Compared to the US market, UK travellers feel like they’re constantly missing out on lucrative points opportunities. It’s safe to say much of that would change, if you could earn Avios on your current account and other banking products – not just credit cards. In an exclusive partnership, Barclays and British Airways are about to do just that, with the introduction of Avios Points earning on current accounts and other banking products, plus more benefits to follow…
Full stop. At this point, the finer points of the accounts are unknown, but what is for certain, via British Airways, is that Barclays Premier customers in the UK will soon be able to earn Avios from their current account. How soon? Later this year, and that’s unfortunately all that’s known at the moment.
Very Exciting Stuff
Occasionally, and just occasionally, offers will pop up to earn points and miles by move money from one account to another, but opportunities to regularly earn points such as Avios on a current account are few and far between. This fills a fantastic void in the market, and with any hope will force other banks to look for their own airline mile tie ins to entice customers.
With so many ways to use Avios, every little helps and this could be a lucrative new stream for many.
Additional Loyalty Benefits
One ambiguous but potentially sweet element of this news is “additional loyalty benefits and experiences” across the partnership. Sure, this could mean virtually anything – and might just mean a free cup of tea at a branch once a year – but it could also mean elite style benefits, or fee exemptions for Barclays Premier Customers, or added benefits for elite BA flyers at Barclays.
We’ll have to wait and see what the fine details bring, but this partnership seems to make a lot of sense from both ends, creating a compelling banking product for Barclays and a new revenue stream and customer feed for British Airways. Details will be updated as they arrive.
Such a shame it is Barclays Bank though
I signed up to Barclays when they offered 20k avios to switch a few months back, compared with credit card bonuses it wasn’t straight forward, this announcement will make me more likey to stick with Barclays.. here’s hoping they offer something compelling..
I realise that answer to all my questions is “we just don’t know yet”, but the overarching one for me is, if this is a NEW account signup, an enhancement to existing Barclays Premiere or something in between
I *believe* it will be an ongoing actual version of the word “enhancement” and not just a sign up bonus, though there may indeed be some sort of enticement with an initial stack.