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Forums Frequent flyer programs The British Airways Club RFS Avios redemption price increase

  • 11 posts

    Being discussed on Flyertalk now – apparantly the cash element of CE returns has gone up by £12. So a redemption which yesterday was XXXX Avios + 50p is today the same XXXX Avios +£12.50. A redemption that was YYYY avios +£25 is now YYYY avios +£37

    11,628 posts

    Editing my original comment, because thinking about it, did the 50p option actually apply to CE or just ET?

    224 posts

    Both. Obviously more Avios were charged for Club, but returns in both cabins were available for £1 plus Avios.

    11,628 posts

    FT poster now saying this is a confirmed price increase in CE. So MAN-LHR-CDG would be 30k avios plus £25 each way…! MAN-LHR-JFK in WT, for comparison, is 25k avios plus £50 (for now).

    224 posts

    Just done a dummy booking from GLA-LHR and the cheapest cash return in Club is £25, with the middle option being £74 instead of £50.

    Avios element looks like it might be unchanged.

    419 posts

    Yes just checked a CE flight I was thinking about booking a couple of days ago, cash element appears to have increased.

    11,628 posts

    Fortunately I’ve got all my redemptions booked for the next 11 months. I’m finding cash on IB if I want to connect to anywhere in Europe is a much better option (for when LCC prices are silly and I need OW luggage allowance!)

    I’d get any ET redemptions booked asap as this has got to be next in line for an increase.

    427 posts

    Same on long haul. Singapore in CW was 240k (peak) + £600 now it’s + £625

    649 posts

    Sadly, it had to happen at some point. It could have been much worse is my thought!

    319 posts

    Another annoying devaluation

    302 posts

    The price increase I could accept if there was notice. But the lack of notice is absolutely outrageous. Disgusting behaviour again from BA

    765 posts

    Don’t forget that CPI has increased by 20% in the past 2.5 years. Unless I have a faulty memory, Avios redemptions haven’t devalued by that much.

    427 posts

    It is a little sneaky. No warning, and worse still no comms. £25 not the end of the world but seems it’s been sneaked in. I suppose the majority of people redeeming would have no clue anyway so perhaps that’s why.

    1,560 posts

    Why should avios prices be related to CPI?

    Fortunately I got a few redemptions in just before the devaluation, and my household avios balance is down to less than 100k so I’m not as annoyed as I could have been

    1,227 posts

    Last time I checked £24 increase on £50 base is 48% … maybe 20% would’ve been okay

    Anyway it’s not really how it works as the fee is to cover APD and airport fees and they haven’t increased with CPI.

    Also there was a huge devaluation with the increase in Avios required for the introduction of long haul RFS … they slowly jacked up the fees then converted to Avios at 0.8p per Avios (10-20% lower than they sell Avios for at their best deals ie sales or boosts) … which is now being devalued again after such a small space of time.

    765 posts

    Why should avios prices be related to CPI?

    Because almost all Avios earning opportunities are linked to spend denominated in £ – BA flights, credit card spend, BA estore, etc.

    Think about it logically – if prices rose 10x due to a period of very high inflation, you’d earn 10x the number of Avios for doing exactly the same thing. Without a devaluation, you’d earn 10x the number of reward flights. Which magic money tree would have produced them?

    685 posts

    Without a devaluation, you’d earn 10x the number of reward flights. Which magic money tree would have produced them?

    Let us never talk of the “magic money tree” so early in a new govt 😁. I don’t agree with any major devaluation (obviously) but I accept this tweak. Just as my Avios is sitting in BA’s bank my money is in Barclays. Neither is immune from inflation/cost increases.

    I’d much rather this tweak than a general devaluation, because that punishes the most loyal customers (those with a LOT of Avios) the most.

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