Uh oh: British Airways increases short-haul Avios redemption prices with no notice

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British Airways has quietly increased the cost of short-haul Avios redemptions.

The increase is 750 Avios each way, so 1,500 Avios for a return flight.

The price increase seem to have taken effect immediately. Earlier this afternoon it was only on flights for 2022 but now appears to include 2021 services.

Here is the old Avios redemption chart:

This is what has changed. This is one-way pricing so you need to double these numbers for a return flight.

Zone 1 (eg Amsterdam)

Off-peak Economy – was 4000 Avios, now 4750 Avios
Peak Economy – was 4500 Avios, now 5250 Avios
Off-peak Business – was 7750 Avios, now 8500 Avios
Peak Business – was 9000 Avios, now 9750 Avios

Here is an example for 1st January 2022 for a peak day Business Class return flight to Berlin. However, during this evening, the changes have extended to cover 2021 too. Look at the number next to the ‘£50 taxes’ option (click to enlarge):

Zone 2 (eg Barcelona)

Off-peak Economy – was 6500 Avios, now 7250 Avios
Peak Economy – was 7500 Avios, now 8250 Avios
Off-peak Business – was 12750 Avios, now 13500 Avios
Peak Business – was 15000 Avios, now 15750 Avios

Zone 3 (eg Corfu)

Off-peak Economy – was 8500 Avios, now 9250 Avios
Peak Economy – was 10000 Avios, now 10750 Avios
Off-peak Business – was 17000 Avios, now 17750 Avios
Peak Business – was 20000 Avios, now 20750 Avios

Nothing has changed for Zone 4 and above, which are primarily long-haul routes.

The pricing above is ‘base’ pricing, ie the level at which you pay £17.50 in Reward Flight Saver fees in Economy or £25 in Business.

These are also the Avios figures you will be quoted if you use a British Airways American Express 2-4-1 voucher.

For non-241 bookings you will also be offered a range of other prices, some needing more Avios (and less cash) and some needing fewer Avios (and more cash).

British Airways does not actually publish an Avios redemption chart any longer. The chart above is one we compiled ourselves. The ‘Reward Flight Calculator’ tool on ba.com has also been broken for some time …..

Changing a flight?

If you voluntarily change a short-haul Avios flight, you will be required to pay extra Avios.

If British Airways cancels your flight, you should not have to pay any additional points.

Conclusion

At a time when cash prices are likely to be very weak, especially this Winter, it is hard to understand the rationale behind ramping up Avios prices.

Making Avios worth less when used for flights is also an odd move now that the Avios / Nectar partnership is here. It simply makes it more attractive to cash out your Avios for 0.8p in Sainsbury’s or Argos credit by transferring them to Nectar.

How to earn Avios points from UK credit cards

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 BA Amex American Express card

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 BA Premium Plus American Express Amex credit card

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.)

Category

British Airways and Avios

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Nick says:

16 Mar16 March 19:58

It saddens me that they’re so sneaky about it, just dropping it in and hoping people don’t notice. It’s a devaluation pure and simple. I’m not saying shout from the rooftops, but at least let it be known with a formal announcement – and ideally have a short notice period before it takes effect. That’s the decent thing to do. This just takes loyal customers for fools.
- David Cliff says:
  
  16 Mar16 March 23:01
  
  Well said
CarefreeBA says:

16 Mar16 March 19:58

In fairness, the 4,500 amount has been here for as long as I’ve been around BAEC (minimum 8 years). Given the introduction of off peak pricing a few years ago, I’m not surprised of this change, and seems reasonable.
- Peter K says:
  
  16 Mar16 March 20:06
  
  I’m sure it wasn’t off peak they introduced but rather peak, to make things more expensive at certain times. IIRC.
  - J says:
    
    17 Mar17 March 01:14
    
    I think flights were 4,500 and they introduced the off peak option. Could be wrong though, I used to book the 2,250 + £40 and remember thinking that was half the avios.
  - JAXBA says:
    
    17 Mar17 March 03:41
    
    Peak was the standard price. Here’s BA’s 2015 announcement of peak/off-peak on Flyertalk: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1650090-executive-club-changes.html
Chrisasaurus says:

16 Mar16 March 19:59

Well, if Nectar conversion wasn’t already tempting enough for anyone with balances they can see a way to spend in the short term – before the next devaluation..
The real John says:

16 Mar16 March 20:04

Using 0.8p, zone 1 off-peak is now £55.50 and peak is £59.50 (less on inbound to the UK if the actual taxes and fees are lower than £17.50) which is not too bad.

CE is £93 or £103, but you forego earning avios and TPs, so for me not likely to be worth it.

Zone 3 CE £167 / £191 are prices that I would not pay except in an emergency, and tbh even the economy prices are on the high side unless you are restricted by dates.

Majority of my redemptions have always been Z1 and I used 0.6p before, meaning it’s 34% inflation for me, however I suppose it is still cheap in absolute terms.
AndyGWP says:

16 Mar16 March 20:32

Long haul to swiftly follow??
- Grammar grub says:
  
  17 Mar17 March 07:38
  
  Long haul to follow swiftly
- mike says:
  
  17 Mar17 March 12:12
  
  To swiftly follow – long haul
  - Grammar grub says:
    
    17 Mar17 March 12:38
    
    To follow swiftly – long haul
    - Dubious says:
      
      18 Mar18 March 13:50
      
      To follow swiftly – long haul?
Tyler Durden says:

16 Mar16 March 20:54

yay my numerous unused 2for1 vouchers have suddenly increased in value…
- Journeying John says:
  
  19 Mar19 March 18:08
  
  …Until you see the “fare difference” and other charges BA impose!
Colin MacKinnon says:

16 Mar16 March 21:08

Just as well there’s EasyJet and Ryanair! We have a choice!
- Journeying John says:
  
  19 Mar19 March 18:11
  
  Yeap & with BA’s densified cabins, failed catering and inability to maintain / clean their cabins effectively not to mention the IT, absence of customer service and hostile policies (see unrequested vouchers) not only are those two cheaper but they’re a better experience too… Eg. RyanAir pitch is in reality LARGER than on BA’s revised airbuses
J says:

16 Mar16 March 21:35

Assuming fees stay the same and this pricing stick around for a few years it seems a very reasonable increase. I always fear the day RFS is dropped completely, so any small move is reassuring.
- kitten says:
  
  16 Mar16 March 21:43
  
  Don’t be fooled.
  It’s salami-slicing.
  There are many slices on a salami.
  - J says:
    
    17 Mar17 March 01:33
    
    I’d been assuming that for most of the last decade, and only now has a little slice been cut off!
- Anna says:
  
  17 Mar17 March 06:56
  
  I don’t get why people think avios price increases are just “inflation”. The amount you have to spend to get them is affected by inflation, so increasing avios prices is effectively a double whammy from what I can see.
  - Jonathan says:
    
    17 Mar17 March 07:20
    
    Inflation actually works in your favour if the Avios tariff increases.
    
    You pay £1 for a loaf of bread & get 1.5 Avios. In 10 years time the loaf of bread costs £1.50 which nets you 2.25 Avios. Assuming wages etc. keep up with price inflation you’re getting more Avios for the same real terms cost.
  - Rob says:
    
    17 Mar17 March 09:31
    
    Technically correct BUT short-haul flights have been in massive deflation for years. When I started HfP, a Club Europe sale fare under £250 return (over £300 with inflation) was something to go crazy about. We now see Club Europe under £150 in sales, I think the cheapest return flight we’ve covered recently was £114.
    
    Similarly, you never, ever saw an economy ticket under £59 one-way and now they are £25 at times. If anything you should be seeing the Avios requirement going down.