Do you know BA First Class Avios redemptions are cheaper than mixed First / Club flights?
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One of the oddities about the launch of Reward Flight Saver to Club World (Business Class) and World Traveller Plus 18 months ago was that First Class redemptions were excluded.
There was no real logic behind this, and it led to some strange outcomes.
It is now cheaper to book a return First / First redemption than a First / Business or Business / First redemption!
Here is an example on the New York route.
First Class in both directions:
As there is no Reward Flight Saver in First Class (yet …..), you pay 160,000 Avios + £849 return in taxes and charges. You have options to use fewer Avios and more cash but these are unattractive.
First Class outbound, Club World (Business) inbound:
Take a look at what happens if you return in Club World instead of First on the same flight:
You now require 170,000 Avios + £777. You require an extra 10,000 Avios for swapping your First Class seat for Club Suite!
The taxes are, admittedly, £72 lower but I value 10,000 Avios at much more than £72.
It is worth noting that it doesn’t matter which leg is in First Class. Whether you do First out and Club back, or Club out and First back, you still see 170,000 Avios + £777.
I won’t try to explain exactly why this happens, but it is based on the pricing option that British Airways uses for the Club Suite leg.
Club World outbound, Club World inbound:
For comparison, a Business / Business flight would cost 180,000 Avios + £350 under the Reward Flight Saver structure.
You could also choose to pay 120,000 Avios + £850 which is the nearest alternative option in terms of taxes and charges to the examples above.
First Class is now better value than it was
Let’s forget about mixing and matching First and Business, which we’ve decided you shouldn’t do if First / First is an option because the latter is cheaper.
Let’s focus on whether a return First Class flight is a better deal than a return Club World business class flight.
Looking at New York, if you do First / First then you pay 160,000 Avios + £849 on the dates I chose.
If you do Business / Business, you can pay 120,000 Avios + £850 or 180,000 Avios + £350.
Arguably, First Class redemptions are now better value than they were before long haul Reward Flight Saver launched. Comparing First / First to Business / Business for my example dates to New York:
- flying First Class both ways only requires 40,000 more Avios in total (20,000 each way) if you choose the £850 taxes and charges option, or
- flying First Class both ways only requires £499 of additional cash – and 20,000 FEWER Avios – than choosing the new headline Reward Flight Saver price for Club Suite (160,000 Avios + £849 for First return vs 180,000 Avios + £350 for Club return)
However you look at it, the difference between First / First and Business / Business is so low that you should give First / First very serious consideration if First Class seats are available.
And, of course, you absolutely MUST do First / First instead of First / Business is available because it will work out cheaper!
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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.
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