GUIDE: In Depth Look at the Finnair Plus Loyalty Programme (Part 1)

Whether you’re thinking of switching loyalty within Oneworld or moving over from another alliance, Finnair Plus is worth serious consideration. With a European base, three UK departure points, Avios as its currency, and attractive milestone rewards, you can see why it’s a top Oneworld contender. 

This article details the essential things you need to know about the Finnair Plus loyalty programme. This is part of our series covering the most popular airline loyalty programmes and alliances. If you want to know the best ways to earn and spend Finnair Avios, we will be covering that in part 2.

Finnair

Founded in 1923, Finnair is Finland’s flagship airline and is based at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. From the UK, Finnair flies from London Heathrow (multiple flights per day), Manchester (1-2 per day) and Edinburgh (1-2 per day). Manchester and Edinburgh flyers take note—no need to backtrack via London! If you’re flying East, you have the benefit of a European stopover before completing the bulk of your journey. 

In recent years, Finnair has carved out a reputation for design-forward thinking. The introduction of the AirLounge business class seat on some routes has earned accolades across the industry, and rightly so. 

Helsinki Airport’s lounge offerings are also worth noting. Finnair’s Platinum Wing and the Business Lounge are both excellent, particularly the former, with its sauna, à la carte dining, and ultra-calm atmosphere.

It’s easily one of the best Oneworld lounges in Europe. Read our review of the non-Schengen lounges here.

The Finnair Plus Frequent Flyer Programme

Along with switching to Avios currency, Finnair Plus also became revenue-based. Yes, that dreaded phrase—but it’s not all bad here. The loyalty programme has two main components: Tier Points and Avios. Tier points earn status, which allows you to progress to higher tiers of the programme, whereas Avios can be used to redeem for things like flights.

If you plan to move Avios from Finnair Plus to British Airways or vice versa, you can easily transfer your Avios between accounts at a 1:1 ratio. You can link your accounts here. 

The programme rewards those who fly with Finnair, especially at Platinum Lumo, where a set number of tier points needs to be earned by flying with Finnair (although this is a very difficult status level to reach). Throughout the tiers, there are milestone rewards, offering bonuses such as lounge passes and upgrade certificates at set intervals between status tiers.

Tracking Period

Your tracking period is calculated based on the date you signed up for the Finnair Plus loyalty programme (rounded to the end of that month) or the date you upgraded or downgraded to your current status tier. For example, if you join on 5th July 2025, your tracking will end on 31st July 2026.

Once you reach a new tier, your status will be valid for the remainder of that period, plus the following 12 months. If you’re strategic about when you earn the next status level (if you’re flexible), you could potentially end up with status for nearly 2 years!

This is different from some of the other airline loyalty programmes, which calculate on a rolling 12-month period or calendar year. For example, the new British Airways Club tracking period is fixed from 1st April to 31st March. Your status lasts until 30th April following the end of that cycle—there is no “time extension” or two‑year benefit structure.

Earning Status with Finnair Plus

The programme has five status levels (Basic, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum Lumo) and two lifetime statuses (Lifetime Gold and Lifetime Platinum). Earning tier points is directly based on spending and status (apart from flights with other Oneworld airlines).

The higher your status, the more tier points (and Avios) you’ll earn. So, although reaching each status level needs way more points than the previous level, you will earn more tier points because you’re a higher level.

Here are the status-based earning rates:

NOTE: Tier Points and Avios will not be earnt on things like taxes, fees, and airport service charges will not be earned.

Here’s how many tier points you will need to earn to reach each status level:

Earn More Flying American, Iberia & BA

If you fly on American Airlines, Iberia, or British Airways booked under an AY/BA/AA/IB code, Finnair awards an extra multiplier bonus of 10% for Silver, 15% for Gold and 25% for Platinum. These bonuses stack on top of the base multiplier.

Exchanging Avios for Tier Points

Another highlight of the Finnair Plus loyalty programme is the ability to exchange Avios for Tier points. If you’re just short of the next tier, you can purchase tier points at a rate of 3 Avios = 1 tier point. This is a great feature! The number of tier points you can purchase depends on your status:

• Basic and Silver: Up to 7,500 tier points
• Gold: Up to 22,500 tier points.
• Platinum and Platinum Lumo: Up to 40,000 tier points

You can only do this once per year, so it’s best to use this allowance to reach the final status level you’re aiming for. For example, if you want to reach Platinum, it’s best to wait until Gold to use your 22,500 tier point allowance rather than purchasing 7,500 tier points to reach Gold in the first place.

Do note there’s a handling fee – €10 if you make the swap online, or €20 if you go through customer service.

This is a great option if you’re just short of tier points needed to move up a tier and saves you booking a last minute flight!

Finnair Plus Basic

British Airways Equivalent: Blue

When you sign up for the Finnair Plus loyalty programme (it’s free to join), you will become a basic member. This allows you to collect tier points to increase membership levels and Avios to redeem on things like flight redemptions and upgrades.

Some instant benefits come along with being a Finnair Plus member, including:

• Member offers
• Free basic internet on short-haul Europe flights (Airbus A319, A320 and A321). This works for things like WhatsApp but not pictures, videos or SMS.
• Access to the Finnair Plus Service Centre (charged)
• Milestone Reward: One of the great parts of Finnair Plus is the milestone rewards. You will receive 3,000 bonus Avios once you collect 12,000 tier points. A nice early reward!

When to Sign Up: You should be strategic about when you sign up for the Finnair Plus programme. Once you reach Silver, you will retain status for the rest of your Basic tracking period, plus the next 12 months. Earning status early on will give you nearly 2 years’ worth of status.

Finnair Plus Silver (15,000 Tier Points)

British Airways Equivalent: Bronze (this is important to note. It is NOT equivalent to BA Silver). Also, 15,000 tier points seems like alot, but the scaling is different to BA where 3,500 tier points are needed for Bronze.

Avios

• 10% more Avios and tier points for American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia flights (AA/BA/IB code on the ticket) and Finnair codeshare flights.

Lounge Access

• Discounted access to the Finnair Business lounges at Helsinki Airport (€30 or 4,800 Avios) for you and your travel companions (extra cost for passengers over age 2).
• Milestone Reward: You’ll earn 2 lounge passes for Finnair Lounges at Helsinki Airport as a milestone reward once you have collected 20,000 tier points. 

Check-In and Security

• Priority check-in when flying in any class with Finnair or other Oneworld airlines.
• Priority security when flying with Finnair (just you).

Baggage

• 1x complimentary carry on bag (55cm x 40cm x 23cm) in Economy Superlight on short haul flights.
• 50% discount on a checked bag up to 23kg

Seats

• 50% discount on advance seat reservations for Finnair flights (not comfort or extra legroom)

If you move up to Gold (or down to basic), your tier point balance will reset to 0.

Finnair Plus Gold (45,000 Tier Points)

British Airways Equivalent: Silver

The benefits of Finnair Plus Gold include:

Avios

• Earn 15% more Avios and tier points on flights marketed by Finnair, American Airlines, British Airways, and Iberia. 

Lounge Access

• Access the Finnair Business Lounges on the Schengen side and non-Schengen side of Helsinki Airport.
• Your companions can purchase a discounted lounge pass when travelling with you.
• Access to Oneworld Business lounges worldwide with one guest, when travelling on a Oneworld carrier.
• Paid access to the Finnair Platinum corner of the Finnair lounge at the Schengen side of Helsinki Airport for €30 or 4,800 Avios just for you.

Check-In and Security

• Priority check-in for you and your travel companions on all Finnair and Oneworld flights.
• At Helsinki Airport: priority security for you, one guest, and children under 18. At other airports, priority security for you only.

Customer Service

• Access to the dedicated Gold support line, WhatsApp chat, and email assistance.

Baggage

• One extra 23kg checked bag on Finnair flights (also on Oneworld flights but the weight varies from 20-23kg).

Seats

• Free seat selection, including Comfort seats (excludes extra legroom).

Onboard

• 60 minutes of free internet on long-haul flights and short-haul flights operated by A350 or A330 aircraft.

• 30 minutes of streaming and free messaging on short-haul Europe flights on Airbus A319, A320, or A32

Milestone Reward: Upgrade Benefits

Receive 4 one-way upgrade benefits when you qualify or renew Gold. These will be valid for 1 year.

You will also receive 2 one-way upgrade benefits at 55,000 tier points.

The required number of upgrade benefits will vary between long-haul and short-haul flights and the travel class:

You can also opt to exchange your upgrade benefits for a two-for-the-price-of-one Classic award flight in Economy Class. This means you purchase award flights for 2 people with Finnair but pay the Avios cost of a reward flight for one person. You must book though Finnair customer service and the flight must be operated by Finnair.

If you don’t earn enough tier points to maintain a Gold membership, your remaining point balance will determine your new tier.

Finnair Plus Platinum (80,000 Tier Points)

British Airways Equivalent: Gold

Finnair Platinum still has no requirement to fly on Finnair flights to earn miles. 

Avios

• 25% bonus on AA, BA, IB, and Finnair codeshares. 
• No Avios expiry while you hold Platinum

Lounge Access

• Access all Finnair Lounges at Helsinki Airport, including the Platinum Wing (non-Schengen) and Platinum Corner (Schengen), plus oneworld partner lounges globally.
• Bring 1 guest + children under 18 to the lounge on Finnair or oneworld flights.

Customer Service

• 24/7 English phone support, dedicated Platinum email, WhatsApp, and priority chat.

Baggage

• Free golf, ski/snowboard or dive equipment on Finnair flights.

Seats

• Complimentary seat selection, including Comfort and extra legroom seats.

• Guaranteed seat in Economy (Y) or Business (J) if booked 48+ hours before departure.

Onboard

• Complimentary Wi-Fi is available for the full flight on long-haul/A350/A330 flights, and 30 minutes of streaming and an unlimited message package are available on short-haul flights.

• Free drink in Economy Class and free digital newspapers.

Upgrades

• 12 upgrade vouchers per year (short- or long-haul). Use 4 vouchers for a two-for-one Avios Classic award flight.

• Upgrade up to 3 family members to Business if you’ve booked yourself into Business. Long-haul round trip is 40,000 Avios per person, and 11,000 Avios per person for a short-haul round trip.

• Gift a Finnair Plus Gold membership once per year. This is a HUGE benefit of Finnair Platinum and makes it worth aiming for. If you’re working out how much it may cost you to reach Platinum status, the ability to gift a Gold membership will dramatically reduce that cost! If you gift the Gold membership to a person who is a Finnair Plus Gold member at the time the Gold membership is gifted, the gifted Gold membership will take effect only after the recipient’s current tracking period has ended.

• Milestone Reward: Earn 4 extra upgrades upon reaching 95,000 tier points

Finnair Plus Platinum Lumo (300,000 Tier Points)

250,000 of your tier points must be from flying with Finnair to reach Platinum Lumo status! This is a very difficult status level to achieve!

You will have the following:

Avios

• 25% more Avios/Tier Points when flying with BA, AA, Iberia and Finnair codeshare flights.

Lounge Access

• Discounted lounge access at Helsinki for all on the same booking (excludes Platinum Wing/Corner).

• Bring four guests on the same Finnair flight with you or one guest on Oneworld flights or a different Finnair flight.

Security

• Priority security at Helsinki for four guests and children under 18 on Finnair flights at Helsinki Airport

Customer Service

• Dedicated Platinum Lumo support team and priority chat access.
•  Priority is given when there is a disruption. Priority in offered accommodation if an alternative flight is not available such as a higher quality room. 

Baggage

• 1 free sports equipment allowance (golf, ski/snowboard, or diving gear).

Seats

• Advanced seat reservation, including comfort seats.

• Confirmed seat in full Business or Economy if booked 48+ hours before departure.

Onboard

• Complimentary internet for up to 6 devices; shareable with 5 companions on AY-coded flights.

• Complimentary drink and snack in Economy Class for you and one companion.

• Free access to digital newspapers with the internet.

Upgrade

• 24 one-way upgrades per year, renewable annually. You can also opt to exchange these for 2 for the price of one classic award flight in Economy, as above. This is a huge number of upgrades!
• Confirmed upgrades if availability exists, regardless of booking class (eight times for one-way upgrades for one person during your tracking period).
• When you hold a business ticket, you can use Avios to upgrade up to 3 family members to Business (40,000 Avios long-haul, 11,000 short-haul).
• Gift two 1-year Finnair Plus Gold memberships. 

• Milestone Rewards: 8 upgrade benefits at 310,000 points; 4 more at 320,000 points.

Finnair Lifetime Tiers

It doesn’t stop once you reach Platinum Lumo. There are two lifetime tiers – Gold and Platinum. Once you have reached a lifetime tier, you will never be downgraded! The difference with the tier point collection rules is that points collected throughout your entire membership (rather than membership year) are counted towards your lifetime tier point balance.

Lifetime Gold: Earn 2,000,000 tier points to reach lifetime Gold. Your Gold card will only appear if you are downgraded from Platinum; otherwise, the higher levels, Platinum or Platinum Lumo, will show. Essentially, it means that you will always be Gold or above, even if you would have been downgraded to Silver.

Lifetime Platinum: Earn 3,300,000 tier points to reach Lifetime Platinum. Never fall below Platinum Level. If you’re a Platinum Lumo member, that card will show instead.

A marathon, not a sprint—but if you’re loyal to Finnair, this is worth aiming for.

Finnair Plus Junior

Children aged 2–17 can join Finnair Plus Junior. The guardian signing up must be a Finnair Plus member.

Junior members can earn and spend Avios, and unlike adult accounts, their Avios won’t expire. You can’t link a Junior account to British Airways or transfer Avios in, so it’s best treated as a travel fund for when they turn 18. Once 18, Avios won’t expire as long as there’s account activity every 18 months. 

Other benefits include:

• Collect Tier Points and progress through Finnair’s status levels.

• Access exclusive, member-only offers and promotions.

• Track Finnair flights in a Logbook—after 10 entries, a reward is sent (printable version available).

• Complimentary messaging on short-haul European flights operated by Airbus A319, A320 or A321 aircraft.

Status Benefits with Oneworld Airlines

Finnair has been a Oneworld member since 1999. The alliance now has 14 member airlines, which include:

• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Fiji Airways
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas
• Qatar
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian
• Sri Lankan Airways

Each Finnair Plus tier equates to a Oneworld tier. You can earn and redeem Avios with any Oneworld airline AND earn tier points! You can also enjoy the benefits of your Oneworld tier when flying on any Oneworld member airline, including British Airways and Qatar.

Here’s how your Finnair Plus status matches to Oneworld:

Here are the benefits of each Oneworld tier:

Final Words

Finnair Plus is a great contender if you’re looking at Oneworld airlines. Although many changes have been made in recent years, including devaluations, a spend-based model and tier points for status rather than qualifying flights, it’s not all bad…

The shift to Avios makes the Finnair Plus programme much easier to navigate. There are lifetime tier options, loyalty perks, and great milestone rewards. Combine that with Finnair’s European base, fantastic lounges, and innovative Business Class product, and it’s definitely one to consider.

The programme won’t suit everyone, but it ultimately depends on your preferred routes (you can fly direct from Manchester and Edinburgh, not just London), preferred travel class, and whether you’d prefer an Avios-earning airline.

You can find out more about Finnair Plus here, or read our other airline guides:

The Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Qatar Privilege Club

Club Iberia Plus

Cathay Pacific

Flying Blue (KLM/Air France)