Good British Airways business class fares to Australia from Oslo

Sydney is a popular target destination for using frequent flyer miles, probably because the sheer length of the flight means that people are keen to do what they can to avoid travelling in economy.

Ironically, redemption tickets to Australia and New Zealand are often poor value.  Mile for mile, buying a cash ticket to Australia in a premium cabin can be relatively cheap.  You can often find a business class ticket to Sydney for around £2,000 – although you may end up starting your trip in another European country and flying on an airline you wouldn’t usually consider.

In contrast, an Avios ticket in business class to Sydney is 250,000 or 300,000 points plus taxes, depending on whether you are on an off-peak or peak day.  Even assuming that you can find availability – which is very difficult since the BA service was switched from 2 x daily 747s to 1 x daily 777 and Virgin Atlantic withdrew entirely – it is not the best value.

For some time now there have been some good British Airways prices available out of Oslo.  This obviously involves you flying to Norway – at added cost – and then flying back.

Bergen and Stavanger also price the same, and Bergen is a prettier option.

It isn’t entirely clear why these fares exist.  BA is facing competition from the discounted long-haul services operated by Norwegian but they do not fly to Australia.

The current price at ba.com, for example, is 26,722 NOK or £2,220.  This fare is available pretty much all year.  It is the cheapest starting point in Europe for BA travel to Australasia.

The fare rules (which you can get using the ITA Matrix tool I discussed on Thursday) state that you must book 28 days in advance and stay away for a Saturday night.  Unlimited stopovers are available – the first two are free whilst additional ones will cost €200 each.

A travel agent, or possibly even Expedia if it is playing ball, should be able to book you Oslo – Heathrow – Singapore – Sydney – Perth – Brisbane for example at no extra cost apart from any taxes, with the extra segments being on Qantas.  ba.com can’t offer routings this complex even though the ticket rules allow it and it is one of the few times when a visit to Trailfinders or Flight Centre may be worthwhile.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 60,000 points. You receive 40,000 points when you spend £6,000 within three months and a further 20,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

American Express Business Platinum

Up to 120,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

Up to 60,000 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.