British Airways starts to cut long-haul fuel surcharges on Avios redemptions

Yes, it’s true.  But only by a bit.  It’s a start, though.

I reported two weeks ago about how British Airways has scrapped ALL fuel surcharges on short-haul redemptions.  This means that some European redemptions are now cheaper booked as 2 x one-way flights rather a return, due to the way that Reward Flight Saver taxes are calculated.  (See this article for a fuller explanation.)

British Airways has now made a modest move on long-haul fuel surcharges, or ‘carrier imposed surcharges’ as they now like to call them following a lawsuit in the US.

On Monday night, the fuel surcharge on a long-haul economy flight was cut from £229 to £209.  It had already been reduced by £10 in December but no-one noticed!  It was £239 before Christmas.

The fuel surcharge on a long-haul premium class flight was reduced from £359 to £329.

Whilst these savings bear no relation to the 50% fall in the oil price in recent weeks, they still represent a £120 saving for a family of four.

I took a look at a one-way First Class redemption I have booked to Toronto in August.  The taxes and charges overall are £17.90 lower than when I booked.

Both Emirates and Qatar Airways have also made announcement recently about cutting their surcharges although no hard numbers have appeared yet.  A cut by Qatar Airways would be significant as it would directly impact the charges payable on Avios redemptions – if they drop far enough, it may become more cost effective to fly Qatar rather than BA, even if you had a 2-4-1 voucher.  I will be keeping an eye on this.

PS.  BA has been adding fuel surcharges since 2004, unbelievably.  I know that income tax was originally introduced as a ‘temporary’ tax back in 1842 but still …..

PPS.  The fuel surcharges on a full BA A380 were £132,011 return using the old numbers

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.)