British Airways still offering £250 / 50,000 Avios for ‘old First’ – as I found out

Back in December 2013 I highlighted the new British Airways policy for people who find themselves in ‘old First’.

British Airways had launched a generous (in my view) compensation scheme. On most routes, you were being offered a £250 British Airways voucher or 50,000 Avios points as compensation.

For reference, this is the new BA First Class seat:

However, there still a chance that you may end up with this:

Yesterday, that is what I got on my way back from Las Vegas.  I took the 50,000 Avios points, in case you were wondering.

I was also given this:

…. as additional compensation!  The Grand Siecle alone (far left) is £100 per bottle at your local Majestic Wine.

What was a little disappointing was how the other passengers in the (full) First Class cabin were treated.  I told the guy next to me in 1K what I was doing and he did the same (but he didn’t get the champagne).  The guy by the window in Row 2 had a mild fit when he saw the size of the TV screen, called for the Customer Services Director and made his feelings known – he also got compensation (but, again, no champagne).

However, no-one else got anything.  Whilst we were all waiting for the transit from T5B to T5, I did a quick survey of the other First Class passengers and they had not been pro-actively offered compensation.  To put it mildly, they were a little surprised to realise it was available.

The lesson appears to be that, if you find yourself sitting in the old First Class seat, speak up as quickly as you can.  I recommend doing it whilst you are being shown to your seat so that you can get the paperwork filled in early.

Whether you decide to educate the rest of the cabin on what is on offer is up to you …..

This problem will naturally go away by itself in a few weeks.  From late October, the old First Class seats will be sold as part of the Club World cabin.  No First Class seats will be sold and Club World passengers will be able to book directly into the old First Class seats – which is not a bad deal.  Selected flights to Cape Town, Vancouver, Phoenix and Las Vegas will be impacted.

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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.