Grabbing a much-needed coffee before an early morning flight, or picking up a new bottle of scent to take on your romantic city break? Well, if you’re travelling through our hub at London Heathrow, all those little pre-departure titbits could help to boost your Avios balance. Here are just a few ways to get started

Sign up for Club Avolta
If you’ve shopped at various World Duty Free outlets, then you may well already know about its loyalty programme, Red by Dufry. And if you’re already signed up, then you’ll also know it’s recently been rebranded as Club Avolta – and it’s (we think) better than ever. You can now enjoy members-only prices and discounts of up to 10% at more than 5,100 retail outlets worldwide, plus savings on lounge access and car hire with its partners.

We’re a partner, too. That means British Airways Executive Club Members can enjoy extra perks. You will collect Avios when you shop at World Duty Free outlets at London Heathrow, as well as at airports in Spain. Whatever duty-free items you choose to spend your money on, you’ll collect 1 Avios for every £1 or €1 spent. Think of it this way – you’re basically saving towards your next holiday with that bar of Toblerone.

There are a couple of ways to collect bonus Avios. All you have to do to collect 250 Avios is to sign up for Club Avolta, if you’re not already a member, and link your British Airways Executive Club account to your Club Avolta account. Once you’ve made your first purchase, you’ll be rewarded with 250 Avios.

Already saved up more Avios than you need? Don’t forget you can spend them in World Duty Free outlets, too. Simply redeem your Avios for Club Avolta vouchers to use them in any of the participating stores. This way around, all your travelling has turned into the Toblerone, courtesy of Club Avolta. Winner!

Join My Heathrow
While Club Avolta deals exclusively with the World Duty Free stores, Heathrow airport has a separate loyalty programme, My Heathrow (previously Heathrow Rewards), which is also worth joining. By doing so, you’ll collect Heathrow Rewards points (1 point for every £1 spent, typically) on everything from using the airport carpark to picking up pre-ordered currency at the Bureau de Change, and even on meals in the airside restaurants. Then, once you’ve accumulated enough of these points, you can convert them into your trusty Avios. Every 250 Heathrow Rewards points earned converts into 250 Avios.

Make the most of your journey
As so many do, if you’re planning to get the Heathrow Express to the airport, make sure you book your journey via the dedicated website for Executive Club Members. This way you’ll be able to collect 5 Avios for every £1 spent on tickets. And if you’re a Gold Guest List Member, you’ll get a complimentary upgrade to business first class if you book a standard-class ticket. 

Or, if you’re planning to get a taxi, maybe consider taking an Uber instead. As well as being convenient and easy-to-use (with a pre-booking option), you can also collect Avios on your journey. Make sure you link your Uber account to your British Airways Club account first, and then you’ll begin to collect 1 Avios for every £1 spent not just getting to the airport, but anywhere else for that matter.

Treat yourself to the lounge
Flying in economy, and haven’t quite qualified for Silver status yet? Fret not. You can choose from multiple paid lounges in every Heathrow terminal and book them through Lounge Pass. Not only will you get hours of pre-flight relaxation and delicious grub, but you’ll collect Avios, too. Every £1 you spend on the various lounge passes means 5 Avios. 

Words by Qin Xie

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This article has been tagged BA, Avios