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British Airways ‘£1 taxes’ domestic Avios flight redemptions are back

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We have some some news for you if you have been keeping abreast of all the British Airways redemption trials.

If you recall, we reported last month that it was now possible to book Avios tickets for as little as £1 return in taxes and fees (50p each way).  On the whole, you do not get the best value per Avios this way but it does add useful flexibility for those who need it or find themselves with more Avios than they can ever spend.

When we first found out about the trial there were some issues with domestic redemptions. 

Avios wing 14

It turned out that, by reducing the taxes on domestic redemptions to £1, it was causing problems with pricing long-haul redemptions which included a connection.  As a quick fix, BA removed the £1 taxes trial from domestic routes.

BA has now fixed the IT issue.  Domestic flights have been added back into the ‘£1 taxes’ trial from yesterday afternoon and are now bookable on ba.com.  Long-haul redemptions which include a domestic connection will price correctly.

As a reminder, these £1 redemptions are NOT the best use of Avios.  You will usually get a better deal by selecting an option to use fewer Avios and more cash, but some people will undoubtedly find it useful.


How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

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:

Barclaycard Avios Plus 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 card

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

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

25,000 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.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a 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.

Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa

Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 Read our full review

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.

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

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

40,000 points sign-up bonus 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.

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