Avios Redemptions gone up?

[lightgear]

Hi All, I’m quite new to this but after getting the signup bonus for my AMEX I thought I’d have a look at booking a return short haul from London to Prague expecting the cost to be 10k~ Avios + Taxes (£70). However, when I check the prices on BA.com I can’t find this route, or any route for that matter for anything less than 18k Avios. Is their something I’m doing wrong or have BA quietly devalued Avios recently?

[Alex G]

I just checked and was offered 19000AV plus £1. However, when you click on “more pricing options”, you get 10000AV plus £35.

Interestingly though, the price has been quietly increased. I have an old copy of the redemption chart that Rob publishes here, and Prague used to be 4000 off peak in economy.

Rob published an article in March 2021 about an increase from 4000 to 4750. Looks like it has gone up again since then.

https://www.headforpoints.com/2021/03/16/british-airways-increases-avios-flight-prices/

Also see

https://www.headforpoints.com/2022/06/03/how-many-avios-do-i-need-to-fly-to/

[NorthernLass]

RFS pricing has gone out of the window recently. You just have to look at the options you get and decide which one suits you best.

[jj]

I have a degree of sympathy with BA here. The Nectar deal effectively links Avios pricing to the GB pound and, with inflation running at 10%, the purchasing power of an Avios should decline in tandem with the currency. Having said that, so also should Avios earning rates for flying where a distance based award is given.

I also wonder whether BA may live to regret this inflationary move when the cost of living crisis moves from being a news headline to actually hitting bank accounts in anger. Add a post-covid increase in capacity and remove the COVID demand backlog, and I expect the demand/supply equation to soften dramatically by late 2023. Business travel will never return to pre-pandemoc levels. If leisure demand also dries up, airlines will be in trouble.

[JDB]

I don’t see the change here. The extra 750 came in when LHR added a clawback charge, but has stuck long after the clawback ceased. The 10k Avios + £35 seems just to be a return, half peak 5,250/half off peak 4,750 so it hasn’t gone up beyond the 750 difference.

[JDB]

Alex G wrote:

I just checked and was offered 19000AV plus £1. However, when you click on “more pricing options”, you get 10000AV plus £35.

Interestingly though, the price has been quietly increased. I have an old copy of the redemption chart that Rob publishes here, and Prague used to be 4000 off peak in economy.

Rob published an article in March 2021 about an increase from 4000 to 4750. Looks like it has gone up again since then.

https://www.headforpoints.com/2021/03/16/british-airways-increases-avios-flight-prices/

Also see

https://www.headforpoints.com/2022/06/03/how-many-avios-do-i-need-to-fly-to/

I don’t see the change here. The extra 750 came in when LHR added a clawback charge, but has stuck long after the clawback ceased. The 10k Avios+ £35 seems just to be a return, half peak 5,250/half off peak 4,750.

[Alex G]

JDB wrote:

Alex G wrote:

I just checked and was offered 19000AV plus £1. However, when you click on “more pricing options”, you get 10000AV plus £35.

Interestingly though, the price has been quietly increased. I have an old copy of the redemption chart that Rob publishes here, and Prague used to be 4000 off peak in economy.

Rob published an article in March 2021 about an increase from 4000 to 4750. Looks like it has gone up again since then.

https://www.headforpoints.com/2021/03/16/british-airways-increases-avios-flight-prices/

Also see

https://www.headforpoints.com/2022/06/03/how-many-avios-do-i-need-to-fly-to/

I don’t see the change here. The extra 750 came in when LHR added a clawback charge, but has stuck long after the clawback ceased. The 10k Avios+ £35 seems just to be a return, half peak 5,250/half off peak 4,750.

Thanks. The return date I picked was wrongly showing as off peak, but it priced as peak.

[Alex G]

JDB wrote:

Alex G wrote:

I just checked and was offered 19000AV plus £1. However, when you click on “more pricing options”, you get 10000AV plus £35.

Interestingly though, the price has been quietly increased. I have an old copy of the redemption chart that Rob publishes here, and Prague used to be 4000 off peak in economy.

Rob published an article in March 2021 about an increase from 4000 to 4750. Looks like it has gone up again since then.

https://www.headforpoints.com/2021/03/16/british-airways-increases-avios-flight-prices/

Also see

https://www.headforpoints.com/2022/06/03/how-many-avios-do-i-need-to-fly-to/

I don’t see the change here. The extra 750 came in when LHR added a clawback charge, but has stuck long after the clawback ceased. The 10k Avios+ £35 seems just to be a return, half peak 5,250/half off peak 4,750.

Thanks. I did a dummy booking outbound 11/10 return 15/10. Both flights are showing as off peak when you select dates, but 15/10 is actually peak (according to Rob’s calendar) and prices as peak, even though it is described as off peak.

[JDB]

@Alex G yes I think there is some issue between what it says on the calendar along the top (once you have started the search) vs the list of flights below, but I think that it does price correctly per the chart.