Are fuel surcharges coming to US Airways redemptions with Avios?
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US Airways joined British Airways in the oneworld alliance on 31st March, and since that date you have been able to redeem your Avios points for flights on US.
I wrote a long article here about how to redeem on US Airways and save up to £500 per person in tax.
In summary, here are their UK and Ireland routes and the tax required. These are for return business class seats:
Dublin to Philadelphia – £28 (says £49 then reprices)
London to Charlotte – £194 (say £215 then reprices)
London to Philadelphia – struggled to find but imagine as above
Manchester to Charlotte – £165 (says £186 then reprices)
Manchester to Philadelphia – £165 (says £186 then reprices)
Edinburgh to Philadelphia – £162 (says £185 then reprices)
Glasgow to Philadelphia – £161 (says £170 then reprices)
US also flies Dublin to Charlotte and Shannon to Philadelphia over the Summer.
As you can see from the list above, ba.com initially shows a slightly higher taxes figure on the page where you select your flights. Once you click through to the payment page, it drops by £10-£20.
This differential has now got FAR more drastic.
When you select a US Airways flight on ba.com, the initial page now adds fuel surcharges. Take a look at this example for Edinburgh to Philadelphia. It used to show £185 but now shows £504:
However, when you click through to the payment page, it reverts to the original ‘no surcharges’ price of £162.
I don’t know what this means. In theory, BA should be adding surcharges to US Airways tickets because it is part of the transatlantic joint venture between AA, BA, Finnair and US. So far it has not done so.
The fact the fuel surcharges now show up on the initial flight selection page is a little worrying though. If you were planning on booking a US Airways redemption I would do it sooner rather than later, just in case. It could save you £500 or more in tax for a couple …..
How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2021)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios:
Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa
The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review
You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus:
British Airways Accelerating Business American Express
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
(Want to earn more Avios? Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)
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