Earn Avios on payroll
A UK business that makes its payroll payments through CrestPay earns 4 RewardsPilot points per £1 of qualifying payroll, on the net amount excluding VAT. Wages, PAYE, National Insurance and contractor amounts count; pension contributions do not. Payroll is calculated exactly as now. Only the payment step moves to CrestPay.
What payroll earns
The business earns 4 RewardsPilot points for every £1 of qualifying payroll funding, calculated on the net amount excluding VAT (Rewards Programme Rules, Schedule 2).
Each point transfers to 1 airline mile with the airline programmes RewardsPilot works with: Avios, Virgin Points, Emirates Skywards Miles and Qatar Avios. Points never expire.
Points can instead be sold back to RewardsPilot for cash at 3% of the payroll behind them, paid within 24 hours (Buyback Policy).
What counts as qualifying payroll
- Wages: the approved net pay to employees.
- PAYE and National Insurance paid to HMRC.
- Contractor amounts in the approved payroll.
- Pension contributions do not earn points.
- Points are calculated before VAT, and on the payroll value, not on CrestPay's fee.
How it works
- 1. Run payroll as now. The business, its accountant, bookkeeper or payroll software carries on calculating payroll, producing payslips and making RTI submissions to HMRC. Nothing changes here.
- 2. Send the payment instructions to CrestPay. Enter or upload the approved net pay, PAYE, National Insurance and contractor payment instructions in the CrestPay portal at crestpay.net. It uses the same login as the RewardsPilot portal.
- 3. Fund the run on time. Approved instructions and cleared funds must reach CrestPay at least 24 hours before the pay date. For a same-day request, contact your support agent first; same-day payment cannot be assured.
- 4. CrestPay pays. CrestPay makes the payments to staff and to HMRC.
- 5. Points are credited. After each run the business receives a "Payroll completed" email with the points credited, and the points show in its RewardsPilot wallet.
If CrestPay is also to pay the PAYE to HMRC, the PAYE reference must be recorded on the account and any existing PAYE Direct Debit cancelled.
What CrestPay charges
CrestPay charges a processing fee only on a run that pays wages. It is either a fixed amount per employee per month or a percentage of the payroll value, charged once a month, plus VAT. The figure is set out in the business's Service Order.
There is no standard subscription or account-setup fee.
A worked example
| Monthly qualifying payroll | Points a month | Points a year | Or as cash a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| £50,000 | 200,000 | 2,400,000 | £1,500 |
What a year of payroll buys
| Trip | Avios | The payroll that earns them |
|---|---|---|
| Return to New York, business, off-peak | 176,000 | £44,000 |
| Return to Dubai, business, off-peak | 176,000 | £44,000 |
| Return to Tokyo, business, off-peak | 220,000 | £55,000 |
| Return to Sydney, business, off-peak | 319,000 | £79,750 |
Full reward prices by destination and cabin: how many Avios for a flight. What Avios are worth, and what other bills earn: the Avios calculator.
Questions
Does my business earn Avios on its payroll?
Yes, when the payroll is paid through CrestPay. The business earns 4 RewardsPilot points per £1 of qualifying payroll, and each point transfers to 1 Avios, or to Virgin Points, Emirates Skywards Miles or Qatar Avios.
How many points does £50,000 of payroll earn?
200,000 points. £50,000 a month earns 2,400,000 points a year, or £1,500 a month if the points are sold back for cash.
Do pension contributions earn points?
No. Qualifying payroll is wages, PAYE and National Insurance, and contractor amounts. Pension contributions do not earn points.
Do I need to change my payroll software or accountant?
No. Payroll is calculated, payslips produced and RTI submissions made exactly as now. Only the final payment step changes: the approved payments go through CrestPay instead of the business's own bank.
Who pays HMRC the PAYE?
CrestPay can, as part of the run, once the PAYE reference is recorded on the account and any existing PAYE Direct Debit has been cancelled.
What does CrestPay charge?
A processing fee only on a run that pays wages: a fixed amount per employee per month or a percentage of the payroll value, once a month, plus VAT. The figure is in the business's Service Order. There is no standard subscription or setup fee, and points are earned on the payroll, not the fee.
When are the points credited?
After each payroll run. The business receives a "Payroll completed" email showing the points credited, and they appear in its RewardsPilot wallet.
Programme facts come from the published RewardsPilot rate, the Rewards Programme Rules (Schedule 2) and the Buyback Policy. Payroll services are provided under company number SC576748. RewardsPilot is YTY LTD, company number 11880920.