Flybe flights now available for Avios redemption on ba.com

Since last Friday, selected Flybe flights have become available for redemption on ba.com.

This is the final part of the process which began with the announcement in October that Flybe would be scrapping its own rewards scheme and issuing Avios points instead.

There isn’t, as yet, a full list of which Flybe routes will be available.  The only ‘fact’ I was told is that no London City routes would be included – but it turns out that they are.

Flybe redemptions are not included in Reward Flight Saver.  This means that your taxes will not be capped at £35 and the redemptions may look poor value compared to a cash ticket.

There is a decent amount of redemption space available.  On 8th July, for example, the three flights from Aberdeen to London City are offering 8, 8 and 4 seats respectively.

In this example, the cost is 4500 Avios + £31.  Looking at flybe.com, the cash cost for the three services that day is £50.  You are saving £18 for using 4500 Avios, a truly terrible redemption rate.

Because Flybe seats don’t tend to cost a huge amount, I think you will always struggle here.  If you fly in just eight days time, a single ticket on this route is just £59.99 and, whilst Avios seats are there, you are still only saving £28 for your 4500 points.

(EDIT:  Perhaps I am wrong!  The comments below show a Flybe segment for €360 which was available for 4,500 Avios, as well as other examples.  Flybe redemptions may turn out to be more valuable than we think.)

What about Flybe redemptions via avios.com?

This is the odd thing.  You have ALWAYS been able to redeem some Flybe flights via avios.com.  It is one of four airlines – along with Aurigny (Channel Islands), Air Malta and Monarch – where avios.com lets you redeem but which are not available on ba.com.

I have not yet got to grips with the different availability on Flybe between avios.com and ba.com.

On 8th July, for example, avios.com is showing 9+ seats on a flight from Aberdeen to London City where ba.com only shows four.  ba.com shows three options via Birmingham whilst avios.com only offers one.

On February 10th, avios.com shows no seats between Aberdeen and London City whilst ba.com is offering them.

The only advice I can give at the moment is that, if you’re interested in redeeming for a Flybe flight, you should check availability on both avios.com and ba.com – and then on flybe.com to make sure you are not being legged over!

The Flybe route map is here if you want to look at possible options.

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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.