Hey there, and welcome back to Smart with Points.
I'm Jack, and if you've ever looked at your Avios balance and thought, "I'm just a few thousand points away from booking that dream flight," then today's episode might just be the answer to your prayers.
Or it might be a trap. We'll work that out together. So IAG Loyalty has just dropped what they're calling their most generous Avios balance boost promotion ever.
We're talking about the ability to boost your Avios by up to five hundred percent. Yes, you heard that right, five hundred percent.
Now, before you rush off to boost every single Avios you've ever earned, let's dig into whether this is actually worth your hard-earned cash.
First up, what makes this offer different from the usual balance boost promotions we see? Well, there are three key changes that make this genuinely interesting.
The standard Avios balance boost typically caps at three hundred percent, only covers the previous month's transactions, and is pretty limited in scope. This promotion changes all three of those parameters in your favor.
The headline grabber is obviously that five hundred percent boost rate. But there are actually several other improvements worth noting. You've now got higher boost tiers available.
You can choose four hundred percent or five hundred percent boosts on top of the standard one hundred, two hundred, and three hundred percent options.
Instead of only boosting last month's Avios, you can boost eligible transactions from the entire two thousand and twenty-five calendar year and even early two thousand and twenty-six.
Plus, you can boost up to five hundred individual transactions per boost level. Now, here's an important caveat you need to know about.
Any Avios transactions you've already boosted during two thousand and twenty-five or two thousand and twenty-six cannot be further boosted in this promotion.
The four hundred or five hundred percent bonus only applies to previously unboosted transactions. So if you've been boosting your balance throughout the year, those transactions are off the table.
Let's talk about cost because this is where things get interesting. The pricing follows the standard Avios balance boost structure.
For a five hundred percent boost, you're effectively paying to multiply your earned Avios by six. That's your original Avios plus five times that amount.
The real question is what price per Avios you're actually paying for those boosted points, and this varies quite a bit depending on your original earning rate. Here's where it gets a bit counterintuitive.
If you earned Avios at a poor rate initially, say through a low-value shopping portal purchase, boosting those Avios can actually deliver reasonable value.
We've got an Avios balance boost calculator on our website that you can use to work out exactly what you'd be paying per point for any boost scenario.
It compares pricing across British Airways, Qatar Airways, and Finnair to help you find the best deal. So my take on this, who should actually consider this offer? I'll be completely honest with you here.
Buying Avios in any form isn't something I'd recommend for everyone. The value equation really depends on what you're planning to redeem those Avios for.
If you're sitting on a pile of two thousand and twenty-five Avios from credit card spending or shopping portals and you're a few thousand points short of a specific redemption goal, this could genuinely make sense.
The maths works particularly well if you tick a few boxes. First, if you have a high-value redemption in mind.
Business class flights to destinations like Tokyo or Cape Town can deliver one penny or more per Avios in value, which makes the boost cost much easier to justify. Second, if you need to top up for summer travel.
With award availability for peak summer dates already filling up, having enough Avios now rather than later could secure you seats that won't be available in a few months.
And third, if you already hold a British Airways American Express card.
If you've been earning Avios through your card spending throughout two thousand and twenty-five, you'll have plenty of eligible transactions to boost. But let's be clear about when this doesn't make sense.
If you're planning to use Avios for economy short-haul flights or low-value redemptions, the numbers rarely work out. You're often better off just paying cash for those trips.
Similarly, if you don't have a specific redemption goal in mind, I'd definitely hold off. Avios devaluations happen, and paying to stockpile points just in case can backfire.
We've seen several British Airways Avios pricing changes over the past year alone, so it's a real risk. Before you commit to a boost, it's worth considering whether there are other ways to earn the Avios you need.
The British Airways shopping portal might still have some decent offers kicking about, and credit card welcome bonuses remain one of the most efficient ways to build a balance quickly.
For business owners out there, Capital on Tap continues to offer free Avios earning on everyday business spending.
And you can now transfer those points to Qatar Airways Avios as well, which is particularly useful if you're targeting Qsuite redemptions. Let me give you the key details at a glance.
The offer ends at five PM on the 6th of February 2026. Who's eligible? The British Airways club members globally, except those in Germany.
Your boost options are one hundred, two hundred, three hundred, four hundred, or five hundred percent.
Eligible transactions are any unboosted Avios earned in two thousand and twenty-five or early two thousand and twenty-six.
There's a transaction limit of up to five hundred transactions per boost, and you can book this at avios.com/collect-avios/buy/booster. So what's the bottom line here?
This is objectively the best Avios balance boost offer we've ever seen. A five hundred percent rate on a full year's worth of transactions is genuinely impressive.
But, and this is a big but, best offer doesn't automatically mean good value. Run the numbers using our calculator on the Smart with Points website. Have a specific redemption in mind before you commit.
And remember that patience often pays in the points game. If you're close to a dream trip and this gets you over the line, absolutely go for it. If you're boosting just because, perhaps wait for the next opportunity.
This promotion runs until the 6th of February, so you've got a week to think it through and do the maths. That's it for today's episode. Thanks so much for listening to Smart with Points.
If you found this useful, please do subscribe to the podcast. You can find us on all major platforms, or head over to our website at smartwithpoints.co.uk.
And hey, if you've got any questions about this balance boost offer or anything else points-related, drop us a message. I'd love to hear from you.
Before you go, here's a quick word about a tool I think you'll find really useful. Looking for the best award flights?
Use awardtravelfinder.com to search availability across Qatar Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and more. Try it for free with our link in the show notes. Until next time, happy collecting.