What is the best value Avios flight per mile?
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What is the best value Avios redemption per mile flown? Or, put another way, what’s the furthest you can fly for the fewest Avios?
As we have just updated our ‘Avios price list’ (the only place online you’ll find the Avios redemption chart – it’s not on ba.com now) I thought it was worth having another look at where you get the best value.
We have put together a list of the flying distance of each long and mid haul British Airways route and compared it with the Avios required for a Club World off-peak redemption.
Distances are measured using the ‘great circle route’ ie. the most direct path between origination and destination.
If you ever need to work out the distance between two cities, we recommend Great Circle Mapper at gcmap.com. Use airport codes in the search box, eg LHR-CPT for London Heathrow to Cape Town, and click ‘Distance’.
Hopefully this gives you a better idea of the value of different routes, although you should remember that ‘value’ is subjective. If you don’t want to fly to Kuwait, for example, it doesn’t matter how ‘cheap’ a redemption would be.
As we always say, the ‘best’ Avios redemption is one that takes you to somewhere you really want to go.
What is the best value Avios redemption based on distance?
The winner based on ‘Avios needed per mile flown’ is Sydney. Just 13 Avios will get you one mile nearer Sydney in a Club World flat bed on that route.
(Interestingly, the winner used to be Cape Town but BA’s changes to Avios pricing in December have pushed it down to second place.)
Take a look and see what you think. The table shows you the Avios per mile you need to redeem to get a Club World redemption.
We have used the ‘highest Avios, lowest cash’ pricing option offered for each route. For mid haul and long haul routes, this tends to be the best overall value. It is not the best option on short haul but those routes are not included below.
You could, arguably, adjust the table to reflect the different surcharges between routes. At the end of the day, however, this is only meant to be a bit of fun.
Don’t forget our earlier HfP article which shows every British Airways route and the Avios required to fly it.
Here is the ‘best Avios redemption per mile flown’ chart, based on BA’s route map at the start of 2023.
Destination | Club World Avios off-peak (one-way) | Miles flown (one-way) | Avios needed per mile |
---|---|---|---|
Sydney | 145,000 + £375 | 10,665 | 13.60 |
Cape Town | 90,000 + £225 | 6,010 | 14.98 |
Santiago | 110,000 + £300 | 7,249 | 15.17 |
Buenos Aires | 110,000 + £300 | 6,915 | 15.91 |
Johannesburg | 90,000 + £225 | 5,635 | 15.97 |
Tokyo | 100,000 + £275 | 6,220 | 16.08 |
Mexico City | 90,000 + £225 | 5,530 | 16.27 |
Singapore | 110,000 + £300 | 6,755 | 16.28 |
San Diego | 90,000 + £225 | 5,470 | 16.45 |
Los Angeles | 90,000 + £225 | 5,455 | 16.50 |
Mauritius | 100,000 + £275 | 6,055 | 16.52 |
San Jose (C’Rica) | 90,000 + £225 | 5,425 | 16.59 |
Hong Kong | 100,000 + £275 | 5,965 | 16.76 |
San Francisco | 90,000 + £225 | 5,360 | 16.79 |
San Jose (CA) | 90,000 + £225 | 5,360 | 16.79 |
Sao Paulo | 100,000 + £275 | 5,890 | 16.98 |
Male | 90,000 + £225 | 5,295 | 17.00 |
Phoenix | 90,000 + £225 | 5,255 | 17.13 |
Las Vegas | 90,000 + £225 | 5,230 | 17.21 |
Rio De Janeiro | 100,000 + £275 | 5,745 | 17.41 |
Shanghai | 100,000 + £275 | 5,720 | 17.48 |
Chennai | 90,000 + £225 | 5,115 | 17.60 |
Grand Cayman | 90,000 + £225 | 5,085 | 17.70 |
Seoul | 100,000 + £275 | 5,650 | 17.70 |
Beijing | 90,000 + £225 | 5,065 | 17.77 |
Bengaluru | 90,000 + £225 | 5,004 | 17.99 |
Cancun | 90,000 + £225 | 4,965 | 18.13 |
Portland (Oregon) | 90,000 + £225 | 4,914 | 18.32 |
Austin | 90,000 + £225 | 4,910 | 18.33 |
Houston | 90,000 + £225 | 4,820 | 18.67 |
Turks and Caicos | 90,000 + £225 | 4,820 | 18.67 |
Hyderabad | 90,000 + £225 | 4,795 | 18.77 |
Seattle | 90,000 + £225 | 4,785 | 18.81 |
Dallas | 90,000 + £225 | 4,745 | 18.97 |
Vancouver | 90,000 + £225 | 4,705 | 19.13 |
Kingston | 90,000 + £225 | 4,680 | 19.23 |
Aruba | 90,000 + £225 | 4,679 | 19.23 |
Denver | 90,000 + £225 | 4,670 | 19.27 |
New Orleans | 90,000 + £225 | 4,617 | 19.49 |
Georgetown | 90,000 + £225 | 4,508 | 19.96 |
Tobago | 90,000 + £225 | 4,495 | 20.02 |
Mumbai | 90,000 + £225 | 4,465 | 20.16 |
Cincinnati | 80,000 + £175 | 3,963 | 20.19 |
Port of Spain | 90,000 + £225 | 4,455 | 20.20 |
Chicago | 80,000 + £175 | 3,955 | 20.23 |
Miami | 90,000 +£225 | 4,435 | 20.29 |
Tampa | 90,000 + £225 | 4,425 | 20.34 |
Grenada | 90,000 + £225 | 4,360 | 20.64 |
Orlando | 90,000 + £225 | 4,355 | 20.67 |
Nassau | 90,000 + £225 | 4,330 | 20.79 |
Punta Cana | 90,000 + £225 | 4,290 | 20.98 |
Nairobi | 90,000 + £225 | 4,250 | 21.18 |
St Lucia | 90,000 + £225 | 4,220 | 21.33 |
Islamabad | 80,000 + £175 | 3,750 | 21.33 |
Atlanta | 90,000 + £225 | 4,200 | 21.43 |
Barbados | 90,000 + £225 | 4,195 | 21.45 |
Delhi | 90,000 + £225 | 4,191 | 21.47 |
Pittsburgh | 80,000 + £175 | 3,715 | 21.53 |
Nashville | 90,000 + £225 | 4,176 | 21.55 |
St Kitts | 90,000 + £225 | 4,140 | 21.74 |
Washington DC | 80,000 + £175 | 3,675 | 21.77 |
Baltimore | 80,000 + £175 | 3,625 | 22.07 |
Antigua | 90,000 + £225 | 4,075 | 22.09 |
Charleston | 90,000 + £225 | 4,075 | 22.09 |
Philadelphia | 80,000 + £175 | 3,545 | 22.57 |
Toronto | 80,000 + £175 | 3,545 | 22.57 |
New York | 80,000 + £175 | 3,450 | 23.19 |
Bermuda | 80,000 + £175 | 3,440 | 23.26 |
Dubai | 80,000 + £175 | 3,405 | 23.49 |
Abuja | 70,000 + £90 | 2,960 | 23.65 |
Kuwait | 70,000 + £90 | 2,900 | 24.14 |
Boston | 80,000 + £175 | 3,260 | 24.54 |
Doha | 80,000 + £175 | 3,240 | 24.69 |
Montreal | 80,000 + £175 | 3,240 | 24.69 |
Accra | 80,000 + £175 | 3,170 | 25.24 |
Bahrain | 80,000 + £175 | 3,150 | 25.40 |
Lagos | 80,000 + £175 | 3,115 | 25.68 |
Riyadh | 80,000 + £175 | 3,065 | 26.10 |
Amman | 70,000 + £90 | 2,290 | 30.57 |
Tel Aviv | 70,000 + £90 | 2,215 | 31.60 |
Cairo | 70,000 + £90 | 2,195 | 31.89 |
How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 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
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 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 30,000 Avios. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 80,000 Avios! The spend requirement is changed to £10,000 in six months for this offer. 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
Huge 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, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.
Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) and NO FX fees 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.
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