Avios redemptions on Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines devalued with no notice
Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission. See here for all partner links.
British Airways has quietly snuck out a devaluation of short- and mid-haul Avios redemptions on two Asian partners – Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines (JAL).
It only impact flights under 3,000 miles. Long haul services retain their existing pricing.
With cash flights often relatively cheap in this part of the world, you may end up thinking twice about a redemption unless you need the flexibility to cancel or change your ticket.
Whilst you might not immediately think that this impacts you, it may well do. Avios redemption seats are very tight to Tokyo and Hong Kong, for example. One way around this is to fly into China on British Airways – where seats are more easily found – and then connect on JAL to Tokyo or Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong. China’s visa rules don’t apply if you do this, even if you stopover for a couple of nights.
How has Avios pricing changed?
The changes are not uniform across both carriers.
It’s worth remembering that this is the second devaluation of Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines flights in two years. Click here to see what happened in July 2021. For example, whilst we show very short Cathay flights going from 7,500 Avios to 9,750, they were only 6,000 Avios in June 2021.
Here is the Cathay Pacific pricing:
| Zone | Distance | Old Economy | New Economy | Old Business | New Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 – 650 miles | 7,500 | 9,750 | 16,000 | 20,800 |
| 2 | 651 – 1,150 miles | 10,000 | 12,000 | 25,000 | 30,000 |
| 3 | 1,151 – 2,000 miles | 11,000 | 14,300 | 25,000 | 32,500 |
| 4 | 2,001 – 3,000 miles | 13,000 | 15,600 | 38,750 | 46,500 |
Here is the Japan Airlines pricing:
| Zone | Distance | Old Economy | New Economy | Old Business | New Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 – 650 miles | 7,500 | 10,500 | 12,500 | 17,500 |
| 2 | 651 – 1,150 miles | 10,000 | 11,000 | 24,000 | 26,400 |
| 3 | 1,151 – 2,000 miles | 11,000 | 14,300 | 24,000 | 31,200 |
| 4 | 2,001 – 3,000 miles | 13,000 | 15,600 | 38,750 | 46,500 |
There is a loophole though
Ever since Qatar Airways Privilege Club adopted Avios as its reward currency, it has provided a fall back in case of any painful changes to British Airways Executive Club pricing.
This HfP article shows how to link your Qatar Airways Privilege Club and British Airways Executive Club accounts.
Here’s an example. This is Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City on Cathay Pacific in Business Class booked via ba.com:
It’s 30,000 Avios + £56.
Here is the exact same flight booked via Qatar Airways Privilege Club:
Yes, you can save 45% on the Avios required for this route (I assume the taxes are the same – you can’t book it online) by transferring your Avios to Qatar Airways Privilege Club and booking from there. I can’t guarantee similar savings on every route but it is clearly well worth checking.
I’m losing count of the number of different Avios pricing charts that exist: Aer Lingus peak and off peak, Iberia peak and off peak, British Airways peak and off peak, Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, all other partner airlines and the multi-partner chart. I make that 12. You also need to factor in the fact that the Iberia, BA and avios.com websites sometimes throw up different taxes and charges figures, plus the fact that Qatar Airways may have totally different partner pricing. Coming soon we will have Finnair’s Avios pricing chart too ….
PS. If you are not a regular Head for Points visitor, why not sign up for our FREE weekly or daily newsletters? They are full of the latest Avios, airline, hotel and credit card points news and will help you travel better. To join our 65,000 free subscribers, click the button below or visit this page of the site to find out more. Thank you.
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 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 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.
david 
Lady London 
Kevin 
meta 
Kwab 
Dan 
Rob 
QFFlyer 
Bernard 
John 
His Holyness 
Jack 
Rizz 
Comments (86)