LAST CHANCE: Book short US domestic redemptions for 4,500 Avios before they go up

Don’t forget that Monday is your last chance to use your Avios points to book sub-650 miles redemptions on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights in the US before the cost goes up.

You can read the full announcement on ba.com here.

For US residents – and UK residents on holiday in the States – US domestic flight redemptions represent good value because of the minimal taxes ($6).

When Avios was launched, with its distance-based redemptions, it was a dream come true for those in the US.  The cost of a one-way flight from New York to Boston, costing 12,500 American Airlines miles, could now be had for just 4,500 Avios.

Given that the British Airways credit card in the US has an occasional sign-up bonus of 100,000 Avios, albeit with a substantial spend requirement, you can see why people were excited about this.

The changes which begin on Tuesday are relatively simple.  For flights under 650 miles:

Economy redemptions increase from 4,500 Avios one-way to 7,500 Avios

Business class redemptions increase from 9,000 Avios one-way to 15,000 Avios

First Class redemptions increase from 18,000 Avios one-way to 30,000 Avios

Pricing on routes over 650 miles remains the same.

The new First Class pricing is crazy.  Many US flights on two-class aircraft are sold as First and Economy.  (You also find this on Qatar flights around the Middle East.)  This means that a ‘First Class’ seat from New York to Boston – which is effectively a slightly bigger seat and not much more – will cost 60,000 Avios return!  These ‘First Class’ seats are nothing of the sort.

The Avios redemption chart is now beyond the understanding of the vast majority of members, to be honest.

We now have:

Off-peak and peak redemption pricing options

Different calendars for peak and off-peak between Iberia and British Airways

South African Avios members forced into using the BA peak and off-peak calculator for Comair flights.  As this is based around UK school holidays it makes no sense to them at all!

Non-linear multiples – on long-haul, business class is 3 x economy whilst on short-haul it is 2 x economy

Different redemption charts for Iberia and British Airways – there are some weird differences for long-haul redemptions which mean, for example, New York on Iberia requires far fewer Avios than New York on BA

Different airlines available for redemption depending on where you book, eg Aurigny / Air Malta via avios.com, Vueling / Royal Air Maroc etc via Iberia, Aer Lingus and Alaska via BA

And now, different redemption levels for US domestic flights under 650 miles

Full details on the US pricing changes are on ba.com here.  Remember that you can book until Monday night, for flights 355 days beyond that, at the current prices.

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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.