DEAL: Buy Finnair Avios with a 50% Bonus (1.55 cents/Avios) until Sep 18

If you're looking to purchase Finnair Avios with a bonus, good news! Until September 18, 2024, you can buy Avios with a 50% bonus.

Since Finnair adopted Avios as its currency in early 2024, this promotion also allows you to purchase Avios for use with British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus.

Should You Buy? Let's Review the Details.

Finnair regularly offers sales on Avios, alternating between discounts and bonus Avios. This promotion provides up to a 50% bonus, bringing the purchase price down to 1.55 cents per Avios when you maximize the offer. The promotion runs until September 18, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EEST (4:59 p.m. ET in the U.S.). This pricing is valid whether you're buying Avios for yourself or gifting them to another Finnair Plus member.

Finnair's excellent business class (Source: Finnair)

Avios Purchased and Bonus Rates:

• 1,000 to 4,000 Avios: No Bonus

• 5,000 to 49,000 Avios: 30% Bonus

• 50,000 to 200,000 Avios: 50% Bonus

By purchasing the maximum of 200,000 Avios, you’ll receive a 50% bonus, resulting in 300,000 Avios for €4,200 (~$4,649). This works out to 1.55 cents per Avios.

Note that bonus Avios may take up to three days to appear in your Finnair Plus account.

Is It Worth It?

While it's generally not advisable to purchase miles speculatively (due to frequent program devaluations), this deal can be quite attractive. For instance, Finnair’s award chart allows you to redeem 62,500 Avios for a one-way business class flight from the U.S. East Coast to Finland.

Finnair Avios promotion (Source: Finnair)

You could buy 62,500 Avios (at 1.55 cents each) for $968.75. Given that the same flight often costs over $4,000, this represents significant savings.

Other valuable uses for Finnair Avios include flights within Northern Europe, upgrades on discounted Finnair cash tickets, and transcontinental flights within the U.S.

Sample Redemptions:

• Finnair Business Class (London to Helsinki, one-way): 18,000 Avios + $35 → ~$285

• Finnair Business Class (Helsinki to Asia/North America, one-way): 62,500 Avios + $160 → ~$1,025

• Finnair Business Class (Germany via Helsinki to Asia/North America, one-way): 80,500 Avios + $215 → ~$1,330

• British Airways Economy Class (Frankfurt to London, one-way): 4,750 Avios + $25 → ~$90

• British Airways Business Class (Frankfurt to London, one-way): 8,500 Avios + $45 → ~$160

• American Airlines Economy Class (Los Angeles to Honolulu, one-way): 13,000 Avios + ~$5 → ~$190

• Qatar Airways Qsuite (Frankfurt to Doha, one-way): 43,000 Avios + ~$160 → ~$750

• Cathay Pacific First Class (Frankfurt to Hong Kong, one-way): 123,750 Avios + ~$110 → ~$1,830

Tip: Finnair Avios purchases are processed by Points.com, so they won't count as airfare on your credit card. To maximize earnings, use a card with good rewards on everyday spending or a new credit card with a welcome bonus.

Conclusion

For those looking to stock up on Finnair Avios, this sale offers a great opportunity. It may also appeal to anyone wanting Avios for British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, or Aer Lingus AerClub, as Avios can be transferred instantly and freely between these programs.

There are other ways to earn Finnair Avios without buying them, such as transferring Capital One miles at a 1:1 ratio. However, if you've exhausted other options and have a specific redemption in mind, buying Avios can make sense if it’s cheaper than paying cash for the flight.

This sale runs until September 18, 2024, offering a 50% bonus on Finnair Avios purchases.