British Airways Avios has just launched a new 25% transfer bonus from participating hotel loyalty programs, which may be of interest to Avios collectors with hotel points to spare.
25% Hotel Transfer Bonus to British Airways Avios
From today until April 25, 2022, Avios members will receive a 25% bonus when converting points from hotel loyalty programs. This is a fairly time-sensitive promotion, with under a week’s time to take advantage.
Eligible transfer partners include:
- Marriott Bonvoy: Convert a minimum of 9,000 Bonvoy points at a 3:1 ratio, with a bonus of 5,000 Avios whenever you convert in chunks of 60,000 Bonvoy points
- IHG Rewards Club: Convert a minimum of 10,000 points at a 5:1 ratio
- World of Hyatt: Convert a minimum of 5,000 points at a 5:2 ratio
- Radisson Rewards / Radisson Rewards Americas: Convert a minimum of 10,000 points at a 10:1 ratio
Bonus Avios can take four to six weeks from the day you initiate the conversion to show on your account.
Note that the Avios program also has a few other hotel transfer partners, such as Best Western Rewards, but those aren’t eligible for the transfer bonus.
Is This Avios Hotel Transfer Bonus Worth It?
Many airline loyalty programs allow you to convert points from hotel programs, although it’s rarely a compelling opportunity, as the conversion ratios are typically quite poor.
In the case of the current Avios transfer bonus, Marriott Bonvoy is the most favourable program to transfer points from, largely due to the ease of earning Bonvoy points in Canada with the personal and business Amex Bonvoy cards.
On top of the regular 3:1 transfer ratio from Marriott to airlines, you also receive an extra 5,000 airline miles whenever you convert 60,000 Bonvoy points.
Thus, the optimal move is to convert 60,000 Bonvoy points into 25,000 Avios. Adding in a further 25% bonus this week, you’d earn 31,250 Avios from 60,000 Bonvoy points.
That’s just a shade better than a 2:1 effective transfer ratio, and could certainly be quite compelling if you’re someone who values airline miles more highly than hotel points.
Indeed, Avios has become a much more interesting program as of recently due to the ability to book Qatar Airways Qsuites at attractive rates. Qatar Airways recently adopted Avios as its reward currency, creating a new, better-value pathway to booking one of the world’s best business class products.
A one-way flight from Montreal to Doha in Qsuites costs 70,000 Avios, so you’d need 142,500 Bonvoy points to make it happen through this 25% conversion bonus.
Alternatively, converting 120,000 Bonvoy points at the optimal ratio would get you most of the way there at 62,500 Avios, and you could top-up the difference with one of many other easy ways to earn Avios.
Meanwhile, hotel chains have been devaluing their loyalty programs on a widespread basis, including Marriott Bonvoy’s recent move to dynamic pricing. If you have excess hotel points that you’d prefer to use towards high-value flight redemptions instead, the current 25% conversion bonus would be quite opportune.
Overall, this 25% hotel conversion bonus to Avios won’t be overly enticing when you look at the big picture.
It’s already quite easy to earn Avios through a variety of other methods, such as transferring Amex MR and RBC Avion points at a 1:1 ratio, or HSBC Rewards points at a ratio of 25,000 points = 10,000 Avios – all of which often put on transfer bonuses of their own.
However, if you no longer see enough value in using Bonvoy points for hotels and prefer to use them towards flights at a higher value, the 25% bonus to Avios can be a helpful boost towards booking one of the program’s sweet spots.
Conclusion
From today until April 25, 2022, you’ll receive a 25% bonus when you convert eligible hotel loyalty points into British Airways Avios.
Although these types of hotel conversion promotions don’t always represent a great deal, this one can be useful for aspirational travellers who might find, say, a luxurious Qsuites flight more appealing than using Bonvoy points for hotels.
