How Buying Your Holiday Clothes Could Pay for Your Flight with Avios

Mr Plane Guy
Sep 14
7 min read

Updated: Sep 17

How Buying Your Holiday Clothes Could Pay for Your Flight with Avios

By Mr Plane Guy, Travel Blogger, Flight Expert & Avios OBSSESSED

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click and buy, I might earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps keep this blog running (and fuels my habit of buying overpriced airport lattes at the airport). Thanks for your support!

Everyday Shopping That Turns Into Flights

When most people think about earning Avios, they picture booking flights with British Airways or swiping a credit card. But here’s a little travel hack I love: you can earn thousands of Avios simply by shopping online for the stuff you were already going to buy.

That new suitcase? Those summer trainers? The sunglasses you’ll inevitably leave on the beach bar table? All of those purchases could be quietly stacking Avios in the background. And one of the easiest ways to do it is through Very.co.uk, where certain categories of shopping can earn you as much as 12 Avios per £1 spent.

That means your holiday clothes and travel accessories aren’t just a spend, they’re a step closer to your next flight, upgrade, or hotel stay.

How Many Avios Can You Earn with Very.co.uk?

The number of Avios depends on what you buy and whether you’re a new or existing customer. Here’s the breakdown:

1 Avios per £1 – Electricals (unless otherwise stated)
12 Avios per £1 – selected promotions for new customers (often fashion, home, lifestyle)
7 Avios per £1 – other boosted categories for new customers
2 Avios per £1 – standard categories such as homeware, fashion, seasonal
1 Avios per £2 – reduced rate for certain existing customer purchases

👉 Translation: new customers get the juiciest rates (up to 12 Avios/£1), while existing customers still earn.

Why Very.co.uk is a Hidden Gem for Avios Collectors

Most people think of Very as a general retailer a mix of fashion, homeware, and the odd tech deal. But what makes it powerful for Avios collectors is:

High earning potential: 12 Avios/£1 beats many other eStore partners.
Wide range of travel-relevant items: trainers, luggage, sunglasses, clothes, beauty, travel gadgets.
Everyday shopping turned into flights: You don’t need to “buy extra,” just route your usual holiday prep through the Avios eStore to Very.

How Holiday Shopping Could Pay for Your Next Flight

It’s easy to dismiss “12 Avios per £1” as a nice bonus, but when you plug in real holiday shopping, it suddenly feels like free travel.

Let’s imagine you’re prepping for a summer trip and fill your Very.co.uk basket with a few essentials:

£100 men’s or women’s trainers = 1,200 Avios
£100 suitcase or cabin trolley = 1,200 Avios
£75 worth of summer holiday outfits = 900 Avios
£120 sunglasses = 1,440 Avios

That’s a total spend of £395 and a haul of 4,740 Avios.

👉 That’s enough for a one-way Reward Flight Saver to destinations like Paris, Amsterdam, or Milan when you book off-peak.

Or, it’s a big chunk towards:

A return European flight (from 9,250 Avios + £1 fees).
An upgrade to Club Europe (from around 7,750 Avios).

In other words, your holiday shopping could literally pay for part of your holiday travel.

The Small Print That Matters

Like with all Avios partners, there are a few rules to keep in mind so you don’t miss out:

Voucher codes can reduce your Avios. Student discounts, staff discounts, or vouchers that auto-apply at checkout often cancel or reduce the reward.
App purchases only count if you already had the app installed. Don’t download it at checkout and expect Avios it won’t track.
Avios don’t count on delivery charges or taxes. No points for postage or VAT.
Queries must be raised within 30 days. If your Avios don’t appear, flag it via the Avios eStore, not with Very directly.

My Real-Life Example: A Washing Machine That Became a Flight

Not the sexiest story, but a few months back I had to replace a washing machine. Instead of buying it elsewhere, I clicked through the Avios eStore to Very.

Price: £400
Rate: 1 Avios per £1 (on electricals)
Earned: 400 Avios

That’s not life-changing, but it’s enough for a one-way Reward Flight Saver to Amsterdam. And that’s just one appliance purchase.

If I’d been a new customer buying clothes or luggage in a 12 Avios/£1 promo? That same £400 could have netted nearly 5,000 Avios. Suddenly, a washing machine feels like a ticket to Spain.

Strategies to Maximise Your Avios with Very

Here’s how I squeeze the most value from Very when I’m Avios-hunting:

1. Stack with an Avios-Earning Card

If you pay with an Avios reward card, Amex British Airways card, Amex Gold (which I personally use), you’ll earn on both sides: one set of Avios from Very, another from your credit card.

Note: I’m not a financial advisor just sharing my experience.

💳 Grab the American Express® Preferred Rewards Gold Card – Earn 45,000 Points!

Apply Here → Here is the link.

Review: Wizz Air All You Can Fly Pass, Is It Worth It?

The standard Barclaycard Avios has no annual fee and earns 1 Avios per £1 spent, plus a welcome bonus if you hit the minimum spend in the first three months. If you want to supercharge your balance, the Avios Plus card costs £20/month, earns 1.5 Avios per £1, and offers a bigger welcome bonus and a cabin upgrade voucher when you meet the annual spend target.

2. Time Big Purchases for Boosted Rates

Need a new suitcase, laptop, or home item? Wait for the 12 Avios/£1 promos. Doubling or tripling your return on a large spend makes a massive difference.

3. Use Very for Seasonal & Gifting

Christmas, birthdays, or even last-minute wedding gifts, route them through Very and watch your Avios stack up.

4. Build “Travel Baskets”

Think of Very not just as a general shop, but as your pre-holiday kit store: trainers, holiday outfits, luggage, sunglasses. Buy it there, and you’re already earning points for your next trip before you’ve even boarded this one.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

I’ve seen plenty of readers lose out on Avios because of these pitfalls:

Forgetting to start at the Avios eStore before clicking to Very.
Adding a voucher code that cancels the Avios.
Thinking delivery charges will earn points (they don’t).
Waiting too long to raise a missing Avios claim (after 30 days, you’re out of luck).

How Very Fits Into My Bigger Avios Strategy

Avios collecting is all about the long game. I don’t shop at Very every week, but when I do, I make sure it’s via the Avios eStore so it counts towards my next redemption.

I combine it with:

Flights on BA and oneworld airlines (Avios + Tier Points).
Everyday spending on my Avios-earning Amex Gold.
Other eStore partners for hotels, fashion, and gadgets.

This way, those “boring” shopping points turn into something fun like Club Europe upgrades, lounge visits, or even long-haul flights.

FAQs: Collecting Avios with Very.co.uk

Do existing customers earn Avios? Yes, but usually at lower rates than new customers.

Can I use voucher codes and still collect Avios? Sometimes, but often no. If in doubt, avoid them.

How long until Avios appear? Allow up to 35 days.

What if they don’t appear? Raise a claim via the Avios eStore within 30 days, not directly with Very.

Do app purchases count? Only if you had the app already installed before purchase.

Final Boarding Call

Collecting Avios with Very.co.uk is one of those “easy wins.” You’re going to buy holiday clothes, luggage, or trainers anyway, so why not turn those purchases into flights?

The golden rules:

Always click through from the Avios eStore.
Skip voucher codes if you want the Avios.
Track your points and raise queries quickly.

In 2024, I banked over 10,000 Avios just from eStore partners like Very without even stepping on a plane. That’s the kind of smart collecting that gets you free trips faster.

So next time you’re filling your basket with trainers and sunglasses, remember: your holiday shopping could literally pay for your flight.

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