British Airways Increases Award Rates on Both American Airlines and Alaska Airlines

Updated: July 17, 2024, 10:21am CDT

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A Favorite Way to Book Domestic Flights Becomes More Expensive
How to Earn British Airways Avios
Final Thoughts

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Some award devaluations hit harder than others, and this one will impact many domestic travelers.

7,500 Avios on shorter hops, 13,000 Avios to Hawaii, the list goes on.

If any of this sounds familiar, leveraging British Airways’ partner award rates has been one of our favorite ways to book domestic airline tickets on American and Alaska. However, many of these favored rates have increased — anywhere from 8% to 32% — as first reported by AwardWallet.

Here’s what you need to know about the latest mileage devaluation.

A Favorite Way to Book Domestic Flights Becomes More Expensive

Sometimes, you need to use your hard-earned miles for a domestic economy ticket — and that’s where having a stash of British Airways Avios has been a lifesaver.

Thanks to the program’s distance-based award pricing, award travelers can book flights across 4 distance zones. Take a look at the old vs. new rates here:

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Flight Distance	Economy Old	Economy New	Business Old	Business New
Up to 650 miles	7,500	8,250	12,500	16,500
651 to 1,150 miles	9,000	11,000	16,500	20,500
1,151 to 2,000 miles	11,000	14,500	22,000	29,000
2,001 to 3,000 miles	13,000	16,000	38,750	42,000

Coincidentally, I had just booked a flight from Phoenix (PHX) to Raleigh-Durham (RDU) on American Airlines just a day before these changes were first noticed on December 12.

Avios Booking — Image Credit: British Airways

Now, this same flight costs 14,500 Avios — just booked a couple of days later.

PHX RDU Avios — Image Credit: British Airways

The award rates are noticeably higher for longer distances flown on partner airlines, American and Alaska. While short-haul flights still present a good value, this no-notice devaluation proves that you never really know when airlines will jack up the award prices.

Therefore, it’s always good to live by an earn-and-burn philosophy.

How to Earn British Airways Avios

Fortunately, it’s easy to earn British Airways Avios through a number of transferable point programs.

There are 5 major currencies (Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Marriott Bonvoy) that partner with the loyalty program.

Hot Tip:

Many of these point currencies offer transfer bonuses, and taking advantage of any of these can help take the sting out of this latest devaluation. Bookmark our guide to the current transfer bonuses, so you never miss out on maximizing your points and miles again.

Final Thoughts

The devaluation could certainly be worse, but it is nonetheless a significant blow to travelers who were a fan of redeeming Avios for domestic itineraries. Large families who had taken advantage of booking these tickets for multiple passengers will especially feel the burn, as it will take significantly more miles to nab those partner award tickets.