Buy Avios promotion: How you can book nonstop flights to Europe for less than $350

1 week ago 15

Attention, points and miles enthusiasts: Finnair Plus is offering a discount of up to 50% when you buy Avios between now and Nov. 20, 2024.

Not only is this a great value, but since Avios are the shared loyalty currency of several frequent flyer programs, buying them could open up a variety of redemption opportunities. We even found nonstop economy fares to Europe for as low as 13,000 Avios each way, which comes out to about $325 when you factor in taxes and fees.

Buy Avios with up to a 50% discount through Finnair Plus

Through Nov. 20, you can save between 35% and 50% on Avios purchases from Finnair Plus, depending on how many Avios you buy. You must buy at least 5,000 Avios to get 35% off, and the savings increase from there:

35% off when you buy 5,000 to 19,000 Avios
40% off when you buy 20,000 to 49,000 Avios
45% off when you buy 50,000 to 74,000 Avios
50% off when you buy 75,000 to 200,000 Avios

These discounts bring the cost down to between 1.12 and 1.87 cents per Avios, depending on how many you buy. That could be a pretty good deal, considering TPG's November 2024 valuations peg Avios at 1.4 cents apiece.

You must purchase Avios in increments of 1,000, and you can purchase a maximum of 200,000 Avios through Finnair Plus in a calendar year.

But just because the sale is being run by Finnair Plus doesn't mean you have to redeem your Avios through the program. In fact, Avios are used by four other programs — Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus and Qatar Airways Privilege Club — and you can transfer Avios between any of these at a 1:1 ratio.

Some of our favorite and best-value Avios redemptions are with these airlines. Here are a few examples of how far your Avios could go if you decide to jump on this promotion.

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Is it worth it to buy Avios?

For example, you could transfer your Avios to Iberia Plus and book a one-way off-peak ticket from New York to Madrid for only 17,000 Avios in economy or 25,500 Avios in premium economy. Note that business-class seats for off-peak dates are priced at 34,000 Avios, but they are harder to find.

If you purchased 17,000 Avios with the current 35% discount, it would set you back 243.10 euros (about $260 at current exchange rates). With the award ticket's $86 in taxes and fees, that comes to a total of $346 — compared to the cash price of this ticket, which starts at $454.

The premium economy seat is an even better deal. You could purchase 26,000 Avios for only $367 during this sale, then book the award ticket and pay $97 in taxes and fees, for a total of $464 — compared to paying at least $1,228 for the cash ticket.

There's also plenty of award availability to Ireland if you transfer your Avios to Aer Lingus AerClub. For instance, you could fly to Dublin from several major U.S. cities, including Chicago, for only 13,000 Avios. With the current promotion, purchasing the amount of Avios needed would only cost about $200 with this promotion, plus the award ticket's $126 in taxes and fees, for a total of $326. This is a great deal for a transatlantic flight, as the regular cash price of this economy ticket would cost you almost $800.

But booking a transatlantic trip isn't the only way to use your Avios. You can also book domestic American Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights through Finnair Plus, and since the loyalty program operates using a zone-based award chart, you can currently fly from the United States to Hawaii on Alaska Airlines for 13,500 Avios in economy or 50,500 Avios in first class. If you book a one-way American Airlines flight through Finnair Plus from the continental U.S. to Hawaii, it will cost you 15,000 Avios in economy, 38,000 Avios in business class and 47,500 Avios in first class.

However, Finnair Plus requires travelers wanting to book award flights with partner airlines to contact the carrier via the chat service or call customer service. We suggest you find Alaska and American Airlines award availability and come prepared with the flight number and travel information before contacting the customer service line.

For more information on how to book Finnair Plus partner award flights, refer to their website.

Bottom line

If you have a redemption in mind, buying points or miles can make sense, especially if you can take advantage of a great sale. This one is particularly useful because you can spend Avios with so many airlines and even book partner award flights.

Additionally, if you're short a few Avios for a redemption, this is a great chance to top off your account. Or if you find an award ticket you like, it could even be worth buying all the Avios you need from Finnair between now and Nov. 20.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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