Did you know the avios.com cancellation policy on mileage flight bookings?

One thing that keeps this job interesting is that you always learn something new about schemes you thought you understood backwards.

It is a fairly well known fact that you can cancel any BA flight booking made on ba.com, for cash or Avios, within 24 hours for a full refund.  No cancellation fees are charged, not even the standard £35 Avios cancellation charge.

However, as a reader found out last week, you do not get this protection for Avios bookings made on avios.com.  The cancellation fee kicks in immediately, even if you try to cancel 10 minutes after booking.

This is unlikely to make a massive difference to your booking strategy, but if there is an outside chance that you may need to cancel an Avios redemption within 24 hours of booking then make sure you book via ba.com and not avios.com.

(EDIT:  It seems, given the comments below, that there is some confusion on this point.  I know a reader was refused a cancellation last week for free when he tried within 24 hours.  Others are now being told it can be done if it is a BA flight.)

PS.  It is also worth a reminder of the other booking restriction at avios.com – you cannot make bookings online within 24 hours of departure.  This is not a problem over at ba.com.  It does appear to be possible via phone.

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.)