Avios Group

What Avios Group does

Avios Group (AGL) Ltd, trading as IAG Loyalty, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) that operates and licenses the Avios loyalty currency. Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Harmondsworth, England, the company operates the technology, partner management, and commercial platform that powers Avios collection, transfer, and redemption across airline, financial, hospitality, retail, and emerging mobility ecosystems.

The core product is a multi-sided loyalty platform that connects at least seven airline loyalty programs — British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, AerClub (Aer Lingus), Vueling Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Finnair Plus, and Loganair's program — with a broad partner base of co-branded credit card issuers (American Express with British Airways, Barclays, Chase, CaixaBank, Santander), hotel groups (IHG, Marriott), and non-travel merchants (Nectar, Avis Budget, Endesa, Repsol, Bilt, and bp pulse EV charging). Avios earns interchange-style economics from card co-brands and merchant relationships, plus licensing and redemption-margin economics from IAG's operating airlines and partner carriers. Recent product moves extend Avios utility into EV charging and the first Avios-Only transatlantic flight with Aer Lingus, indicating ongoing category and geographic broadening of the currency's spend surfaces.

Avios generates revenue primarily through (i) long-tenured co-branded credit card economics with financial partners, with the British Airways/American Express card reaching its 25-year anniversary in 2026, (ii) merchant/retail partnerships that pay for member acquisition, engagement and attribution, and (iii) licensing, settlement, and breakage mechanics on the Avios currency from IAG airlines and non-IAG partner carriers. As a private subsidiary, Avios Group discloses no standalone revenue, headcount, or margin figures; commercial disclosures are limited to partnership announcements and program-level milestones.

Name

Avios Group

Legal name

Avios Group (AGL) Ltd

Website

https://aviosgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Avios Group (IAG Loyalty) operates the Avios loyalty currency platform, connecting IAG airlines and partner carriers (British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling, Qatar Airways, Finnair, Loganair) with financial, hotel, retail, and mobility partners via co-branded credit cards and merchant earn/spend programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Loyalty Program Management

akta.pro primary industry

Loyalty Technology Platforms (LMS, Wallets, APIs) (THABAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Co-Branded Card & Card-Linked Offers Enablement (Issuer/Network Integrations) (THALAKAI)

Keywords

• Loyalty program management
• Rewards currency platform
• Airline loyalty solutions
• Merchant partner programs
• Co-branded credit card rewards

Headquarters

HQ city

Crawley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Merchant Partnership Revenue: Revenue from commercial partnerships with retailers, hospitality brands, financial institutions, and car rental companies who offer Avios as an earn/redemption currency to their customers, creating incremental transaction value.
2. Airline Loyalty Program Licensing: Revenue from operating loyalty programs for airline partners including British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub, Vueling Club, and others under the Avios umbrella.
3. Co-branded Credit Card Partnerships: Revenue from financial institution partnerships (American Express, Barclays, Chase, CaixaBank) through co-branded credit card programs where cardholders earn Avios on spending.
4. Hotels & Hospitality Partnerships: Revenue from hotel loyalty integrations including IHG Hotels & Resorts and Marriott International where guests can earn/redeem Avios during stays.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Avios Group operates and manages the Avios rewards currency, a global loyalty currency that enables consumers to earn points through everyday spending and redeem them for travel. The company operates loyalty programs on behalf of airline partners including British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub, Vueling Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Finnair Plus, and Loganair Loyalty, and enables merchants such as hotels, car rental firms, retailers, energy companies, and financial institutions to integrate Avios earning and redemption into their customer offerings.

Product overview

IAG Loyalty operates as a loyalty programme management platform centered around the Avios currency—a rewards currency that can be collected through everyday spending and redeemed on travel. The platform functions as a unified ecosystem connecting multiple airline loyalty programmes (British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Aer Lingus AerClub, Vueling Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Finnair Plus, and Loganair Loyalty) under a single currency system. Additional offerings include Avios for Merchants, enabling businesses to offer Avios rewards, and a Partner Programme for strategic collaborations. The company provides 30 years of loyalty industry expertise, encompassing technology, currency management, and marketing know-how to build customer and employee experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Avios: The global rewards currency that can be collected with everyday spending and redeemed on travel. Used by airline loyalty programs including British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, AerClub, Vueling Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Finnair Plus, and Loganair Loyalty.

Products and services

• Avios Currency
• Avios for Merchants
• Partner Program

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• bp pulsecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 June 2026bp pulse and IAG Loyalty launched a partnership enabling drivers in the UK to earn up to 4 Avios per £1 on electric vehicle charging, expanding Avios into the EV charging category for everyday journeys.
• NectarcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Nectar x Avios currency exchange partnership launched in 2021, enabling Nectar members to convert points to/from Avios. Partnership has scaled to deliver significant value to joint customer base.
• British Airways Executive ClubcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary airline loyalty program operated under the Avios currency umbrella. British Airways Executive Club members collect and redeem Avios for flights.
• Iberia PluscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIberia loyalty program operated under the Avios currency, part of IAG airline group.
• Aer Lingus AerClubcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAer Lingus loyalty program celebrating 10 years, offering transatlantic Avios-Only flights between Dublin and New York.
• Vueling ClubcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVueling low-cost carrier loyalty program operating under the Avios currency.
• Qatar Privilege ClubcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorQatar Airways loyalty program partner operating under the Avios currency ecosystem.
• Finnair PluscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFinnair loyalty program partner operating under the Avios currency.
• Loganair LoyaltyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional UK airline loyalty program partner operating under the Avios currency.
• American ExpresscoreGTM or Marketing Partner25-year partnership celebrating with exclusive Cardmember Avios-Only flight to New York. Co-branded credit cards enabling Avios earning on spending.
• IHG Hotels & ResortscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLongstanding partnership enabling IHG hotel guests to earn and redeem Avios. IHG describes IAG Loyalty as collaborative, learning-oriented, and data-driven.
• Avis Budget EMEAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGlobal strategic partnership enabling Avis Budget customers to earn and redeem Avios. Avis Budget describes the partnership as best-in-class proposition.
• Marriott InternationalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership enabling Marriott Bonvoy members to earn and redeem Avios during hotel stays.
• BarclayscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUK banking partner offering co-branded credit cards enabling Avios earning.
• ChasecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUS banking partner offering co-branded credit cards enabling Avios earning.
• CaixaBankcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSpanish banking partner offering co-branded credit cards enabling Avios earning.
• SantandercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSpanish banking partner offering co-branded credit cards enabling Avios earning.
• EndesaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSpanish energy company partnership enabling customers to earn Avios on energy spending.
• RepsolminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEnergy company partnership enabling customers to earn Avios on fuel purchases.
• BiltminorGTM or Marketing PartnerReal estate rewards partnership enabling renters to earn Avios on rent payments through the Bilt platform.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Bilt Rewards: Bilt Rewards enables rent-payment earning transferable to multiple airline/hotel currencies including Avios — a direct B2C partner illustration of the platform. Represents the emerging generation of category-defining (rent → travel) loyalty integrations.
• Marriott International (Marriott Bonvoy): Marriott Bonvoy is both an Avios redemption partner and a competing hospitality loyalty ecosystem with credit card and travel redemption integration. Represents an adjacent loyalty model at hotel-scale.
• Capital One (Capital One Rewards / Entertainment): Capital One Rewards with transfer partnerships to multiple airline/hotel currencies parallels the multi-currency interoperability at the core of the Avios platform; Capital One Entertainment extends into experiential redemption, similar in spirit to Avios's travel/experience redemptions.

Direct peers

• Points International (Points.com): Points.com is a loyalty currency exchange and management platform that enables partners to buy/sell/gift loyalty points across multiple programs — analogous to Avios's currency exchange with Nectar and the broader multi-partner currency interoperability infrastructure.
• LoyaltyOne (AIR MILES): LoyaltyOne operates the AIR MILES coalition loyalty program in Canada, a directly comparable model: a shared currency earned across retail, financial, and travel partners and redeemed for rewards. Both Avios and LoyaltyOne monetize through merchant partnerships and partner licensing.
• Aimia Inc. (Aeroplan): Aimia operates Aeroplan, the dominant airline-affiliated loyalty currency in Canada, monetized through co-branded credit cards and partner redemptions. Directly comparable to Avios's airline-currency-centric model with card-network revenue as the anchor.

Broad incumbents

• Delta Air Lines (SkyMiles): Delta SkyMiles is an in-house airline loyalty currency monetized heavily via the co-branded Amex Delta SkyMiles Reserve card. Direct alternative to Avios for consumers and partner brands evaluating competing airline-affiliated currencies.
• United Airlines (MileagePlus): MileagePlus is one of the largest U.S. airline loyalty programs with deep financial institution partnerships (e.g., Chase) — directly analogous to the BA/American Express and Chase Avios co-brand relationships.
• Booking Holdings (Genius / Wallet): Booking's Genius loyalty program and travel wallet operate as a unified currency across Booking.com, Priceline, and partner brands — a comparable cross-brand currency initiative at much larger consumer scale, though within a proprietary OTA ecosystem.
• Expedia Group (One Key): Expedia's One Key is an OTA-wide loyalty currency spanning hotels, flights, vacation rentals, and packages. Overlaps with Avios's travel-redemption positioning and broad partner ecosystem, though tied to Expedia's own marketplace rather than an open currency.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/IAGLoyalty
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iag-loyalty

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Avios Group