British Airways starts to cut long-haul fuel surcharges on Avios flight redemptions

Yes, it’s true.  But only by a bit.  It’s a start, though.

I reported two weeks ago about how British Airways has scrapped ALL fuel surcharges on short-haul redemptions.  This means that some European redemptions are now cheaper booked as 2 x one-way flights rather a return, due to the way that Reward Flight Saver taxes are calculated.  (See this article for a fuller explanation.)

British Airways has now made a modest move on long-haul fuel surcharges, or ‘carrier imposed surcharges’ as they now like to call them following a lawsuit in the US.

On Monday night, the fuel surcharge on a long-haul economy flight was cut from £229 to £209.  It had already been reduced by £10 in December but no-one noticed!  It was £239 before Christmas.

The fuel surcharge on a long-haul premium class flight was reduced from £359 to £329.

Whilst these savings bear no relation to the 50% fall in the oil price in recent weeks, they still represent a £120 saving for a family of four.

I took a look at a one-way First Class redemption I have booked to Toronto in August.  The taxes and charges overall are £17.90 lower than when I booked.

Both Emirates and Qatar Airways have also made announcement recently about cutting their surcharges although no hard numbers have appeared yet.  A cut by Qatar Airways would be significant as it would directly impact the charges payable on Avios redemptions – if they drop far enough, it may become more cost effective to fly Qatar rather than BA, even if you had a 2-4-1 voucher.  I will be keeping an eye on this.

PS.  BA has been adding fuel surcharges since 2004, unbelievably.  I know that income tax was originally introduced as a ‘temporary’ tax back in 1842 but still …..

PPS.  The fuel surcharges on a full BA A380 were £132,011 return using the old numbers

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

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:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

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

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

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, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

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.

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

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