Last chance for the BA sale, the ‘part pay with Avios’ deal …. and AA flights before devaluation

The current British Airways ‘Premium Leisure’ sale ends tomorrow, 22nd March.  This is offering deals over Easter, the Summer and right into early 2017.

The home page for the sale is here.

On most routes you can travel up to 28th February 2017.  It varies by route so take a look at the small print at the bottom of the sale website.

The easiest way to check out the best prices to a specific destination is with the British Airways Low Fare Finder tool on ba.com. This will show you the cheapest price on any route, in any class, on month by month basis.

One more day to get 1.33p per point with ‘Part Pay With Avios’

Tomorrow is also the end of the current generous ‘Part Pay With Avios’ promotion.  The only exception is for Euro Traveller short-haul economy flights where the deadline is extended until next Sunday 27th.

Until 22nd March, you can get the following discounts using ‘part pay with Avios’ to reduce the price of a cash ticket:

Club Europe – maximum saving of £100 for 7,500 Avios

Euro Traveller (short haul economy) – maximum saving of £100 for 7,500 Avios

Club World and First – maximum saving of £200 for 15,000 Avios

All of these deals are offering you 1.33p per Avios point which is an excellent deal.  Remember that, because you are buying a cash ticket, there are no availability issues and you will receive Avios and tier points back when you fly.

The discounts work even on the cheapest tickets.  I was able to get a Club Europe return to Amsterdam down to £97 return after spending 7,500 Avios points – this is a cheap way to pick up 80 tier points if you are chasing status.

Not all routes are included for some reason. The official Part Pay With Avios website is here.  Click on the ‘Find Out More’ button to see the special promotional rates – the rates shown on the home page are the normal ones – and the list of routes covered.

Finally, the American Airlines devaluation is nearly here

Changes to American Airlines’ redemption chart come into effect tomorrow.

Here is the new reward chart for flights on AA planes.

Here is the new reward chart for partner airlines, which includes BA and Etihad.

It isn’t pretty.  There has been very little movement on economy redemptions.  Business Class has taken a hit.  First Class has taken a complete beating.  Let’s take London to Abu Dhabi on Etihad (or BA, but you’d be mad to choose BA given the fuel surcharges) as an example.  This used to cost:

• 40,000 miles return in Economy
• 60,000 miles return in Business
• 80,000 miles return in First

This was a great deal even before the April 2015 Avios changes.  Since April 2015 it has been even better as Avios pricing went up to 100,000 – 120,000 points for BA Club World return.  From tomorrow, AA will charge the following:

• 40,000 miles return in Economy
• 85,000 miles return in Business  (up 41%)
• 125,000 miles return in First (up 56%)

Yes, it is a big hit.  It is still a far better deal than redeeming Avios, however, unless you have a British Airways 2-4-1 voucher to use.  Of course, it isn’t that simple for most of us since earning AA miles for a UK resident is a lot, lot harder.

Another amazing deal was from the UK to Australia.  This used to cost:

• 90,000 miles return in Economy
• 120,000 miles return in Business
• 160,000 miles return in First

From tomorrow it will cost:

• 120,000 miles return in Economy
• 170,000 miles return in Business (up 41%)
• 230,000 miles return in First (up 44%)

Again, a big increase.  Again, it is still far fewer miles than an equivalent Avios redemption (100,000 in Economy; 300,000 in Club World; 400,000 in First – plus the fuel surcharges).

If you want to take a look at other routes, the links above bring up the relevant award charts and there is a link in each chart to the current pricing.

Book today if you want to lock in the old prices.  However, all is not lost with American Airlines. There are still reasons to credit your flights to AA, especially if you are a business traveller who is regularly on fully flexible business class tickets and earns the bulk of his/her miles from flying.  The redemption chart remains cheaper than the BA one in many instances, you get access to the fantastic Etihad product and – except for BA redemptions – you won’t be paying any fuel surcharges.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 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:

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 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 30,000 Avios. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 80,000 Avios! The spend requirement is changed to £10,000 in six months for this offer. 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

Huge 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, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 9th December 2024, there are EXCLUSIVE sign-up offers for our readers on the two Capital on Tap small business Visa cards. You can earn 20,000 points on the Business Rewards card and 30,000 points on the new Pro card. Click here to apply.

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

20,000 points (ONLY TO 9TH DECEMBER) Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

30,000 points (TO 9TH DECEMBER) 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.