How to use your Avios: three unique destinations to visit

Typical Avios price: 33,000 Avios + £95 off-peak, one way, from London Gatwick

First we start in south Asia, where Sri Lanka stands out as a unique and ideal destination to visit with your Avios becuase it lets you merge a variety of different adventures into one. You can kick back on the beach and relax, but also take in the beautifully scenic views throughout the country. Sri Lanka has it all.

And from October 2026, you can now fly directly from London Gatwick to Colombo with British Airways in the winter months!

Sri Lanka is a long-haul destination where Avios can deliver particularly strong value, especially when compared to cash fares in premium cabins. On top of that, the introduction of direct British Airways flights from London Gatwick to Colombo during the winter months makes the journey more convenient than ever, while partner airlines provide flexibility year-round.

The value of premium economy, business, or first class when using Avios is often a much cheaper alternative compared to the cash price. So, if you have the balance to secure it and want to kick back and relax for 10 to 11 hours, then that extra Avios on an upgrade can go a long way.

With the various adventures you can experience in Sri Lanka means there are plenty more opportunities to collect Avios along the way too.

It is key that you book in advance for Colombo, especially if you are looking to book during peak times. Seats on Reward Flights are limited, so booking early gives you the best chance of securing your preferred dates when visiting Colombo.

Direct flights are available during the winter months, but Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, and many other places offer connecting flights through Sri Lankan Airlines throughout the year, where you can still collect Avios. All of these options are bookable through British Airways, and whilst still spending or collecting Avios.

There are options with Avios Hotels, powered by Expedia, in Colombo, Kandy, and the Hill Country, with various pricing depending on your needs for your trip.

There is the option to either redeem your Avios to cover the cost of your stay in Sri Lanka, part-pay for the property, or collect 10 Avios per £1 through Avios Hotels. This means you can either use your Avios, or help build your balance towards your next trip.

Best time to visit: January to March is the best time to visit for the Cultural Triangle and Hill Country because the west and central regions are at their driest. Two different monsoon seasons affect different coasts and at different times, so always check the weather of where you are booking.

A Reward Flight is a flight you book using Avios instead of cash. You use the Avios from your account, plus a smaller cash amount to cover taxes, fees and carrier charges. The exact number of Avios you will use depends on the route, the cabin and whether you're travelling on a peak or off-peak date.

If you were at all skeptical about the possibilities of reaching unique destinations with Avios, Anthony Hill, Duty Support Executive at Avios, has firsthand experience of it.

"In January of this year I took some time off work to visit Oman with some friends. It was a spontaneous trip that without Avios would have been quite expensive, but I used Avios to cover my flights with British Airways, Oman Air and Qatar Airways, using a lower pricing option. It was the best decision I ever made," he said.

"I've used my Avios for many trips, either to part pay for hotels, car hire or flights, but Oman was the standout trip for me. You will be hard pushed to find a friendlier, charming, but still slightly curious nation which welcomes visitors with open arms. Everywhere we went we were made to feel inclusive."

The question you might be asking is how did Anthony manage to collect enough Avios to use it for hotels, flights, or car hire.

"It's essentially about changing your habits slightly to gain rewards. I get the majority of my Avios from linking various account such as Nectar, Uber, and BPme, which gives me Avios at varying rates each time I either do my shopping, fill up my car or book train tickets or rides with Uber," Anthony said.

"I've been renovating my house recently so I've lived in B&Q and spent a fortune. But, to make it worthwhile, I check to make sure B&Q reward through the Avios Estore on click and collect purchases instead of just shopping in-store, and place my order through that for click and collect. This means I have earned Avios by the time I've grabbed my car keys!"

For those who might be new to Avios, Anthony has some advice: "By making small changes to your everyday habits such as shopping, travel, eating out and banking, you can start to build a fairly consistent flow of Avios. Then before you know it, you've booked yourself a weekend away in Paris, or anywhere you want to visit," he said.

"Avios can be used across a growing number of Airlines such as British Airways, Qatar Airways, Finnair, Aer Lingus, Logan Air, Iberia, and Vueling, and Avios can be easily moved between these programs. So start saving, start travelling and start living!"

Finding Reward Flights for your trip can sometimes be a difficult task, but Anthony recommends the Avios app as the best way to secure seats and find the availability you are looking for.

"You can set up to 10 alerts per route free of charge from within the Avios app and be notified in the event that a seat becomes available. Then you just have to move fast, because they go quickly," he said.

"The recent update to the Avios app has made it much more user-friendly, and the seat alert feature is one of the new additions to it. Plus, the ability to see different pricing options and set an Avios Goal is an added bonus."

Typical Avios price: 12,000 Avios + £57.15 one-way, with Finnair

Known as the home of Santa Claus and even a location to watch the magical Northern Lights, Lapland provides visitors with an unforgettable experience.

It's the kind of place where you can sleep in a glass-roofed cabin and watch the aurora without leaving your bed or take a reindeer safari at dawn. You could also visit in the summer, when the dynamic reverses entirely and the Midnight Sun provides almost 24 hours of daylight, allowing for hiking, river fishing and wild swimming.

For truly unique destinations, very few match what Lapland is able to offer all-year round. There really is no better way to spend Christmas than in Lapland itself, whether that be to see the magical look on your children's faces, or to enjoy the atmosphere of Santa Claus' village.

Flights to Rovaniemi or even other Finnish airports can be expensive at peak times, which is where using your Avios proves particularly valuable. By collecting on your everyday spending at supermarkets, or buying some new clothes, you can experience Lapland at a fraction of the typical cash price.

By transferring your Avios to your Finnair Plus account, you can book an Award Flight through their loyalty program and fly to Rovaniemi Airport with a connecting flight in Helsinki first.

At busy times, which will be in the build-up up to Christmas or in March for the Northern Lights, you may need to book up to 355 days in advance to secure your flight with Finnair.

If you don't mind arranging a transfer or booking car hire, you can use your Avios with British Airways to fly directly to Ivalo for 15,000 Avios + £2.50 at off-peak times and one-way only on a Reward Flight.

Avios Hotels, powered by Expedia, gives you access to various lodges and resorts in and around Rovaniemi, including the Santa’s Hotel Santa Claus, the Arctic TreeHouse Hotel, and many more.

You can use your Avios to reduce the cost of the stay with Avios part-payment, or use your balance in full if possible. If you'd rather save your Avios for another flight, or even something different, you can pay with cash on Avios Hotels and earn 10 Avios back for every £1 you spend.

Best time to visit: October to December is an ideal time for Christmas activities, whilst late March provides a perfect blend of good aurora conditions and more light.

You can both use and collect Avios when flying with various other airlines, including Aer Lingus, Iberia, Vueling and Loganair. You can also transfer your Avios to both Qatar Airways and Finnair to book using Avios for flights with those major airlines.

Best of all, transferring between your accounts is completely free of charge. Your Avios does not diminish in value either, with 1 Avios on your British Airways Club account being exactly the same as 1 Avios with Finnair Plus for example.

To fly to Rovaniemi from London airports, your best option is to fly via a connecting flight in Helsinki with Finnair. If you have been collecting Avios and was looking to book a trip to Lapland, then you can transfer it to Finnair today and cover the cost of your trip, excluding fees and carrier charges.

It's important to know that if you are looking to link your accounts, your account will need to be at least 30 days old before you can link it to your British Airways Club account and transfer Avios.

Typical Avios price: 13,000 + £2.50 off-peak, one way, from London Heathrow

Montenegro offers a spectacular blend of coastline and mountains that’s hard to find elsewhere in Europe, making it an ideal destination for visitors that are looking to both relax and explore on their travels.

The Bay of Kotor has intriguing medieval towns that sit below steep, fjord-like cliffs, whilst Kotor itself is a highlight with its winding Old Town streets. Meanwhile, the nearby Budva adds beaches and a livelier atmosphere, depending on your preferred holiday.

What makes Montenegro particularly appealing is how easily you can experience both sides of the country, especially with Avios car hire. You can spend your Avios to hire a car or collect Avios on the cash you spend, allowing you to travel around Montenegro conveniently and spend time by the coast before heading inland to discover picturesque national parks, lakes and mountains.

With less Avios required to visit Tivat than lots of other more well-known European locations, it is an excellent option to try somewhere new and enjoy a varied travel experience. Similarly, due to many being unaware of its beauty, it can often mean that Reward Flights are a lot more accessible.

Reward flights to Tivat will cost you as little as around 13,000 Avios plus fees and taxes when you travel off-peak. A flight from London airports typically takes around three hours, meaning you can set off at sunrise and reach Kotor by late morning.

Best time to visit: Visiting during May to June offers perfect weather for sightseeing and a slightly less crowded Old Town in Kotor, but still offers the possibility of relaxing on either the beautiful Mogren Beach or Bečići Beach.

Did you know?

Flexible cancellation is available on Reward Flights. This means you can cancel your Reward Flight all the way up until 24 hours before take-off and receive a full refund with only a £35 cancellation fee per adult.