Finnair Plus Enables 1:1 Transfers to British Airways Avios

Last year, Finnair Plus announced a series of major changes to the program ; chief among them is its transition to Avios, the same loyalty currency used by British Airways and Qatar Airways .
Another change that was hinted at last year was the ability to convert Finnair Avios to British Airways Avios. Finnair Plus has finally announced that you’ll be able to convert your Avios between the two programs at a 1:1 ratio starting May 22, 2024.
Finnair Plus Enables 1:1 Avios Transfer to British Airways
After switching to Avios as its loyalty currency, Finnair Plus takes the next natural step in integrating into the Avios ecosystem: enabling transfers between its own program and British Airways Executive Club.
As of May 22, 2024, Finnair Avios may be converted to British Airways Avios at a 1:1 ratio and vice versa.

Recall that Qatar Airways Privilege Club, upon adopting Avios as its currency in 2022, has enabled 1:1 transfers to British Airways as well.
This move adds flexibility to Finnair Avios by adding more redemption possibilities – from British Airways Club World business class to Qatar Airways Qsuites . Keep in mind that Avios may be transferred among participating programs in a somewhat roundabout way.




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How to Transfer Avios Between Accounts







More importantly, it puts the Finnair Plus on the radar of Miles & Points enthusiasts in North America, where Finnair Avios were otherwise relatively difficult to earn.
As things stand, Finnair Avios only has one transfer partner in the US, Capital One Miles, and none in Canada. Not even Marriott Bonvoy, which has a long list of 40+ airline partners, allows transfers to Finnair Plus.
On the other hand, British Airways Avios are far easier to obtain. In Canada, British Airways Executive Club is transfer partners with American Express Membership Rewards and RBC Avion . The co-branded RBC® British Airways Visa Infinite† is offered in the market as well.
In the US, you may convert your points from the following programs to British Airways Executive Club:

American Express US Membership Rewards
Bilt Rewards
Capital One Miles
Chase Ultimate Rewards

Moving forward, points collectors who have access to British Airways Avios will now one more program to play with and many more redemptions to access.
Finnair flies between Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) and five destinations in the US: Seattle (SEA), Los Angeles (LAX), Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW), Miami (MIA), and New York (JFK). In total, the airline flies to 80 destinations in Europe, Asia, and North America.

Should You Transfer Your Avios to Finnair?
Depending on the specific redemption, it can be a good idea to transfer Avios to Finnair Plus in order to book at more favourable rates than via British Airways Executive Club. Fortunately, Finnair Plus allows you to browse award redemptions with a zero Avios balance, unlike Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
Finnair Plus uses a fixed redemption chart on its own flights without peak/off-peak pricing, unlike British Airways Executive Club . The same chart applies to flights operated by its subsidiary, Nordic Regional Airlines (Norra).

For example, a one-way flight between New York and Helsinki costs 62,500 Avios + $141 (USD) in taxes and fees if booked via Finnair Plus.

Meanwhile, if booked via British Airways Avios, this flight would cost you 62,500 Avios + $1,426 in taxes and fees! By converting points to Finnair Plus, you’d stand to save a small fortune on the cash surcharges portion of the redemption.

With Finnair Plus, the cost of connecting flights is added cumulatively, except for within Finland and Northern Europe. This means a one-way New York–Helsinki–Singapore ticket in business class costs 125,000 Avios + $170 (USD) in taxes and fees.

Like many of the other varieties of the Avios program, Finnair Plus guarantees a number of “Classic” awards per flight.

Finnair Plus Avios can also be redeemed via the Finnair Shop , in exchange for hotel vouchers that may represent good value in certain scenarios. We’ll be sure to publish a full guide to Finnair Plus sweet spots in the future, now that this 1:1 transfer possibility has been confirmed.

Conclusion
Finnair Plus has announced that 1:1 transfers between Finnair Avios and British Airways Avios will go live as of May 22, 2024. This step, which comes as Finnair Plus fully integrates into the Avios ecosystem, opens up new redemption possibilities for members of both programs.
We’ll follow up this article with a deep dive into the new redemption possibilities, as well as potential sweet spots, that are now accessible via Finnair Plus.
The post Finnair Plus Enables 1:1 Transfers to British Airways Avios appeared first on Prince of Travel by Vittorio Salac .