News & insights

From pizza to Pisa: IAG Loyalty announces first-of-its-kind Avios partnership with PizzaExpress

Written by Press Office | Dec 1, 2025 10:15:00 AM

  • Members of The British Airways Club will now be able to collect and redeem Avios at PizzaExpress – the first-time customers have been able to redeem Avios in restaurants 
  • To mark the announcement, PizzaExpress Pizzaiolos put on a live pizza ‘flaring’ performance alongside aircraft at one of the UK’s busiest aviation hubs, London City Airport 

1 December 2025 - IAG Loyalty, the company behind the global reward currency Avios, has today dished up its newest partnership, allowing customers to both collect and redeem Avios with the nation’s most iconic pizzeria brand, PizzaExpress. 

The landmark partnership marks the first-time customers can both collect and redeem Avios at UK restaurants, offering loyal customers an even bigger slice of the action. 

Available to members of The British Airways Club, the new partnership signals the growth of the Avios brand, allowing customers to maximise the value of their Avios by choosing whether to collect and redeem from brands across aviation, travel, retail and more. 

To celebrate the new partnership between PizzaExpress and Avios, the restaurant’s iconic Pizzaiolos rolled onto the apron at London City Airport, putting on a live pizza flaring performance alongside aircraft at one of the UK’s busiest aviation hubs. With dough flaring - a technique where Pizzaiolos artfully toss dough - being responsible for creating the perfect base, the performance ’dough-minated' the airport, encouraging pizza fans to eat their way to Italy by spending the Avios collected on reward flights. 

From today, customers dining at PizzaExpress restaurants will collect 3 Avios per £1 spent, when using a pre-registered credit or debit card. Customers can simply register their payment cards at avios.com prior to dining, and then pay as usual via their server, Pay at Table, or through the PizzaExpress Club app. 

Those looking to redeem their Avios at PizzaExpress can convert their Avios into a voucher to be redeemed for in-store dining, starting at 1,000 Avios for a £5 voucher. 

With this news, customers can swap plates for planes, earning enough Avios with PizzaExpress to visit the home of pizza, Naples, with British Airways. Alternatively, those who’ve just landed from the Mediterranean can enjoy a last taste of the sun by using the Avios collected from their trip to dine at PizzaExpress restaurants. 

Rob McDonald, IAG Loyalty Chief Commercial Officer, said: “As the Avios brand continues to grow as a leading global reward currency, we are excited to be further expanding our proposition for members of The British Airways Club, thanks to a new partnership with PizzaExpress. 

“As one of the UK’s leading brands and restaurant chains, this landmark deal allows customers to both collect and spend Avios with PizzaExpress, giving additional opportunities alongside the travel opportunities that already exist. The partnership also marks the first-time in our history that members of The British Airways Club can spend Avios on eating out and dining, as we continue to expand our loyalty offering.” 

Chris Holmes, PizzaExpress Chief Commercial Officer, said: “As two British icons, one of the high street and one of the skies, we’re thrilled to allow members of The British Airways Club, and proper pizza fans, the chance to earn Avios while they enjoy all their favourites, and also spend their well-earned Avios when dining in any of our UK restaurants.   

“To be the first and only restaurant brand to allow members of The British Airways Club to collect and spend Avios, marks an incredibly exciting moment for us both and we are delighted to offer our customers this opportunity to eat their way to the home of pizza – or in fact, any of British Airways’ destinations.” 

Customers yet to join The British Airways Club can sign-up for free today, with more information about collecting and spending Avios with PizzaExpress available at: www.avios.com/en-GB/spend-avios/vouchers/pizzaexpress/partner 

ENDS 

Media Enquiries: 
press@iagloyalty.com  

Notes to Editors: 

  • Customers can collect Avios when dining at a PizzaExpress restaurant. Purchase of PizzaExpress products in supermarkets, gift cards, pizza making parties, merchandise, or collection and delivery orders are excluded. 
  • Avios collection and redemption is possible at all UK stores, excluding: 
    • PizzaExpress Jazz Club Soho, PizzaExpress Live (Holborn), Pizza Express Live (Covent Garden), The Pheasantry (Chelsea), Gatwick and Edinburgh Airport and PizzaExpress supermarket pod locations

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About Avios  

Avios is the global loyalty currency of British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling, Qatar Airways, Finnair and Loganair. It enables over 69 million members in more than 200 countries worldwide to collect and redeem rewards across a broad ecosystem of travel, retail and financial services partners. More than 20 million Avios are collected and 16 million are redeemed every hour through partnerships with thousands of leading brands including Nectar, American Express, Uber, Cabify, Repsol and Royal Caribbean. From flights and hotel stays to groceries and daily commutes, Avios allows members to turn their everyday spending into meaningful rewards. For more information, visit www.avios.com 

About PizzaExpress 

At PizzaExpress, a pizza doesn’t mean just dinnertime, it means showtime. We make every moment matter for all our pizza fans – no matter how big, or small through our Piccolo menu. 

We are known for three things. The original maker of ‘proper pizza’ in the UK, our distinctive black and white uniform stripes and our delicious Dough Balls. 

Today, PizzaExpress has nearly 360 pizzerias in the UK, remodelling restaurants at pace, alongside opening new & relocated pizzerias offering the icons our pizza fans know and love including Dough Balls, American Hot and the Sloppy Giuseppe, as well as vegan or gluten-free options, and lighter pasta and salad dishes. 

Learn more about PizzaExpress including the story of how Peter Boizot founded the brand in Soho in 1965 at https://www.pizzaexpress.com/about-us.