Now that’s a reward...account lets you view your Avios points

FROM today, customers of rewards scheme Avios will for the first time be able to track their points balance via a current account.

This is a result of a partnership between the travel programme and Monese, a mobile app-based current account provider.

Monese customers often travel overseas on business or have come from abroad to live and work in the UK. Now they will be able to view their Avios balance via this app.

The company already has 800,000 customers in 30 European countries. Founder Norris Koppel says: ‘We know these customers would value an easy way to track and maximise Avios alongside their finances and travel.’

This announcement marks the first step for a union that will eventually allow Monese customers to earn Avios when they spend on their debit cards or convince friends to sign up.

Customers will also eventually be able to pay each other in Avios.

Avios points can be spent on flights, hotel stays, car hire and travel experiences. Typically points are collected by spending on credit cards, such as the British Airways American Express. Customers who signed up to the programme via airline Flybe have until the end of April to spend points or transfer them to the British Airways Executive Club – otherwise unspent points will be lost.

Other recent alliances in the worlds of finance and technology include Tesco Bank and Apple’s digital assistant Siri. Customers using the bank’s app with an iPhone can now simply ask Siri to show their balance on the handset’s display.

Yolt, which allows people to see multiple financial accounts via one app, has also announced an energy deal with comparison website MoneySuperMarket.