British Airways offers week-long Avios boost sale at 0.92p

British Airways has launched a one-week flash sale on its Avios Balance Boost program, cutting the cost of buying loyalty points. Members can purchase Avios for as little as 0.92p each until Wednesday 16th September.

The promotion temporarily increases the maximum purchase multiplier. Normally, members can buy a lump sum equivalent to 100%, 200%, or 300% of the Avios earned from qualifying transactions in the previous 30 days. For this week, that cap is raised to 500%.

How the Balance Boost pricing works

The standard Avios Balance Boost price list, which is no longer displayed online, dictates the cost. For this promotion, the price per Avios ranges from 0.92p to 0.96p, provided a member stays under an annual purchase cap of 300,000 Avios via the Boost scheme. The cap applies to all Boost purchases within a calendar year, not per transaction.

To get the lowest rate of 0.92p per point, a member must select a boost multiplier of 3x, 4x, or 5x. Selecting a 1x or 2x boost results in a higher price per Avios.

Qualifying transactions for the boost

Not all Avios earnings are eligible for the Balance Boost purchase. The program allows members to boost points earned from specific sources within the last 30 days. Eligible transactions include Avios from the British Airways shopping portal, credit card spending, flights, and 'hotels and travel' partners like Uber.

The terms and conditions explicitly exclude several sources. Points obtained via balance transfers from other airlines, Nectar exchanges, Avios shared or gifted by other members, and previously bought Avios cannot be boosted. However, inbound transfers from programs like American Express Membership Rewards and HSBC Premier do qualify. Each transaction can only be boosted once.

Maximizing the limited-time offer

The key to the promotion is the increased 500% multiplier. A member who earned 60,000 Avios from qualifying transactions in the last month can, until 16th September, purchase an additional 300,000 Avios at 0.92p each. This hits the annual cap for the special rate in one transaction.

The report cautions that members must carefully select their transactions. If someone earned more than 60,000 Avios in the qualifying period, they need to manually unselect transactions until the total to be boosted is 60,000 or fewer. Failing to do so pushes the purchase over the 300,000 Avios annual cap, triggering a higher price per point. The goal is to get as close to 300,000 Avios as possible, regardless of whether a 3x, 4x, or 5x multiplier is used.

Synergy with other transfer bonuses

The offer coincides with a separate promotion from HSBC Premier. Until 30th September, transferring points from HSBC Premier credit cards to Avios comes with a 20% bonus. These newly transferred Avios are immediately eligible for the Balance Boost.

The source provides an example: transferring 40,000 HSBC Premier credit card points would yield 24,000 Avios with the bonus. Those 24,000 Avios could then be boosted by 5x under the flash offer, allowing the purchase of 120,000 additional Avios at 0.92p each. Similarly, American Express Membership Rewards points transferred to Avios during the promotion period can also be boosted by up to 5x, though no transfer bonus is currently running for that program.

Head for Points notes that while the price is attractive, it advises against buying Avios without a specific redemption plan due to the constant risk of devaluation. To pay 0.92p per Avios, a member must boost no more than 60,000 Avios at 5x, 75,000 Avios at 4x, or 100,000 Avios at 3x.