The best Avios-earning credit cards: Which one is for you?

Avios are quickly becoming one of the most popular loyalty currencies in Europe — and worldwide.

While British Airways Club, Iberia Club and Aer Lingus AerClub have long used Avios as their loyalty currency, Loganair Loyalty and Finnair Plus are the most recent additions. Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Vueling Club are also part of the Avios program.

What is unique and valuable about Avios is that you can transfer your Avios between these programs in any direction at a 1:1 rate as often as you want.

Several cobranded credit cards are available from airlines that use Avios, and every major credit card program has at least one Avios program as a transfer partner at a 1:1 ratio.

So, with Avios so easy to earn, move around and redeem, what are the best cards for Avios redemptions?

While there isn’t a single best card that wins in every category, depending on your priorities, here are the best options.

You want to earn a large welcome bonus

There are plenty of great welcome bonuses available right now on many of our favorite cards. This includes the three Chase-issued Avios cards:

The information for the Aer Lingus Visa Signature and Iberia Visa Signature cards has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

With TPG’s September 2025 valuations of Avios at 1.4 cents each, these welcome bonuses are worth $1,190 each. That’s enough for a first-class flight to London (plus fees, taxes and carrier-imposed surcharges).

Just keep in mind that you won’t be able to earn a welcome bonus on one of these cards if you currently hold it or have earned a bonus on it in the past 24 months.

Related: Best Avios sweet spots: How to redeem for domestic and international award flights

You spend a lot on flights

If you earn and redeem Avios, you’re likely to make some purchases directly with airlines, whether it’s paying for the fees, taxes and surcharges associated with your redemption or boosting your Avios balance by purchasing cash fares.

If you mainly fly on Aer Lingus, British Airways or Iberia, adding one of these cobranded airline cards to your wallet makes sense. If you’re not loyal to one airline, though, consider the following options for your airline spending:

Related: British Airways Visa Signature credit card review: Earn flexible Avios — a must-have for frequent BA flyers

You want to maximize transfer bonuses

Occasionally, credit card issuers offer transfer bonuses for select airline and hotel partner programs. There is no certainty as to when these bonuses will occur, and the number of points and miles you can receive from the bonus can vary from as low as 10% to over 40%.

American Express generally comes out on top as far as the frequency of transfer bonuses is concerned. With that in mind, these are the best Amex card offers currently available:

• The Platinum Card from American Express: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 175,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
• American Express® Gold Card: Find out your offer and see if you are eligible for as high as 100,000 bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.
• The Business Platinum Card from American Express: Earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $20,000 on purchases within the first three months of card membership.
• American Express® Business Gold Card: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of card membership.

You want to enjoy elite status-like perks

Earning elite status in an airline loyalty program usually requires significant spending directly with the airline and/or on a cobranded credit card. Fortunately, if you wish to enjoy the perks of elite status, you can do so with the right Avios credit card.

The Qatar Airways Privilege Club Visa Infinite Credit Card has a welcome offer of up to 50,000 Avios — 25,000 Avios after the first transaction and an additional 25,000 Avios and 150 Qpoints after spending $5,000 in the first three months of account opening. The card comes with a $499 annual fee.

The information for the Qatar Airways Privilege Club Visa Infinite Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

While this welcome bonus is lower than the Chase Avios-earning cards, it also offers one year of complimentary Qatar Airways Privilege Club Gold status (equivalent to Oneworld Sapphire), which includes benefits like priority boarding, preferred seating, lounge access and a 75% bonus on earning Avios with eligible flights.

You can also receive worldwide lounge access through the right credit card.

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300-plus lounges, including Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass lounges (enrollment required).

Lounge access changes are coming to Venture X cardholders starting Feb. 1, 2026. After this date, Venture X cardholders will no longer be able to bring complimentary guests with them to Priority Pass and Capital One lounges (unless they spend $75,000 in a year for the latter).

Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) cardholders get access to Chase Sapphire Lounges as well as access to Priority Pass lounges.

Finally, eligible Amex Platinum cardmembers can access the American Express Global Lounge Collection, including Centurion, Delta Sky Clubs*, Escape, Plaza Premium lounges, Priority Pass™ and select Lufthansa lounges. Enrollment may be required.

*When traveling on same-day Delta flights, eligible Platinum Card members will receive 10 visits per eligible Platinum Card per year to the Delta Sky Club or to Grab and Go when traveling on a same-day Delta-operated flight.

You want to save money on airfares and redemptions

While each of the three Chase Avios-earning cards offers a companion voucher or discount for spending $30,000 yearly on the card, the British Airways Visa Signature Card offers extra benefits when booking cash and Avios redemptions.

Each year, in addition to earning a companion voucher, you can:

• Get 10% off British Airways-operated revenue flights departing the U.S. to London and beyond, including fees, taxes and carrier-imposed surcharges (excluding excess baggage or seat selection fees) when you book through the website provided in your welcome materials.
• Get a $100 statement credit ($200 for business- and first-class seats) up to three times a year when you book a reward flight to London on British Airways and pay your taxes and fees with your card (up to $600 annually).
• Use Avios to pay for taxes, fees and carrier charges when you redeem a British Airways ticket, though this is not usually a good deal.

You spend in non-travel categories

While Avios enthusiasts may be directing plenty of credit card spending to airfare, if you spend a lot of money on other categories like dining, groceries and other travel, you can earn lots of rewards with increased earning rates in these categories with the following cards:

• The American Express Gold Card earns 4 points per dollar spent at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) and 4 points per dollar spent on groceries at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar).
• The Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees) earns 3 points per dollar spent at electrical vehicle charging and gas stations, restaurants and supermarkets.

You fly to Europe regularly

The British Airways Visa Signature Card has numerous discounts and statement credits when flying with British Airways for both cash fares and Avios redemptions.

With BA’s notorious carrier-imposed surcharges, you could save plenty of money on cash fares and Avios redemptions when you book multiple seats or flights each year.

Related: Quick Points: Here’s why you shouldn’t end your European trip in the UK

You want to travel in premium cabins with your family

You might want to earn lots of Avios quickly to redeem for luxury products like British Airways’ first class or Qatar Airways’ award-winning Qsuite business class. In that case, you’ll want a card with a high welcome bonus and generous category bonuses.

New cardholders of the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (see rates and fees) can earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening. You can earn a higher welcome offer of 100,000 bonus points with the same spending requirements if you apply at a Citi branch in person.

The card also has impressive earning rates, allowing you to earn bonus points on travel booked via Citi Travel and on dining.

If you spend heavily in these categories, you can boost your balance quickly, giving you a solid stash of Avios to use for those high-end bookings.

Bottom line

Even if you don’t fly to Europe often, Avios is worth your consideration. Avios are easy to earn from many different credit cards and easy to redeem through the seven different programs that use the currency. You also have the unique flexibility of transferring Avios between each program at no cost at a 1:1 rate in any direction.

While there is no slam-dunk Avios or transferable points-earning credit card for every traveler, there are excellent options to help you book your next trip.

Related: New user-friendly tool lets you easily transfer Avios between all 7 airline programs

For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum Card, click here.