day.
It can save you hours of manual work by showing you availability across dozens of airlines at once.
British Airways itself isn’t tracked directly on Seats.aero, but you can use Qatar Airways for your search instead. This is the best way to find space that’s bookable with your British Airways Avios points.
Once you find availability on Seats.aero, make sure to check for availability directly on British Airways Avios before transferring any points from your American Express or RBC Avion cards.
Seats.aero is the best choice for finding British Airways award flights, especially if you want to see a lot more information at once.
The interface allows you to search for entire regions and countries at once, as well as multiple airports. It’s super handy for finding hard-to-get flights in business class flights.
The Seats.aero Explore tool is great because it shows you availability across an entire continent on a single page. You’ll see right away if flying from a different city saves you points, which is super valuable if you are willing to be flexible.
Results are fast because the tool uses cached data, so you should always confirm availability on the British Airways site before transferring points from American Express or RBC Avion.
With the free version of Seats.aero, you get searches for flights departing within a 60-day window. You’ll also get access to the routes tool and unlimited email alerts to track specific flights. These features are usually enough for most last-minute travellers.
I highly recommend Seats.aero Pro if you want to maximize your points and want to find British Airways award flights for the most value quickly.
The Pro version of Seats.aero ets you search for a full year ahead, which is a huge benefit when searching for business class seats. This is super valuable for finding business class availability a year out and as soon as they open up.
You can also search for multiple seats at once, which is super valuable for families travelling together.
With the Seats.aero Pro version, you can also use advanced filters like direct flights only, selected cabin and filter out by fees.
You also get 32 flight alerts, and SMS notifications for faster snagging of rare seats.
Seats.aero Google Flights Chrome Extension
Seats.aero has also released a Google Flights Chrome Extension, which allows you to search for award flights, like business class flights to Europe with British Airways partners, along with cash flights to find the best deals.
Bottom Line
You’ll get the best British Airways Avios award flights for the most value from your points when you search for one-way flight redemptions with tools like Seats.aero. These tips and tools let you find wider Avios award space easily.
By keeping your departure and destination cities flexible, it is even easier to find more availability.
Standard rewards, transfer bonuses and partner airlines will help you get the most value from your British Airways points.
Partner flights, like Iberia, Aer Lingus, Finnair and Fiji Airways, can give you great value because they have more affordable award rates and lower taxes and fees than British Airways awards.
