Advertiser Disclosure

Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). However, the credit card information that we publish has been written and evaluated by experts who know these products inside out. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers that are on the market. See our advertising policy here where we list advertisers that we work with, and how we make money. You can also review our credit card rating methodology.

British Airways Avios Redemptions in Premium Cabins Get a New Fee

Ryan Smith's image
Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith's image

Ryan Smith

News Managing Editor

273 Published Articles 277 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 197U.S. States Visited: 50

Ryan completed his goal of visiting every country in the world in December of 2023 and now plans to let his wife choose their destinations. Over the years, he’s written about award travel for publicat...
Edited by: Keri Stooksbury
Keri Stooksbury's image

Keri Stooksbury

Editor-in-Chief

49 Published Articles 3415 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 50U.S. States Visited: 28

With years of experience in corporate marketing and as the executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Qatar, Keri is now editor-in-chief at UP, overseeing daily content operations and r...

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

If you’re looking to redeem your Avios for flights in premium economy or business class with British Airways, you’ll now pay slightly more, thanks to a new fee.

In the grand scheme of things, the new fee isn’t much on some flights, but it’s an unfortunate change no matter how you look at it. Here’s what we’re seeing.

New Fee on British Airways Avios Redemptions

The British Airways Executive Club program offers several pricing options when booking an award flight. You can use Avios plus cash in several different combinations, which is convenient when you don’t have quite enough Avios for an award but want to offset the majority of the cost before paying for the rest with cash.

British Avios redemption options LHR MAD
Clicking on More pricing options will show Avios plus cash options. Image Credit: British Airways

You can redeem Avios for everything from economy flights to first class. The new fee we’re seeing doesn’t apply to economy bookings — just for awards in British Airways Club Europe, World Traveler Plus premium economy, and Club World business class.

If you click on More pricing options when selecting an award flight, the cash portion for each Avios plus cash price has now gone up by £12 (~$15.60).

British Airways previously introduced the Rewards Flight Saver (RFS) with capped taxes and fees to make pricing more attractive. This change makes the pricing less attractive. Now, the least amount of cash you’ll pay out of pocket on this flight between Berlin (BER) and London City (LCY) is $25.

British Airways Avios redemption BER LCY with new fees business class
A higher cash copay is now showing on many BA premium awards. Image Credit: British Airways

When considering the hefty taxes and fees you may pay on some Avios redemptions, $15.60 is relatively small in the grand scheme of things. That said, this new increase still reduces the value obtained when redeeming an award ticket.

This devaluation — which it is, even though it’s not a change in the number of Avios required for a flight — comes on the heels of another valuation. Avios redemptions on Alaska Airlines and American Airlines flights increased twice this year, and now you’ll cough up a bit more cash when redeeming Avios for British Airways flights.

Hot Tip:

There are 2 types of fees you might pay on award tickets: mandatory fees and fuel surcharges. You can’t get around the former, but booking through the right rewards program may help you avoid the latter.

Final Thoughts

There’s a new fee of £12 (roughly $15.60) on British Airways Avios redemptions in premium economy and business class. That’s unfortunate. While it might not be much when looking at the big picture, it’s still an increase in fees, and no one likes that.

Ryan Smith's image

About Ryan Smith

Ryan completed his goal of visiting every country in the world in December of 2023 and now plans to let his wife choose their destinations. Over the years, he’s written about award travel for publications including AwardWallet, The Points Guy, USA Today Blueprint, CNBC Select, Tripadvisor, and Forbes Advisor.

INSIDERS ONLY: UP PULSE

Deluxe Travel Provided by UP Pulse

Get the latest travel tips, crucial news, flight & hotel deal alerts...

Plus — expert strategies to maximize your points & miles by joining our (free) newsletter.

We respect your privacy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. Google's privacy policy  and terms of service  apply.

Deluxe Travel Provided by UP Pulse
DMCA.com Protection Status