Why are some Avios flight redemptions now cheaper on avios.com than ba.com?
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We have written numerous articles in the last few months about the new trial of ‘£1 taxes and charges’ short-haul Avios redemptions.
In theory, this was a simple idea. As well as offering you (for example) 9,000 Avios + £35 taxes and charges between London and Paris, you would see a number of additional options, dropping down to as low as (for example) 15,500 Avios + £1 of taxes.
These new options are generally a bad deal. In the example above you are saving £34 of taxes and charges in return for spending an additional 6,500 Avios (which I’d usually value at £65). However, the option is there for anyone who is cash poor and Avios rich.
In practice, this has turned out to be a very complex thing for BA to implement:
Initially – although now fixed – domestic UK connections to a long-haul redemption ceased to be free.
We then found out (good thing) that cancellation charges for short-haul Avios redemptions had been cut from £35 to just £1, due to the difficulty of collecting the extra money if the customer had chosen the ‘£1 taxes’ option originally. For clarity, you now pay just £1 to cancel a short-haul Avios redemption irrespective of whether you chose the £1 taxes option or not when booking.
There has been major confusion over how to price Gold Priority Rewards. These are where a Gold member can force open ANY BA seat if they are prepared to use double Avios. Many agents are still – incorrectly – insisting that the ‘lots of Avios and £1 taxes’ price is used as the base cost, which makes the Avios required stupidly high.
Another interesting quirk has now come to light.
Some Avios redemptions are now cheaper when booked on avios.com
A bit of background here for anyone who thinks that avios.com is closed. It isn’t. The Avios Travel Rewards Programme was closed last year, but the avios.com website remains. It is where members of Vueling Club and Aer Lingus AerClub go to book redemptions.
Because it is part of ‘Combine My Avios’, you can log in using a Vueling Club or Aer Lingus AerClub account and pull in Avios from British Airways Executive Club.
The key thing to note is that the new ‘£1 taxes and charges trial’ for BA redemptions is NOT happening at avios.com. It only kicks in if you try to book at ba.com.
When is avios.com cheaper?
Avios redemptions are cheaper at avios.com if you are starting in Europe and connecting in London to a long-haul British Airways flight.
Here is an example, from Frankfurt to New York JFK in Club World, return, on off-peak dates. This is what it cost on avios.com:
You’ll need to click to enlarge, but trust me that the cost is 115,500 Avios plus £516.28 in taxes and charges.
Here are IDENTICAL flights booked on ba.com:
The cost is now 125,500 Avios plus £516.28 in taxes and charges. You are asked to pay an extra 10,000 Avios.
Why is this happening?
The ‘logic’ is simple, although not logical.
Let’s forget about the New York flight for a minute. This is what it costs to book Frankfurt to London on avios.com, Club Europe return on an off-peak date:
It is 15,500 Avios + £50.
Let’s look at exactly the same flight booked at ba.com. 15,000 Avios + £50 is still an option, but the ‘headline’ price which ba.com shows you first is this:
25,500 Avios + £1.
The difference is 10,000 Avios. Now, obviously – when you book the 2nd example above as a stand-alone flight – you are using 10,000 more Avios on ba.com but saving £49 in taxes and charges.
When the short-haul flight is linked to a long-haul flight, the tax differential is ignored. ba.com charges you the full 25,500 Avios but makes no tax adjustment.
Conclusion
This, admittedly, is not an issue which will concern most HFP readers who are starting their redemptions in the UK. It is something to note for our European readers, however, and a reminder that – whilst the £1 trial is ongoing – you need to be on the ball to ensure that you are getting the best deal.
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 Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
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.
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.
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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