How To Redeem Finnair Plus Avios For Best Value

Avios is a well known points currency, used by a variety of frequent flyer programs, including British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Finnair Plus, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, and Aer Lingus AerClub.

The Avios currency gives you quite a bit of flexibility, since you can transfer the rewards between all of the participating loyalty schemes. So it’s worth understanding the sweet spots of each program, so you can decide under what circumstances you should redeem rewards through there, rather than transferring them to another “flavor” of Avios.

I’ve written about the best uses of British Airways Executive Club Avios, Iberia Plus Avios, Aer Lingus AerClub Avios, and Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios, and in this post I wanted to take a closer look at the best uses of Finnair Plus Avios.

How to earn Finnair Plus Avios

Even if you’re not a Finnair frequent flyer, there are plenty of ways to rack up Finnair Plus Avios:

• Finnair Plus partners with one major transferable points currency, as you can transfer points from Capital One
• You can transfer Avios between the various currencies, so you can accrue these points through transfers from programs like British Airways Executive Club
• Since you can transfer rewards between all the Avios currencies, Avios racked up on other cards can also be applied to your Finnair balance; this includes cards like the Aer Lingus Visa Signature^® Card (review), British Airways Visa Signature® Card (review), and Iberia Visa Signature^® Card (review)

Basics of redeeming Finnair Plus Avios

Let me cut to the chase — generally I think Finnair Plus Avios are most valuable if you actually want to redeem for travel on Finnair. While there are some niche redemption opportunities on other airlines, you’ll typically get more value and a better booking process if transferring your Avios to British Airways Executive Club, and ticketing through there.

Before we look at redemption options, let me cover a couple of basics of Finnair Plus Avios:

• Finnair Plus Avios expire after 18 months of inactivity, so you need to earn or redeem Avios in that timeframe to keep them active
• Finnair Plus lets you change or cancel an award up to 24 hours before departure for a fee of €50; within that timeframe, award tickets can’t be changed or canceled for a refund
• Finnair Plus makes award seats available 361 days in advance

Let’s take a closer look at redemption options.

Redeeming Finnair Plus Avios for Finnair award flights

In general, I think the best use of Finnair Plus Avios is redeeming them for award travel directly on Finnair. Finnair has a solid long haul business class product, and you can redeem without paying huge fees.

Another thing to understand is that Finnair Plus has an award seat guarantee, whereby a certain number of award seats are promised when the schedule opens (this includes all flights to and from Helsinki, except Doha flights):

• On short haul flights, you can expect at least four economy award seats and two business class award seats
• On long haul flights, you can expect at least four economy award seats, two premium economy award seats, and two business class award seats

So, what are redemption rates like? Below you can find Finnair Plus one-way award pricing for travel on Finnair. Note that pricing is per segment, except for flights within Finland and Northern Europe, where connections are included.

In addition to the Avios required, there are also surcharges, though they’re fairly mild. These are in addition to government taxes.

This pricing is very competitive, especially if you try to lock in an award when the schedule opens, as you’re guaranteed seats. For example, a one-way award from Dallas to Helsinki will cost you 62,500 Avios plus $141 in taxes and fees.

The reason this is advantageous to booking through British Airways Executive Club is that British Airways would charge the same number of Avios, but would pass on much higher fees. This exact award would have over $1,000 in carrier imposed surcharges through Executive Club.

Redeeming Finnair Plus Avios for Finnair upgrades

Finnair Plus Avios can be redeemed efficiently not only for award flights on Finnair, but also for upgrades. Below you can find Finnair Plus one-way upgrade pricing for travel on Finnair. Note that upgrade pricing is per segment.

To be eligible to upgrade, your flight must be marketed and operated by Finnair. Upgrades can clear between the time you book, and 37 hours of departure. So they won’t always clear, but most people report having decent luck.

Personally I prefer outright redeeming points for award tickets rather than upgrading, but for some people (especially those pursuing status), this could be a better option.

Redeeming Finnair Plus Avios for partner airlines

Finnair is part of the oneworld alliance, so it’s possible to redeem Finnair Plus Avios on all oneworld airlines. Finnair Plus has different award charts for each partner airline. Unlike for travel on Finnair, partner award pricing is based on travel between the origin and destination, and not per segment.

I try to be practical with my advice regarding which program to use for redemptions, rather than sharing a bunch of niche sweet spots that most people probably won’t use.

So let me say that on balance, I think you’ll get better value redeeming Avios on partner airlines through British Airways Executive Club or Qatar Airways Privilege Club. Furthermore, if you have other points currencies, like miles with Alaska Mileage Plan or American AAdvantage, you’ll often find a better deal there.

That being said, there are some situations where redeeming on partners through Finnair Plus could be a good value. For one, Finnair Plus has some unique partnerships with non-oneworld airlines, including BRA, Juneyao Airlines, and LATAM.

Furthermore, there are some situations where Finnair Plus will have better award pricing than other Avios programs, so it’s always worth comparing pricing between the Avios programs, to determine which is the best value.

For example, below is the Finnair Plus award chart for travel on Cathay Pacific. You’ll notice that the pricing is pretty attractive, like being able to redeem 75,000 Avios for a one-way business class award between the United States and Asia. Now, good luck actually finding transpacific Cathay Pacific business class award availability, but if there is availability, this is pretty great.

Below is the Finnair Plus award chart for travel on Japan Airlines. Pricing isn’t amazing, but there are some situations where Finnair Plus has lower pricing than other Avios programs, including across the Pacific in premium cabins.

Lastly, below is the Finnair Plus award chart for travel on American Airlines. For the most part you’ll find better pricing through British Airways Executive Club, with the exception of many connecting itineraries. For example, you could redeem 13,000 Avios to fly from the United States to the Caribbean, and that would include itineraries like Los Angeles to Miami to Anguilla, which would cost more through Executive Club.

Bottom line

Finnair Plus is Finnair’s frequent flyer program, which uses Avios as its currency. One of the nice things about Avios is how you can transfer the rewards between the various programs, which is why it’s worth understanding the sweet spots of each program.

Personally I think the Finnair Plus program is most valuable for redemptions on Finnair. There’s an award seat guarantee, fees are minimal, and Finnair has a pleasant passenger experience.

For travel on partner airlines, I’d generally recommend booking through British Airways Executive Club or Qatar Airways Privilege Club, though in some situations Finnair Plus may have the best pricing.

What’s your take on redeeming Avios with the Finnair Plus program?