What is the best value Avios points redemption per minute of flying time?

I often get emails from readers asking what the ‘best value’ Avios redemption is.  The honest answer, of course, is ‘one that takes you somewhere that you really want to go’.

There is a more scientific way of looking at this question.  The question is: “What is the cheapest route per minute of flying time for Club World Avios redemptions?‘.

With the help of a HfP reader who did some of the groundwork, we have put together this list of the flying time of British Airways long-haul routes compared with the Avios required for a Club World off-peak redemption.

The results were a little surprising, with the winners being the mid-haul routes.

Cape Town is known to be a great deal because it should, technically, be in a higher pricing zone than it is based on distance.  The San Jose (Costa Rica) route is up there too.  Similarly, Las Vegas and other US West Coast cities are pushing the boundaries of their zones and so offer good value.

The ‘best value’ winner is Moscow.  This is not surprising as it is operated – on some flights – by long-haul aircraft but is priced off the short-haul list.  It is Reward Flight Saver as well!

(This article in our ‘Avios Redemption University’ series looks at how Avios Reward Flight Saver works on short-haul British Airways flights.)

Note that some of the ‘best value’ routes are only on the list because the flight has a stopover.  In theory you should discount the time spent on the ground, especially as you usually need to get off the plane.

The ‘worst value’ routes also came as a bit of a shock.  I would have gone for Boston, given that it is the nearest US East Coast city to London, but there are actually plenty of long-haul routes which are even worse, mainly to the Middle East.

Flight times are based on flights FROM London.  This overstates the average North American flying time, due to the quicker return trip, and vice versa.  Some flights are also slower than others due to the aircraft type or to fit in with airport opening times – I used the first BA flight of the day in all cases.

Take a look and see what you think. This chart shows you the Avios you need to redeem to get 1 minute each-way of Club World flying time.

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.)