Revealed …. the peak and off-peak Avios redemption calendars for 2017

We now have full visibility of the peak and off-peak Avios redemption calendars for both British Airways and Iberia for 2017.

The big change, as eagle-eyed HfP readers booking for February half-term had already realised, is that Tuesday and Wednesday flights will no longer automatically be off-peak.  

If you want to travel on British Airways between 7th July and 5th September you will be paying the peak Avios price.  If you are wondering why this covers nine weeks and not the traditional six weeks of the school Summer holiday, it is because it appears to be based on the public school calendar and not the state school one.  

This is why October half-term straddles two weeks and Easter covers 3.5 weeks.  That said, February half-term is only blocked out for one week and not two.

You will see calendars for both BA and Iberia below.  There are substantial differences between them.  If you are flying on a route shared by BA and Iberia, it may be cheaper to book on Iberia.

For example, 15th February is peak for BA and off-peak for Iberia.  On that day, a Club World return from London to New York would be 120,000 Avios.  It would only be 68,000 Avios from Madrid to New York.  The tax would also be £335 lower on the Iberia ticket as long as you book via the Iberia website (£480 v £145).

British Airways calendar:  (click to enlarge if necessary)

Iberia calendar:

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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.