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

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. 

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.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (January 2023)

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:

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 21st February 2023, the sign-up bonus on the British Airways Premium Plus American Express card is increased to 35,000 Avios from 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points.

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: Capital On Tap has increased its sign-up bonus to points worth 30,000 Avios if you apply by 4th February. This is exclusive to Head for Points readers. 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.