I'm always looking for the best ways to redeem my hard-earned points and miles, and with so many program changes and devaluations, it can be quite time-consuming.
But Finnair Plus, Finnair's loyalty program, recently caught my attention. In May 2024, the program adopted Avios, the same currency used by Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and Qatar Airways.
More than 90% of my redemptions are for premium cabin tickets, so finding sweet spots or programs with optimal rates is the best way to maximize my rewards.
Here are some reasons why I'm considering Finnair Plus for future premium cabin redemptions.
The best way to book award seats, especially for premium cabins, is to book as far in advance as possible.
This translates into knowing when airlines open up award seats because even a few days can make the difference between snagging a premium seat in first or business class or missing out entirely. I usually travel with my family, so finding three tickets on the same flight is quite the challenge.
Here's a look at some Oneworld airline frequent flyer programs and approximately when they open their schedule for award tickets.
Finnair Plus opens up award seats 361 days in advance, beating commonly used programs such as British Airways Club, American Airlines AAdvantage and Alaska Mileage Plan.
It's important to note that for partner awards, you have to account for both the calendars of the airline you're flying with and the airline program you're booking with.
For example, when searching through Finnair Plus, you can see award seats 361 days out, but if you're looking to purchase an American Airlines flight, the AAdvantage program only allows you to book 331 days in advance. So, in this case, you'll need to wait until you're 331 days out to book an American Airlines award ticket with Finnair Plus.
I'm a huge fan of the AAdvantage program, and one of my favorite redemptions is to book business class from the U.S. West Coast to Tokyo on JAL for 60,000 miles or first class for 80,000 miles.
When searching for business-class award availability for JAL through AAdvantage, the calendar stops in June; however, when searching through Finnair Plus, I can book award seats into July 2026.
The Finnair award cost is higher: 94,000 Avios versus 60,000 AAdvantage miles. However, since three tickets are sometimes hard to come by, it's worth the added cost for me. Using Finnair, I'd spend 282,000 Avios for my family, which would otherwise cost around $8,400, giving me a value of 2.9 cents per Avios. According to TPG's July 2025 valuations, Avios are worth 1.4 cents each, meaning this redemption would give me over two times the value.
Having earlier access to premium cabin award tickets is a great perk, but it's even more useful when you factor in the number of seats available for redemption.
If you're new to points and miles, an important aspect to remember is that an airline will always release more award seats to its own program than to other partner airlines.
For example, if you're looking to book a business-class award ticket on an American Airlines flight, the AAdvantage program will show you more availability than booking an American Airlines award through British Airways Club. Similarly, Finnair Plus offers more business-class award tickets for booking flights on Finnair.
One-way Finnair flights from the U.S. to Helsinki Airport (HEL) cost 62,500 Avios in business class, with much lower surcharges than those that British Airways charges.
One of the biggest constraints with award bookings is the availability of limited seats per plane. Since getting to Europe is the expensive part, I find it quite easy for my family to fly direct from the U.S. to Helsinki in Finnair business class and then purchase a cheap cash ticket to our next destination in Europe.
Finnair Plus is a good program to use if you're looking to travel to Europe with minimal taxes and fees for premium cabin award tickets.
Based on several searches, partner airlines also seem to release more seats to Finnair Plus than they do to other Oneworld programs. Cathay Pacific is notorious for being tight with opening premium cabin award space to partners, but Finnair seems to be the exception.
The January 2026 Cathay Pacific business-class flight listed above from Hong Kong to London showed up during my search results. However, availability for the same flight failed to appear when searching on AAdvantage and Alaska Mileage Plan.
I have yet to fly Cathay Pacific business-class on a long-haul flight because there is such sparse availability through AAdvantage, but with Finnair Plus, I'll be able to check off that bucket list item.
Related: Move over, British Airways — Finnair Plus now has some excellent Avios sweet spots
Now that we know you can book award flights through Finnair Plus sooner than other programs and have access to more premium cabin seats, here's how to start taking advantage of it.
I tend to use my AAdvantage miles for bookings. However, since AAdvantage does not partner with any transferable rewards credit cards, I am frugal with my redemptions as they're hard to earn.
Since Finnair adopted Avios as its currency, the program has become easily accessible for U.S.-based customers. For example, you can transfer Avios to Finnair Plus from your British Airways Club account.
Luckily, British Airways Club partners with American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One miles and Wells Fargo Rewards. You can also transfer Avios from Iberia and Qatar Airways to Finnair via British Airways.
Additionally, you can transfer points from American Express cards to Qatar Airways Privilege Club and link the account with a British Airways Club account. From there, you'll see your Qatar Avios balance and can transfer Avios to Finnair Plus when logging in through British Airways.
A great way to earn transferable points is to apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees), which has a lucrative welcome offer. New cardholders can earn a welcome bonus of 100,000 bonus points plus a $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit* after spending $5,000 in the first three months from account opening.
*The promotional credit is valid for a one-time use only, if you apply the promotional credit to a transaction less than $500, you will forfeit the remaining balance.
Related: How to transfer Avios between your Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Loganair and Qatar Airways accounts
I'm currently earning Avios through three credit cards in my wallet: The Platinum Card® from American Express, Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees).
My wife also holds several credit cards that can transfer to Finnair Plus (via British Airways Club), so it makes for an even better chance of getting premium cabin tickets.
Since I have ample opportunities to earn Avios with each of these cards, I don't have to feel so pressed about my AAdvantage account dwindling, as that used to be my primary way of making premium cabin redemptions for Oneworld airlines.
Sure, some awards cost more through Finnair Plus, but I'd rather secure premium cabin tickets for my family to have a more comfortable travel experience than miss out entirely.
Related: The credit cards that help fuel my luxury travel
The Finnair Plus program wasn't even on my radar, but thanks to the program using Avios, it has become more accessible. The ability to transfer several different transferable rewards to Finnair via British Airways or other Avios-earning airlines now gives me more ways to redeem points for premium cabin tickets.
The program's biggest perk is the ability to search for award tickets further out than other Oneworld frequent flyer programs, which is handy for those booking flights well in advance. Overall, I look forward to taking advantage of booking hard-to-find awards, such as with Cathay Pacific and JAL.
Related: Best frequent flyer programs for US travelers
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A great solo travel tip spotted this week on The Points Guy Articles.
