The 5 Biggest Avios Mistakes UK Families Make (And How to Avoid Them)
I've been helping UK families use points and miles for some time now, and I see the same mistakes over and over again. And honestly, it kills me every time... because these aren't small errors. We're talking about thousands of Avios (and hundreds of pounds) left on the table.
The worst part? Most people don't even realize they're making these mistakes until it's too late.
So let me save you the heartbreak. 🙃 Here are the five biggest Avios mistakes I see families make, and exactly how to avoid them.
Mistake #1: Redeeming Avios for Gift Cards or Shopping Discounts
Let me be blunt: if you're using your Avios to get £5 off at Costa or to buy an Amazon voucher, you're getting robbed. 🤦♀️
Here's why. When you redeem Avios for gift cards or shopping discounts, you're typically getting around £5 per 1,000 Avios. Sometimes less.
But when you use those same Avios for flights, especially premium cabins or long-haul routes, you can easily get £10-£15+ per 1,000 Avios. Sometimes even more.
Let me give you a real example. Let's say you have 10,000 Avios. You could:
Use them for a £50 gift card (£5 per 1,000 Avios)
Or use them for a one-way flight to Europe, which might cost £100+ in cash (£10+ per 1,000 Avios)
That's literally double the value. And if you're booking business class or long-haul flights, the difference is even bigger.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
Before you redeem your Avios for anything, ask yourself: "Am I getting at least £10 per 1,000 Avios?"
If the answer is no, don't do it. Save your points for flights. Even if you're not traveling right now, Avios don't expire as long as your account is active (meaning you earn or spend points at least once every 3 years). So there's no rush to spend them on something that gives you poor value.
Mistake #2: Not Checking Peak vs Off-Peak Dates
British Airways uses two different Avios prices for reward flights: peak and off-peak.
And the difference can be huge.
For the exact same seat on the same route, the number of Avios you pay depends entirely on when you travel.
For example, a return flight from London to New York can cost:
55,000 Avios + taxes (off-peak)
66,000 Avios + taxes (peak)
That’s 11,000 extra Avios for the same flight — just because of your dates.
Now imagine booking for two people… or a family of four.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
Before you book anything, check the peak and off-peak calendar. You can find this on the British Airways website under "Using Avios."
But here's where it gets tricky: British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus all use Avios, but they have different peak/off-peak calendars.
For example:
BA might consider mid-July as off-peak
But Iberia might consider it peak
This is actually a good thing, because it means you can sometimes find cheaper redemptions just by booking through a different airline. But you have to check all three if you want the best deal.
My advice? If you're flexible with your dates, always search off-peak first. The savings are huge.
Mistake #3: Paying Full Taxes from London When You Could Start from Another City
Here's something most people don't realize: the UK has one of the highest departure taxes in the world. It's called Air Passenger Duty (APD), and if you're flying long-haul in business or first class, it's over £200 per person.
That means even if you're using Avios for your flight, you're still paying over £200 just in UK departure taxes. For a family of four, that's almost £900 before you even take off.
But here's the hack: if you position to another European city first (like Madrid, Dublin, or Milan), you can avoid that tax completely.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
Before you book a long-haul flight (especially in business or first class), check the taxes from other European cities. You can use a tool like ITA Matrix to see the exact breakdown of taxes and fees.
If the savings are significant, consider booking a positioning flight to Amsterdam, Madrid, Dublin, or Milan first. You'll save hundreds of pounds, and you might even get a mini-trip out of it.
Mistake #4: Not Using the Companion Voucher Correctly
If you have the British Airways American Express card (either the free one or the Premium Plus version), you probably know it comes with a Companion Voucher. This is one of the most valuable perks in the UK points world, but most people use it wrong.
Here's how the voucher works:
You book a reward flight for yourself using Avios
Your companion flies for free (you just pay their taxes)
Sounds great, right? But here's the mistake: people use it on short-haul flights to Europe, where the taxes are low but the Avios value isn't that impressive.
Let me show you the difference (numbers below are just an example):
Bad Use: Return flight to Spain
You pay: 13,000 Avios + £70 taxes
Companion pays: £70 taxes
Total saved: Maybe £100-£150
Good Use: Return business class flight to New York
You pay: 100,000 Avios + £700 taxes
Companion pays: £700 taxes
Total saved: £2,000-£3,000+
See the difference? The voucher is worth the same either way, but the value you get is completely different.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
If you have a Companion Voucher, save it for premium cabins on long-haul flights. That's where you'll get the most value.
And if you're a family of four, consider this strategy: get both the free BA Amex card and the Premium Plus version (between you and your partner). That way, you have two vouchers, and you can all fly business class for less.
Mistake #5: Forgetting to Track Your Points and Letting Them Expire
I know this sounds basic, but you'd be shocked how many people lose thousands of Avios simply because they forgot they had them.
Here's the rule: Avios don't expire as long as your account is active. But if you don't earn or spend any Avios for 3 years, your account becomes inactive and your points disappear.
And here's the thing... this happens more often than you'd think. People collect points for a few years, then forget about them, and by the time they remember, it's too late.
I've also seen people miss out on bonuses because they didn't track their credit card spending properly. For example, they thought they hit the minimum spend for a welcome bonus, but a refund came through at the last minute and knocked them below the threshold. Boom... 50,000+ Avios gone.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
Set up a simple system to track your points. You don't need anything fancy... a spreadsheet works fine. Just log:
How many Avios you have in each account (BA, Iberia, Aer Lingus...)
When your credit card bonuses are due
When your points are set to expire (if you haven't earned/spent in a while)
Also, set a reminder in your phone to check your accounts at least once a year. Even if you're not ready to book a trip, just log in and make sure your points are still there.
And if you're getting close to the 3-year mark without activity, just earn 1 Avios. You can do this by buying something small through the Avios eStore or linking your account to a shopping portal. That resets the clock for another 3 years.
One More Thing: The Biggest Mistake of All
Okay, I lied. There's actually a sixth mistake, and it's the one that costs people the most: not having a strategy at all.
Most people collect Avios randomly. They get some from a credit card, some from shopping, maybe some from a flight. But they don't have a plan for how to use them. So they end up with 10,000 Avios here, 5,000 there, and never enough to actually book anything good.
The families I work with who travel the most? They have a strategy. They know exactly which credit cards to get, in what order, and when. They know how to stack points from multiple sources. And they know how to book flights that give them maximum value.
That's what we teach inside Fly Smart Accelerator. It's not just about collecting points... it's about building a system that works year after year, so you can take your family on holidays you never thought you could afford.
But even if you're not ready for that yet, just avoid these five mistakes and you'll already be ahead of 90% of people using Avios.
Your Action Plan
Here's what to do right now:
Log into your British Airways account and check your Avios balance
Make sure you haven't redeemed any points for gift cards or shopping discounts
Check the peak/off-peak calendar before you book your next flight
If you're booking long-haul, compare taxes from London vs other European cities
If you have a Companion Voucher, save it for business class on a long-haul route
Set a reminder to check your Avios balance once a year
That's it. Five mistakes, five fixes. And honestly, if you just do these things, you'll save thousands of Avios and hundreds of pounds over time.
