How do I upgrade my British Airways flight with Avios?

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Today I want to give you an overview of how you can upgrade your British Airways flight using Avios points.

If you are flying British Airways, you may be able to upgrade your flight at any point before departure, including at the check-in desk and even in the departure lounge (so long as there is availability) for cash.

In this article we’ll take a look at how and when you can upgrade to a higher cabin with Avios, which has different rules.

The rules for upgrading BA flights with Avios varies from those with cash. Whilst you can upgrade with cash almost up until boarding – British Airways has been trialling in-app upgrades from the departure lounge – Avios upgrades are subject to availability and must be completed before check in.

Upgrades with Avios can only be done before check-in via Manage My Booking or phoning British Airways customer service.

Here are some key rules:

You can only upgrade to the next cabin up – it is not possible to jump from Premium Economy to First, for example

If you are travelling in economy, you must be on a flexible or “low” fare ticket to upgrade – “lowest” economy fares are barred from upgrading. You can read more about the British Airways fare classes here to check your status. However, if you bought a non-refundable British Airways economy ticket you should assume that it CANNOT be upgraded.

(In any event, economy tickets can only be upgraded to World Traveller Plus premium economy. This is a very small cabin and few redemption seats are made available.)

Any World Traveller Plus or Club World ticket, even if bought in a sale, is eligible to be upgraded with Avios

Extra taxes and charges may be required on top of the Avios needed

To be eligible for an Avios upgrade there must be reward availability in the selected cabin. British Airways guarantees to make four economy seats and two business seats open for Avios redemptions on every flight, but depending on the route you can often find additional availability. Search on ba.com for a ‘full’ Avios redemption in the higher cabin to ensure it can be done before you start wasting time trying to upgrade.

The cost of the upgrade is the difference between a standard Avios redemption in the two classes. A one-way peak Club World ticket to Dubai is 60,000 Avios for example, whilst World Traveller Plus is 40,000 Avios. It would therefore cost 20,000 Avios to upgrade the ticket.

Do note, however, that you will not earn Avios and tier points at the upgraded rate. As this is an Avios upgrade, you will only earn Avios and tier points in line with the cash portion of the booking. If you bought a World Traveller Plus ticket and upgrade it to Club World, you only earn World Traveller Plus Avios and tier points back. You can read more about earning Avios and tier points on upgrades here.

(This article is part of our ‘BA Q&A’ series which explains how British Airways Executive Club works. You can see all of our ‘BA Q&A’ articles here. )

(Head for Points is the UK’s biggest frequent flyer website with 1.8 million monthly page views. Want to learn more about earning and spending Avios? Click here to read our latest news stories, click here to join our email list and click here to read our ‘Avios Redemption University’ series.)

How to get 20,000 Avios from Amex Gold or 30,000 Avios from Amex Platinum (December 2021 offer)

The sign-up bonus on American Express Preferred Rewards Gold converts to 20,000 Avios and the card is free for the first year. You can apply here.

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

You don’t qualify for the Amex Gold bonus if you have a British Airways American Express card. You DO qualify for the bonus on The Platinum Card, which converts into 30,000 Avios. You can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

If you have your own small business, the best way of earning Avios is via the Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa. It has a sign-up bonus which converts to 10,000 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 look at the British Airways Accelerating Business card, because it currently has a limited time offer of 60,000 Avios when you sign up by 14th November. You can apply here.