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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

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, as Avios continues to expand its reach beyond the travel ecosystem, 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’s 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