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The BA Executive Club eStore is running a bonus Avios promotion this weekend, offering up to twice the Avios from selected retailers. This is running until midnight on Sunday, and reports to be available to all BA Executive Club members.

In the email I received yesterday, BA proclaim;

Our exciting Double Avios Weekend is here! Boosting your Avios balance has never been easier, simply visit the Avios eStore and buy from retailers such as John Lewis & Partners, ASOS, Apple and more.

But be quick, this great offer ends on Sunday 7 October 2018. Treating yourself has never been so rewarding.

I don’t know that I’m overly excited by this, as the exclusions for some retailers tend to scupper all the best ideas.

Be aware

For example, maybe you were thinking of getting the latest iPhone Xs. After all, 6 Avios per £ would give you 5,994 Avios. That’s more than enough for a one-way economy flight to places like Edinburgh, Paris, Amsterdam or Prague. Of course, then we find this exclusion listed;

Please note: Unless you are notified otherwise, no rewards are given on new products when launched (including the new iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, iPhone Xr and Apple Watch Series 4), any items that are not mentioned below within the stated reward, reserve and collect purchases or pre-orders, One-to-one membership, Shipping and VAT charges, Bose products, Apple Developer Programs, Apple Employee Purchase Program, iTunes gift cards, Apple gift cards purchases and gift wrap. 

That said, if the product you want is eligible for reward, and we assume a typical Avios value of 1p, then a 6% discount/rebate on Apple products is actually pretty good. Your other option, would be to buy from Carphone Warehouse who offer a flat 6,000 Avios on 24 month contracts for the latest Apple and Samsung flagship models, as well as previous generation models. Other contracts and handsets receive “a lower reward” – whatever that means?

Cleaner Options?

There are a number of other retailers on there with fewer restrictions

• John Lewis – 4 Avios / £ (few exclusions such as Wedding List, Gift Cards, etc.)
• Just Eat = 2 Avios / £ (no exclusions listed, other than ‘untracked transactions’)
• Argos – 2 Avios / £ (delivered, and pre-paid reserve and collect)
• Fortnum & Mason – 10 Avios / £ (too classy to list any restrictions)

Travel Options

The BA Executive Club eStore doesn’t have quite so many hotel options as the Avios eStore (if they ever actually pay out), but there are a few travel related retailer

• P & O Cruises – 3 Avios / £ (excludes past passenger promotional deals)
• Booking.com – 4 Avios / £ (invalid if any changes to booking, excludes multiple rooms/night)
• Hotels.com – 4 Avios / £ (a lower reward if earning Hotels.com Reward Nights)

Most of the travel options are awarded 90-120 days after your stay/cruise. If this works like Avios eStore, consider that an absolute minimum time.

The full list of Bonus offers is available at this BA page

Worthwhile?

While not quite the free money option of the Quidco and TopCashback offers that started yesterday (don’t forget the Quidco offer runs until midnight Friday), it still represents an opportunity for a few bonus Avios if you were planning on a purchase anyway. A number of in store retailers are also in the bonus, so even just getting a flat white from Caffe Nero would get you 5 Avios / £. The 15 Avios / £ at Jack Wills is particularly generous, but only available when paying with a pre-registered Mastercard (like a Curve card, maybe?).

Terms & Conditions

Make sure you review the relevant retailer’s purchase conditions before committing, and here are the overall T’s and C’s from BA.

Terms and Conditions
1. The British Airways Avios eStore Double Avios offer is valid for all members who make an Eligible purchase via the British Airways Avios eStore between 00:01 Wednesday 3 October 2018 and 23:59 Sunday 7 October 2018.
2. Members will receive double the standard Avios collection rate on participating UK retailers.
3. An Eligible purchase is where one Avios or more is collected through purchases made via the British Airways Avios eStore only.
4. Purchases made directly in the Partners stores will not qualify for the double Avios award.
5. Selected retailers are excluded from the double Avios offer and certain exclusions apply, see individual retail pages within the British Airways Avios eStore for details.
6. All Avios will be added to your account within 40 (forty) days of the date of your purchase.
7. Avios will not be awarded on items that are returned or cancelled.
8. We accept no responsibility for fulfilment of transactions and delivery of goods; therefore, please check delivery timescales with individual retailers.
9. Standard British Airways Avios eStore Terms and Conditions apply.