Open your Avios accounts with British Airways, Qatar Airways and Finnair now – if you haven’t already – to avoid future transfer delays.
One of the most powerful features of the Avios ecosystem in recent years has been the ability to move your points freely between programmes – the likes of British Airways Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Finnair Plus and Iberia Plus – at a 1:1 ratio, instantly, for free, and reversibly as and when you choose.
It’s what makes Avios such a uniquely flexible points currency, and it’s something we’ve covered extensively here at Mainly Miles, with various “sweet spots” available only through specific programmes.
The logic has always been relatively simple: it doesn’t really matter where your Avios are sitting, because you can move them across to whichever programme gives you the best redemption value for the flight you’re booking whenever you choose.
Well that’s now a little more complicated than it used to be, due to increasing instances of fraud.
The British Airways Club is the ‘hub’ programme
Until late 2025 all transfers between Avios programmes had to go through the British Airways Club, but since conversions are now also handled via Avios.com, there’s a bit more flexibility because you can move points between the IAG Group programmes without having to go via BA.
For example, a transfer from Aer Lingus Avios to Loganair Avios can now be done directly, even if you don’t have a BA account.
However, for non-IAG Group Avios programmes – Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Finnair Plus – there’s still no direct link and you therefore still have to go via BA when transferring between these two programmes, or into another IAG Group one.
(Image: MainlyMiles)
Since most of our Singapore-based readers are interested in redemption options with the BA Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Finnair, this means a BA Club account remains a must-have.
For example, if you want to transfer 41,500 Avios from your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account to your Finnair Plus account to redeem JAL Business Class from Singapore to Tokyo at the most competitive rate, you still have no choice but to transfer them to BA first, then to Finnair in a subsequent step.
(Photo: Melvin Loi)
That flexibility now has a catch.
What’s changed?
Avios has introduced new terms and conditions for 2026 that require members to have held an IAG loyalty programme account – that means British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Vueling Club, or Aer Lingus AerClub – for a minimum of 30 days before they can initiate any outbound transfer to another Avios programme.
Here’s the exact wording from the updated T&Cs:
“Members must have held an AerClub, British Airways Club, Iberia Club, or Vueling Club account for at least thirty (30) days before initiating any Avios transfer from these programmes to other Avios programmes (including British Airways Club, Iberia Club, Vueling Club, AerClub, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Finnair Plus, and Loganair Loyalty). This restriction applies only to outbound transfers from IAG programmes to partners. Transfers into IAG programmes are not restricted.”
Avios revised Terms and Conditions
For example, this is the message you will get when trying to transfer Avios from a new (less than 30-day-old) British Airways Club account, via Avios.com.
What does this mean in practice?
If you’re a seasoned Avios collector with long-standing accounts already linked via Avios.com / BA, this change won’t affect you at all. The restriction targets newly opened IAG programme accounts, so if your BA Club membership has been active for months or years, don’t worry – you’re already good to go.
Where this starts to become an issue is if you’re new to the Avios world, or if – for whatever reason – you find yourself needing to open a fresh account within the IAG ‘bubble’.
Maybe you’ve been collecting Qatar Airways Avios via credit card transfers or during points sales, but haven’t yet set up a BA account?
In that kind of scenario, you now need to think 30 days ahead.
Remember it’s also worth having a BA Avios account to take advantage of the airline’s Avios Boost – allowing you to double, triple or quadruple any British Airways Avios you have earned in the last 30 days by paying a fee, including from a credit card points transfer.
What should you do now?
The fix is simple, and it costs you nothing.
If you don’t already have active accounts across the key Avios programmes, open them today.
You don’t need any points in them, you just need that 30-day clock to start ticking. The programmes to prioritise are:
- The British Airways Club: the hub for the BA award chart, Avios.com transfers, and one of the broadest ranges of partners.
Join BA Club - Qatar Airways Privilege Club: for the good Qatar-priced Avios redemptions, including Singapore to London for 75,000 Avios in Business Class and Bangkok Airways Singapore to Koh Samui for 6,000 Avios in Economy Class.
Join Qatar Privilege Club - Finnair Plus: a newcomer, but now home to some nice Avios sweet spots in the Asia-Pacific region, including JAL Business Class from Singapore to Tokyo for 41,500 Avios.
Join Finnair Plus
Once you have them, head to Avios.com, sign in with your British Airways Club account, and link them all together, after 30 days if your BA account is brand new.
That way you can get all these accounts and links between them set up well in advance, rather than at the last minute – when you’re trying to jump on a specific award.
You’ll need two-factor authentication (2FA) set up on each account individually. That’s slightly tedious the first time around, but once it’s done, transferring between programmes is quick and easy.
The 30-day rule is an unwelcome addition to what has always been a relatively frictionless system, but is one response to increasing fraud airlines are seeing in the Avios ecosystem for points redemptions.
Thankfully the workaround is relatively painless. Simply open your accounts now, link them via Avios.com, and you’ll hopefully never be caught out by the restriction. The downside if you do this unnecessarily? An extra loyalty account you didn’t end up needing, which is no big issue.
The worst alternative is finding your perfect award availability, rushing to move Avios across, and then hitting a wall for a month.
Business Class awards don’t hang around that long, so don’t let that be you.
(Cover Photo: Qatar Airways)
