UPDATE: New pricing has gone into effect and as expected, British Airways Avios redemption rates have risen about 10%, with the cash portion of the redemption rising negligibly to up to 25%. This time, economy class awards were hit hardest. Let’s take a look.
Key takeaways:
- Avios redemption pricing for economy, premium economy, and business class is up 10% on British Airways and partner flights (first class pricing is more variable and difficult to track)
- There appear to be some exceptions, with flights between London and Eastern Europe destinations rising more than 10%
- The “fewer Avios, more cash” option is no longer the sweet-spot that it was: it will probably make sense for most to burn more Avios for future redemptions
- The cash portion of tickets has not risen in a uniform way when comparing Avios + cash options: the increase ranges from 13% to 23% depending on the combination of Avios + GBP/USD redeemed
Here are two examples. First, a British Airways shorthaul flight from London (LHR) to Frankfurt (FRA), using the “Reward Flight Saver” pricing:
| Cabin | Old price | New price | Avios rise | Cash rise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy off-peak | 9,250 + £0.5 | 10,000 + £1 | 8.1% | 100% |
| Economy peak | 9,750 + £0.5 | 10,750 + £1 | 10% | 100% |
| Business off-peak | 15,000 + £12.5 | 16,500 + £15 | 10% | 20% |
| Business peak | 16,250 + £12.5 | 18,000 + £15 | 10.1% | 20% |
Second, a British Airways longhaul flight from London (LHR) to New York (JFK):
| Cabin | Old price | New price | Avios rise | Cash rise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy off-peak | 25,000 + £50 | 27,500 + £60 | 10% | 20% |
| Economy peak | 30,000 + £50 | 33,000 + £60 | 10% | 20% |
| Premium economy off-peak | 42,500 + £152.5 | 46,750 + £175 | 10% | 14.8% |
| Premium economy peak | 60,000 + £152.5 | 66,000 + £175 | 10% | 14.8% |
| Business off-peak | 80,000 + £187.5 | 88,000 + £199.5 | 10% | 6.4% |
| Business peak | 90,000 + £187.5 | 99,000 + £199.5 | 10% | 6.4% |
Remember, you can choose to use fewer Avios and more GBP/USD. The examples above are using the most Avios and least cash.
As you can see above, the out-of-pocket expenses for economy class have risen more than for premium economy class, which have risen more than for business class (it appears cash pricing is rising between £10 and £12.50, regardless of chain, which disproportionately impacts economy class).
Return to the London – Frankfurt example above. As you can see, while the Avios pricing has risen 10-12% regardless of how you mix cash and points, the increase in cash rate varies dramatically based on what combination you choose:
| Old pricing | New pricing | Avios rise | Cash rise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15,000 + £12.50 | 16,500 + £15 | 10% | 20% |
| 14,250 + £16.50 | 15,750 + £19.97 | 10.1% | 21% |
| 11,750 + £24.50 | 13,000 + £30.05 | 10.1% | 22.7% |
| 8,500 + £37 | 9,400 + £41.78 | 10.1% | 13% |
| 6,500 + £54.50 | 7,250 + £67.23 | 11.5% | 23% |
| 5,250 + £74.50 | 5,900 + £84.56 | 12.4% | 13.5% |
Again, it appears like you’ll find better value in redeeming more Avios and less cash going forward (which is a good way for British Airways to reduce some Avios liability on its books).
All in all, this is not a horrible devaluation and I give British Airways credit for giving us some advance warning before prices rose.
The latest tweak to the British Airways Club program will make reward flights more expensive starting on December 15, 2025. Avios pricing is going up on both BA and partner airlines, and cash surcharges are rising as well. But ironically, British Airways has given us reason to celebrate this bad news…
British Airways Raises Avios Flight Reward Prices Yet Again
British Airways has notified loyalty members that the cost of redeeming Avios will increase next week. The changes apply across all cabins and include BA-operated flights and partner redemptions. While the exact increases vary depending on distance and routing, you can expect to pay more Avios for the same seats you have been booking this year.
Fees are also going up. British Airways cites rising taxes and fuel costs as contributing factors, but the end result is familiar: “free” flights that trigger sticker shock once you reach the payment screen. British Airways says:
We wanted to let you know that from December 15, 2025, the price of Reward Flights will increase. This will affect both the Avios and cash elements of the fare.
We’ve kept our Reward Flight prices at the same level for some time, but we’re having to make these changes as a result of increasing Air Passenger Duty and third-party charges, as well as changing market conditions and ongoing inflation.
We want to reassure you that any Reward Flights booked prior to the price change will remain at the current price.
And has provided these examples:
If these represent what will happen across the system, we generally see a 10% devaluation, which (all things considered) could be much worse…
BA Did Two Things Right
I’m certainly not going to celebrate this devaluation of a program that was already uncompetitive.
But, BA is at least giving some notice. If you have been planning an Avios redemption on BA or partners like American Airlines or Alaska Airlines (generally a bad redemption anyway), now is the time to book. Anything ticketed before December 15 will still price under the current award chart.
Second, at least British Airways is not following in the vein of Lufthansa, which gaslighted its Miles & More loyalty members in a devaluation earlier this year by calling what was clearly bad an “enhancement” driven by “member feedback.” Um, no.
Award pricing does evolve over time, but BA seems to revisit this more often than some competitors. You can still find value with Avios, especially on short haul flights or Iberia redemptions, but those wins are harder to come by with each adjustment.
CONCLUSION
British Airways is raising both the Avios required for award tickets and the cash surcharges attached to them. Yes, it will take more miles to reach the same places and you will still pay more out of pocket when you get there. If you have a redemption in mind, make it now…you have until December 15th.
Ah, yes, the less-for-more era of corporate pseudo-currency scams. (Some would say, always has been.)
@Matthew – I’ll have you know that “Enhancement” is a widely recognized euphemism in the points and miles bailiwick for getting Bonvoyed, usually in an epic fashion. This is normal corporate shill terminology. Keep up with the times, dude.
That’s what I meant by using that term…
And they say satire is dead… The perils of having a dry sense of humor I suppose.
Matt (Gary, Ben, etc.) are still less shilly than those tools over at TPG who couldn’t handle comments on their site.
TPG has become a pathetic huckster site. You’re right that shutting off comments was the last shred of integrity removed. Now I won’t read a blog that won’t allow questions or comments since I view blogs as a form of communication rather than just editorials issued from on high.
Well said, Christian. I enjoy reading your comments.
People were also calling out how TPG were legitimatey dinging service on airlines for minor issues, but were still being used as a “point” in the negative column. I remember one review where the reviewer criticized business class FA on EVA for pouring their beer into their glass with the glass not being tilted…the horror!
I always wait to see how these types of changes turn out in practice, particularly when taking off-peak and upgrade availability into account. BA does seem to have good off-peak availability. Given the high charges to fly into the UK, buying PE (WTP) and then upgrading to CW for miles can also be a competitive price to get to LHR, and BA seems to have more upgrade space available than most other airlines these days. I also consider how getting BA mileage tickets through AA compares, and then there is Virgin Atlantic to consider (my personal favorite, though I admit the lie-flat is not as good), often very cheap for miles. For all the devaluations by all the airlines, it still usually seems there are some good options if you have lots of transferable CC miles.
Seems to have been a recent string of devaluation stories like this. Starting to feel like points and miles is becoming a sucker’s game. Genuine question – what do you think Matthew?
Obviously I’m not Matthew but I think I have a solid response: There’s a whole lot of YMMV but I’ve found that – like a relationship – the more you put in the more you tend to get. I spend wayyy too much time on miles and points but as a result I get to have much more frequent and nicer travels than I could realistically afford if I had to pay cash.
As an alternative to miles and points you could look into cash back cards. Many of them have some pretty spectacular deals for signup bonuses and initial periods of up to a year.
I’m with you in that I’d be quite interested in Matthew’s take as well though. Just because I think I have an informed opinion doesn’t mean that other people’s opinions mean less.
Exactly. There’s still value to be had. Just have to set the right expectations.
@All Due Respect – yes, another Turkish devaluation that I will cover later today.
I’ll address the overall trend in a future post.
And when you do, I’ll be sure to bring up Mayor Adams, Turkish inflation, Erdogan’s authoritarian takeover, and their government’s denial of the Armenian and Greek genocides it committed in the 1910s and 1920s…
IMHO it is simply a basic function of supply/demand economics. You simply can’t have huge sign up bonuses, bonus categories, discounts on transfers from Amex, Chase, etc to airlines and not expect the miles per award to go up, especially in an environment of high travel demand where the seat can usually be sold.
Just shows you shouldn’t be “loyal” to any program (and I’m lifetime AA, DL and UA) and you shouldn’t horde miles (or points in case of hotels) saving up for a big trip. Also, and I know I’m in the minority, I don’t consider it a “devaluation” if the value per mile effectively stays the same. Yes it now costs more miles but if it was 20,000 miles for a $300 ticket and now 30,000 miles for a ticket that costs $450 it is still valuing a mile at 1.5 cent. Prices will never go down and the “good old days” ain’t coming back to adjust, adapt and use the miles/points when you can.
Hi @1990 – see another blog you post on
Hey @Retired Gambler! Good to see you, too.
Yeah, I wasn’t always on here, but, Matt and Kyle have good stuff, too. I also visit Ben’s site as well. They tend to recycle some of the same stuff, usually with a slight delay. There’s a few regulars on each of them. Some seem to like CrankyFlier too.
Oh, and 100% on loyalty being dead, not hoarding points, and the ‘good ole days’ being gone, unless you consider today is the ‘good ole day’ of tomorrow.
Based on 5-8 years of comparing BA & AA premium cabin prices JFK to/from LHR and looking at dummy bookings just now, the British Airways prices above are highly misleading and likely completely inaccurate. The UK APD alone on a LHR-JFK biz or 1st ticket is almost $300, and BA’s “carrier added fees” (surcharge, fuel surcharge) is also several hundreds of dollars.
Maybe those prices reflect BA’s price list WITHOUT APD and carrier added fees?