Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

Stuffed #1: How British Airways sharply devalued Avios for members outside the UK and US

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We’ve now had a bit of time to digest the changes to long haul Avios pricing on Wednesday.

As more examples come to light, it is clear that this is a major devaluation.

It has been disguised by giving a (roughly) 15% discount to UK members who use an Amex 2-4-1 voucher and who can afford to use the maximum number of Avios. Strip these people out and there are some serious underlying issues.

I will run through them over the next few days. The biggest problem is that anyone not based in the US and UK has seen an increase of up to 92%, more usually 45% to 60%, for long haul redemptions.

HfP is, of course, a UK site with an 80% UK readership. This 80% figure holds across all platforms – the site, our email list and social media. Another 10% is from the US.

What wasn’t clear to us on Wednesday is what has happened to people based outside the UK and US. Long haul Reward Flight Saver is not available outside these countries.

The ‘top’ RFS price is the new Avios ‘base’ price

There is one thing you need to know which wasn’t obvious when the changes were announced. The ‘headline’ RFS price is now the BASE Avios redemption price.

Let me explain what I mean.

On Tuesday, the base price for Club World to New York, for an off peak return, was 100,000 Avios + £850.

On Wednesday, the base price for Club World to New York, an off peak return, changed to 160,000 Avios + £850. There was a whopping 60% increase in the number of Avios needed.

However, if you live in the UK or US and qualify for Reward Flight Saver, you will pay a reduced rate of 160,000 Avios + £350. You can choose other combinations, including the old price of 100,000 Avios + £850, if you wish, so you don’t need to be worse off.

What happens if you don’t live in the UK or US?

Let me show you. Here is the New York booking I discussed above, booked via an account which doesn’t qualify for long haul Reward Flight Saver:

How does 160,000 Avios + £850 for a return off-peak Club World flight to New York sound?

If you live in France, Germany, Dubai, Singapore, Spain, whatever …. you’re in big trouble. British Airways has hung you out to dry. There is no way for you to qualify for long haul Reward Flight Saver because it is only available to people who live in the UK or US.

(Well, you could change the address on your BA account. This would block you from holding any local BA financial products, however, and you can’t swap your address back for six months.)

Some examples from Germany

If you can read German, or are happy to use Google Translate, German site meilenoptimieren.com gives other examples.

For example, priced using a German BAEC account:

  • Economy one-way from London to New York on Tuesday: 13,000 Avios + €318
  • Economy one-way from London to New York on Wednesday: 25,000 Avios + €318
  • Business one-way from London to Dubai on Tuesday: 60,000 Avios + €540
  • Business one-way from London to Dubai on Wednesday: 90,000 Avios + €540
  • Business return from London to Miami on Tuesday: 137,500 Avios + €985
  • Business return from London to Miami on Wednesday: 200,000 Avios + €985

These three examples represent an increase of 92%, 50% and 45% respectively.

UK and US residents can also lose Reward Flight Saver pricing

Even if you do live in the UK or US, you can still come a cropper.

I admit that it is unlikely for HfP readers, but any Executive Club member who fails to earn an Avios in a 12 month period loses the right to Reward Flight Saver. There are plenty of UK and US members who are also now facing a 45%-60% rise in long haul premium cabin redemption pricing.

There are other articles to come next week which will look at how BA has stuffed people with ‘old style’ 2-4-1 Amex vouchers and how it has increased fees or – where blocked by law – the Avios required from low tax departure points.

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.

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.

Category

British Airways and Avios

Comments (200)

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

  • Robert says:
    9 Dec9 December 06:46

    I’m trying to use a 2-4-1 voucher before it expires in April 2023. Does anyone have any good suggestions on how to maximise its value? I always try for first or club world, but neither are available on my preferred routes of DXB and JFK, so before I call the CS and ask for a ‘lucky dip’ thought I’d get some tips here on the best way to use it, and if they offer much value short haul?

  • Robert says:
    9 Dec9 December 06:47

    I was shocked last night when checking a one way TLV-LHR, to see CW has gone from 32,500 Avios to no less than 70,000, or WTP from 20,000 to 47,500 (paying a similar tax level)

  • John says:
    9 Dec9 December 06:51

    13000 avios to 25000 avios is correctly described later in the article as a 92% increase / rise in the amount of avios required, but it is not a “92% devaluation”.

    A 92% devaluation would be 13000 avios to 162500 avios (if there were no taxes and fees), but you need to know the cost of your cash alternative to work out the actual devaluation.

  • Simon Schus says:
    9 Dec9 December 06:55

    Does my BAEC residence country impact whether the 2-4-1 I earn? I have a UK BAEC residence, but I have earned a 2-4-1 from my US-based BA Chase card (the 2-4-1 is called “Two Together”). Does that have any impact, or will I just be able to use the “Two Together” per the BA Chase terms and conditions?

    • Simon Schus says:
      9 Dec9 December 06:55

      *whether = errant word!

    • JAXBA says:
      9 Dec9 December 13:34

      If the Chase 241 “Travel Together Ticket” [silly mouthful of a name] is in your BAEC account you should be able to use it per BA Chase T&Cs (not as generous as the new Amex 241 T&Cs). I presume you earned the US 241 then switched to a UK BAEC account at some point since?

      • Simon Schus says:
        10 Dec10 December 22:17

        I have a UK account as I never bothered to change it when moving to USA. Still have a UK address so never saw much benefit to changing to USA.

  • david says:
    9 Dec9 December 06:56

    I’m screwed as I’m from Belgium

  • Chris Cannon says:
    9 Dec9 December 07:11

    I think what’s become very clear is IAG’s realisation that people are sitting on a lot of avios post pandemic and they need them to redeem them

  • EF says:
    9 Dec9 December 07:16

    BA do everything to people stop flight with them . I already use my avios with Qatar, and usually I starting my flight from outside UK. Last time I book flight from Warsaw to Hanoi and I Pay only 130 USD not £300 from UK – visiting Warsaw for one day and and flight Wizzair and hotel and food, tax etc. still costs me less. Now I have flight from Italy and I know it’s will be again good trip. At the moment I can’t find any point to use my Avios with BA , and I have also AMEX voucher but I check destination and I can’t find any destination on route what I can use. Because I fly always to HAN or SGN because Vietnam is my second home ( I’m not vietnamise) but BA not offer any connection between London to Vietnam or Thailand BKK .

  • HAM76 says:
    9 Dec9 December 07:26

    I’ve given up on intercontinental reward flights to the US many years ago. There’s virtually no availability in First, hardly any in Business except the East coast. Without the BA branded Barclaycard we also lost our 241 voucher. Avios are great value for European destinations in Club. First to the US West coast at typically less than 4,000€ for a return trip is great, too, and probably cheaper than Avios when factoring in taxes and Avios earned.

    • James says:
      9 Dec9 December 07:33

      Great value to Europe in club vs what-cash? Or economy redemptions? I feel it’s hardly worth it, it’s not like it’s an upgrade. Identical cramped seat, most likely no lounge or an awful one in European airports and yes you get a cheaply produced meal and a few g&t’s but the value of those is surely outweighed by an economy redemption and paying for it instead.

      • HAM76 says:
        9 Dec9 December 07:45

        Compared to redemptions on other airlines. BA RFS is relatively inexpensive compared to European redemptions on Lufthansa, for example, while having a competitive on-board product.

      • Nathan says:
        9 Dec9 December 08:01

        LHR MUC LHR in J next month was £800 cash vs. 19000 + £100 redemption burning last of the old style 241.
        I’ll take that.

        • Londonsteve says:
          9 Dec9 December 14:13

          But the idea that anyone other than a rare corporate traveller (they would need an employer that pays J for short haul – perhaps 10% of business travellers these days) would pay £800 for a return flight to MUC is laughable. If that was genuinely my budget for London to MUC and back I’d far rather go 1st class on the trains (a comfortable and interesting day from London) or drive my thirsty classic car and enjoy the scenic routes. I actually rather wish these business travellers flew Easyjet for that 90 minutes flying time and could volunteer to support a charity of their choice with the fare difference, further boosted by Gift Aid.

      • HAM76 says:
        9 Dec9 December 08:04

        As an example… HAM-LHR in economy is 17,000 miles plus 63.39€. BA is 9,750 Avios plus 0.50€ (closest in Avios) or 3,250 plus 65.50€ (closest in cash). LH has already revenue based earning. 17,000 miles is 136 flights or 4,250€ in base fare spend on LH.

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

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