Are fuel surcharges coming to US Airways redemptions with Avios?

US Airways joined British Airways in the oneworld alliance on 31st March, and since that date you have been able to redeem your Avios points for flights on US.

I wrote a long article here about how to redeem on US Airways and save up to £500 per person in tax.

In summary, here are their UK and Ireland routes and the tax required.  These are for return business class seats:

Dublin to Philadelphia – £28 (says £49 then reprices)

London to Charlotte – £194 (say £215 then reprices)

London to Philadelphia – struggled to find but imagine as above

Manchester to Charlotte – £165 (says £186 then reprices)

Manchester to Philadelphia – £165 (says £186 then reprices)

Edinburgh to Philadelphia – £162 (says £185 then reprices)

Glasgow to Philadelphia – £161 (says £170 then reprices)

US also flies Dublin to Charlotte and Shannon to Philadelphia over the Summer.

As you can see from the list above, ba.com initially shows a slightly higher taxes figure on the page where you select your flights.  Once you click through to the payment page, it drops by £10-£20.

This differential has now got FAR more drastic.

When you select a US Airways flight on ba.com, the initial page now adds fuel surcharges.  Edinburgh to Philadelphia, for example, used to show £185 but now shows £504.

However, when you click through to the payment page, it reverts to the original ‘no surcharges’ price of £162.

I don’t know what this means.  In theory, BA should be adding surcharges to US Airways tickets because it is part of the transatlantic joint venture between AA, BA, Finnair and US.  So far it has not done so.

The fact the fuel surcharges now show up on the initial flight selection page is a little worrying though.  If you were planning on booking a US Airways redemption I would do it sooner rather than later, just in case.  It could save you £500 or more in tax for a couple …..

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.