British Airways makes a positive about-turn on BMI redemption refunds

A month ago I wrote this piece about the launch of diamondclub.org, the new website that BA has set up.  It is there to allow former bmi Diamond Club members to check their Diamond Club mileage balance, and to move those miles across to Avios (they now have no other use).

When we saw this site, a lot of people were pretty shocked by this wording:

I made a booking using my destinations miles for travel after 31 December 2012, will this booking be protected?

Yes. Any flight bookings made using destinations miles will be honoured but changes or refunds are not permitted.

This was a complete about-turn from what British Airways had originally promised, which was:

• UK members – you can cancel flights after 31 December and get all your miles and all your taxes back, less a £25 per person fee
• Rest of the World – you can cancel flights after 31 December and get your taxes back, less a £25 per person fee, but not your miles (as all Diamond Club accounts for non-UK residents are being closed on 31 December)

The position BA adopted on the Diamond Club website was appalling.  For a start, cancellation is often outside your control.

Ex-bmi Diamond Club members will have booked redemption flights up to the end of August 2013, but airlines will not confirm their Summer timetables until nearer March 2013.  The idea that an airline cancels a route and you lose all your miles AND all your taxes was preposterous – and probably illegal as well.

Anyway, the good news is that BA has backtracked.  In fact, they have actually improved their original position.

Now, wherever you live in the world, you will be able to refund a Diamond Club redemption booking at any time.  You need to call the Executive Club to cancel and to give them an Avios account number where the miles can be redeposited.

The text on the diamondclub.org website that I highlighted has still not been updated.  This is a poor show, frankly, since it is a couple of weeks now since this u-turn was first announced.

Here is one upside.  BA is paying taxes back in the form of bank transfers or cheques, not credit card refunds.  This means that you will retain the miles you earned from your credit card payment when you booked the original ticket.

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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.