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MASSIVE AVIOS SALE: 50% off ALL long-haul flights, 25% off short-haul and it works with a 241

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British Airways has launched what is possibly the biggest Avios flight sale it has ever run.

All long haul flights, in all classes, are half price. Well, half points anyway.

Full details are on this special page of ba.com.

Avios 50% discount sale

This is what you need to know:

  • ALL long-haul redemptions (all routes, all travel classes) are reduced by 50%
  • ALL short-haul redemptions (all routes, both travel classes) are reduced by 25%

Here are the key dates:

  • You must book by 13th October
  • You must travel between now and 30th June 2021
  • Full taxes and charges are due
  • The discount is valid on both one-way and return flights
  • The discount only applies to British Airways flights and not partner airlines

Can this offer be combined with a British Airways American Express 2-4-1 or Lloyds voucher?

YES. Well, with an Amex 241 anyway.

British Airways told me that it doesn’t, but it does!

This may or may be an error. The small print does say that ‘vouchers’ are excluded.

British Airways Gatwick Airport

Should I cancel and rebook existing redemptions?

This is a tricky question.

For existing long haul bookings:

Clearly there are HUGE savings to be made if you cancel existing Avios long-haul redemptions and rebook them. You’d be crazy not to, to be honest, if it meant saving 50,000 to 100,000 Avios per booking.

(Do NOT do this with a Lloyds Avios upgrade voucher. As far as I know, these are still lost if you cancel a redemption flight which uses one.)

You need to be careful, however.

If you have enough Avios to make a fresh booking and didn’t use a 2-4-1 voucher, you don’t have any risk. You can make a new booking and then cancel your original at your convenience.

(Remember that, if you cancel online, you can only receive a Future Travel Voucher. This involves wrapping up the Avios, cash and any companion voucher in a voucher. You do NOT get the Avios, cash or companion voucher back in your accounts but you don’t pay any cancellation fees. Alternatively, you can ring BA, pay the £35 per person cancellation fee and get the Avios, cash and any voucher back directly.)

If you don’t have enough Avios to rebook, or need your 2-4-1 voucher back first, you are in a trickier position.

You need to call BA, trigger a Future Travel Voucher (which usually arrives within a few minutes, but isn’t guaranteed) and then call British Airways to rebook.

You should assume that your original seats will NOT go back into redemption availability. Only do this if you can see enough fresh seats available for the dates you want and you are willing to take the risk of them disappearing before you can rebook.

Half price Avios bookings

For existing short haul bookings:

For short haul, however, I don’t think it is worth the effort. The cancellation fees will outweigh a 25% Avios saving. Cancelling for a Future Travel Voucher and then rebooking to avoid cancellation fees is a bit of a faff for a modest return, even if seats are available.

Is there a special offer to buy Avios if I’m short?

No, unfortunately not. The 50% bonus promotion ended last week and I imagine there is no chance of a new offer before 13th October.

If you are happy to pay full price (1.6p per Avios plus a £15 handling fee), you can buy Avios via this page of ba.com.

Be careful not to get carried away ….

This is an exceptionally good offer. Offering 50% off all long haul flights, to all destination and in all classes, is not something you see every day.

However …. if you end up not flying the tickets you book, you will be paying £35 per person to cancel or taking a Future Travel Voucher, which comes with its own complications when you come to rebook (no name changes etc). Book with care.

Click here to visit the special sale page of ba.com and find out more.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 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 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

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.

American Express Business Platinum

50,000 points when you sign-up 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.

Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (712)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • neil says:
    8 Oct8 October 15:21

    Interesting, looking for 2x first class seats anywhere at the end of June… alas, yesterday there were quite a few options, now i cant find any so seems seats are going fast.

    What chances do we think there’ll be of more availability being added in the next few days?

    • Bob says:
      8 Oct8 October 16:56

      Did see some First availability to HKG but only for outbound I’m afraid.

  • Josh R says:
    8 Oct8 October 16:03

    Thanks for this offer, team! I would love a guide on how it may be possible to use the Future Travel Voucher to extend a BA Companion Voucher that’s already been extended by 6 months.

    I’m guessing it’s something like – book a cheap Avios redemption with the Companion Voucher. Then cancel shortly after to get a Future Travel Voucher.

    The bit I don’t understand yet is, what can I redeem a Future Travel Voucher for and is it for cash flights (including part-pay with Avios) or is it Reward flights too?

    • AJA says:
      8 Oct8 October 16:38

      You are correct that is one way to extend the 2-4-1. But if you exchange a reward booking using a 2-4-1 voucher for a FTV then that is what you can use it to book again in the future ie another reward booking which means there has to be reward seats available. The upside is that it extends the 2-4-1 voucher until the end of Apr 2022. The downside is that you can only use the FTV to book a future flight over the telephone. You cannot redeem it online. I think this makes using a FTV to extend the 2-4-1 a bad option.

      • Pauline says:
        8 Oct8 October 22:18

        My original flight using a 241 was booked in June 2019 for a May 2020 flight which was cancelled. As my 241 would expire before the revised flights for May 2021 I took a FTV and rebooked For may 2021. I thought the 241 within the FTV was effectively extended to April 2022. The flights were booked in J and F flights have now become available. I asked to cancel and get a new FTV and I was told that could be done but as my original flights were booked prior to March 2020 the 241 would be deemed to have expired and does not extend to April 2020 so it is not as flexible as it seems

        • Lady London says:
          9 Oct9 October 09:39

          HUACA near to 0800, or 1900, if you can, and check this again

          • Pauline says:
            9 Oct9 October 13:10

            Hi are they wrong? I have tried twice and been told the same thing. The crucial part seems to be that the original booking was prior to March 2020

        • Jonathan says:
          11 Oct11 October 07:17

          BA are correct. If you booked prior to March then FTV not an option. As the flight was cancelled you are entitled to a full refund or rebooking without charge but not a voucher.

  • Matthew says:
    8 Oct8 October 16:27

    Re: Lloyds voucher – you can use it but it seems they haven’t been able to book any US flights due to an ‘IT issue’ for a ‘few days’ and they don’t know when it’s going to be resolved!? Hopefully before next Tuesday…is anyone else having issues booking with Avios? Any other info?

    • BigSi says:
      8 Oct8 October 17:33

      I was able to book JFK with no issues the day the offer was released. Had 2 Lloyds vouchers and worked a treat. They didn’t mention any issues.

      • Matthew says:
        8 Oct8 October 17:45

        Thanks for the info. I presume it must have been since yesterday – it’s all very vague. Hopefully they fix it ASAP.

  • Tom says:
    8 Oct8 October 16:35

    Watch out if you’re looking for flights to/from the US.
    How can BA quote different avios and pricing based on the country BA account is registered??
    My partner, registered in the US, saw BOS-LHR in economy for 6500 Avios + $64.50 but mine, registered in the UK, showed he same itinerary for 12,500 Avios and £50!!

    • Lady London says:
      9 Oct9 October 09:41

      They can and they do.
      A lot of this one likely due FX rates though.

  • Harry T says:
    8 Oct8 October 19:52

    Btw my flight to Tokyo in June is showing Club Suite on the Seat map and it’s an A350. Looks like CS may be on that route sooner than expected.

    • Vit says:
      8 Oct8 October 20:01

      I think A350 is deployed for 1 out of 2 flight anyway? Shown on mine for mid April.

      • Bob says:
        9 Oct9 October 00:31

        Yup looks the case, as per their Oct schedule also appears they’ll be flying the A350 from 25th onwards / or first week Nov, shows in the timetables

  • Sew NG says:
    8 Oct8 October 21:10

    Hi Rob,
    I booked return flights to Japan for 21st. April 2021 using my 241and 150000 Avios in June. Now with 50% off Sale using my wife 241 for the same return flights using only 75000. If BA cancel the flight to Japan due to Covid 19 restrictions etc then there will not be any charge of £35 per person. If the flight goes ahead then when is the last date for me to cancel my original booking in order to get a refund of my 241, 150000 Avios plus the taxes.
    Your advice will be greatly appreciated.

  • Beck says:
    8 Oct8 October 21:57

    If I make a booking under this offer, and BA themselves cancel the flights, obviously I could get a refund but would they my booking to a later date even if there is no availability? If so would I have to make up any difference in Avios between this offer and the normal pricing.

    • Rob says:
      8 Oct8 October 22:27

      Yes, at present BA will let you pick a fresh date – irrespective of Avios availability and without repricing – up to 355 days from the date you originally booked (so last travel date would be end of September 2021).

      • Globetrotter says:
        10 Oct10 October 17:05

        Spoke to BAEC today, apparently if BA cancel they will rebook you for free onto an alternative flight / commercial ticket but only for alternatives 3 days before and 14 days after the original flight date.

        Is this true and if so, how does that square with the 355 days mentioned above? Grateful for any clarification. Thanks!

        • Rob says:
          10 Oct10 October 17:36

          The 355 day thing was an UNPUBLISHED BA policy. They are free to withdraw or change it at any time without telling us or anyone else.

    • BS says:
      9 Oct9 October 11:23

      They are also required under EC261/2004 to reroute you (via any airline) if they stop flying. So if they drop a route, they should re-route you via Emirates etc.
      Good luck getting them to do this however – you will have to take them to CEDR or MCOL to enforce this.

      • meta says:
        9 Oct9 October 12:48

        Yes, to top it all, BA agents will state that they are liable for re-route and duty of care under EC261, but still refuse to pay.

  • c says:
    9 Oct9 October 00:00

    On this offer, I can book LON-SYD on an Amex 2-4-1 in January 2021 in first and business for 175,000 avios plus taxes. Given that this flight wont happen as Australia has closed the border so BA cancel, I get a voucher. But can I then rebook the same deal when flights reopen or is it then back to the normal avios requirement?

    • Rob says:
      9 Oct9 October 08:40

      If BA cancel you can move it to any date, Avios availability or not, up to 355 days from the date you paid the taxes on the original booking. No repricing.

      If the flight goes, which it may for cargo reasons, you must cancel and a rebook is full price.

      • Louise K says:
        9 Oct9 October 09:23

        Rob, do both flights have to flown by the 355 days, or just the outbound? So if I booked a flight today and it was cancelled my travel would have to either start by 29/09/2021 or completed by 29/09/2021?

        • Rob says:
          9 Oct9 October 09:49

          Good question, not sure. Could be the latter as the reason for this is the inability of airline ticketing systems to handle anything booked more than 355 days from issuance. This is to avoid problems over the wrong year being booked in error.

      • Fred says:
        9 Oct9 October 10:58

        Rob, would this also apply to a Lloyds Upgrade Voucher booking? Thanks

        • Rob says:
          9 Oct9 October 11:31

          Not sure if anyone has done it but, in theory, no reason why not.

        • BigSi says:
          9 Oct9 October 13:06

          Yes, works with Lloyds voucher. You pay half the regular premium economy price to fly biz.

      • Rob says:
        9 Oct9 October 15:31

        Correct as long as BA doesn’t change the rules by January. There has been some abuse of this, eg booking flights almost certain to be cancelled and then rebooking for Christmas week.

      • ChrisC says:
        9 Oct9 October 16:52

        It wouldn’t be 9th October 2021 but 29th September 2021 – 355 days from now (as per the BA booking engine in the app)

        • flyforfun says:
          9 Oct9 October 20:42

          From how it sounds in the press, Australia won’t open up until late 21 currently, so I Oct/Nov/Dec. September is too short a safety net. It never seems to get revised forward, just longer.

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