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The award price you first see on British Airways' website isn't necessarily the one you should pay. And depending on the number of Avios in your account — or your appetite for fuel surcharges — that could mean paying more Avios and less cash, or vice versa.
Here's a primer on the options you'll see when booking an award flight with Avios, as well as our advice on which one you should pick.
Avios Plus Cash: Which Redemption Option Should You Pick?
On its face, booking an award flight with British Airways Avios can be … well, confusing. And as the math will show, that's probably a deliberate strategy by British Airways.
You'll see one price — say 10,000 Avios plus $2 for a flight between London City (LCY) and Berlin (BER). But that's not the only price. Nor is it the best one.
Short-haul British Airways flights
To showcase this, here's an example using the same London City-to-Berlin itinerary. A quick search for an off-peak travel day and picking the first available economy seat on a British Airways flight shows the same 10,000 Avios price plus $2.
Click on “more pricing options,” and you'll also see the following:
- 9,400 Avios + $ 12
- 8,000 Avios + $ 22
- 5,250 Avios + $ 37
- 4,150 Avios + $ 67
- 3,250 Avios + $ 82
While the sticker price may appear to be a devaluation, it's just deception. That first-shown price is actually just one of six options, and it's likely designed to get you to drain your Avios balance on one of the most poorly valued choices.
If you crunch the numbers for this $124 flight, you'll quickly see that each option yields a different value for your Avios. Clearly, some options are more valuable than others.
| Avios Cost | Taxes and Fees | Marginal Avios "bought" through redemption option | Marginal cost of These Avios | Marginal Cents per Avios | Overall Cents per Avios ($124 cash price) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | $2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1.22 |
| 9,400 | $12 | 600 | $10 | 1.67 | 1.19 |
| 8,000 | $22 | 1,400 | $10 | 0.71 | 1.28 |
| 5,250 | $37 | 2,750 | $15 | 0.54 | 1.66 |
| 4,150 | $67 | 1,100 | $30 | 2.72 | 1.37 |
| 3,250 | $82 | 900 | $15 | 1.67 | 1.29 |
On this itinerary, you're getting the most out of your Avios and stretching your dollar further by selecting the option to redeem 5,250 Avios plus $37. You're “acquiring” the most Avios for the lowest cost — effectively buying them for just 0.54 cents apiece.
Compare this option to the 4,150 Avios option below it. You're essentially buying fewer Avios at a greater cost. It's a choice you should only make if you value Avios at over 2.7 cents each. The cheaper option isn't quite as bad, but it will require you to pay more out of pocket than necessary.
Long-haul British Airways flights
This same confusing strategy doesn't just apply to short hops throughout Europe. Take a $574 nonstop from Atlanta (ATL) to London (LHR).
The first award price you'll see is 33,000 Avios plus $83.50 in taxes and fees. This redemption would net 1.49 cents per Avios. That's not bad, but it's lower than the 2.55¢ apiece that AwardWallet users typically redeem Avios for.
Or, you can redeem the following:
- 25,350 Avios + $ 190.52
- 17,900 Avios + $ 248.30
- 12,750 Avios + $ 288.39
- 9,400 Avios + $ 343.50
- 6,400 Avios + $ 374.78
Who can tell which option is best based on those numbers?! Again, this award pricing strategy seems to be a deliberate way to confuse travelers into choosing a subpar redemption in the name of “choice.”
In this case, you're actually getting the best cents-per-Avios value by booking the option with the lowest redemption and the highest cash cost.
| Avios Cost | Taxes and Fees | Marginal Avios "bought" through redemption option | Marginal cost of These Avios | Marginal Cents per Avios | Overall Cents per Avios ($574 cash price) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33,000 | $83.50 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1.49 |
| 25,350 | $190.52 | 7,650 | $107.02 | 1.40 | 1.51 |
| 17,900 | $248.30 | 7,450 | $57.78 | 0.78 | 1.82 |
| 12,750 | $288.39 | 5,150 | $40.09 | 0.80 | 2.24 |
| 9,400 | $343.50 | 3,350 | $55.11 | 1.65 | 2.45 |
| 6,400 | $374.78 | 3,000 | $31.28 | 1.04 | 3.11 |
However, the whole point of award travel is to book flights with as little out-of-pocket expense as possible. So, you'll have to find your personal balance between redeeming Avios at great rates and limiting your surcharges.
Basic rule of thumb on which option to pick
If you're not a fan of crunching the numbers, you don't have to break out the calculator each time you want to make an award booking.
While the mathematically best value often comes from the options with higher cash costs, the middle-of-the-road choices frequently strike the best balance between preserving your Avios and keeping out-of-pocket expenses reasonable.
In many cases, these options offer nearly as much value per Avios without requiring you to pay hundreds of dollars more in cash.
Related: How To Avoid Paying High Fuel Surcharges When Booking Flights With Avios
Shift The Math With a British Airways Award Fee Statement Credit
If you frequently redeem Avios for British Airways-operated flights across the Atlantic, it may be worth considering the British Airways Visa Signature® Card. In addition to earning Avios on purchases, this card also offers a statement credit to offset British Airways award taxes, fees, and carrier-imposed surcharges.
This benefit can be used up to three times per calendar year, with a maximum of $600 in statement credits annually. The amount of savings depends on which cabin you book:
- $100 back on eligible economy or premium economy award bookings
- $200 back on eligible business- or first-class award bookings
This benefit can materially change the Avios-plus-cash calculation. In the Atlanta-to-London example above, the option that requires the fewest Avios and the most cash already yields the highest cents-per-Avios value. Offseting $100 of that cash component on an economy award — or $200 on a premium-cabin award — can make the higher-cash options even more compelling.
There are important limitations. The statement credit only applies to eligible British Airways reward flights where the transatlantic segment originates in the United States and is operated by British Airways. You’ll also need to pay the taxes, fees, and carrier charges with your British Airways Visa Card. Also note that the credit applies per booking, not per passenger.
- Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- Earn 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL.
- Earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel.
- 10% off British Airways flights starting in the US when you book through the website provided in your welcome materials.
- Every calendar year you make $30,000 in purchases on your British Airways Visa card, you'll earn a Travel Together Ticket good for two years.
- Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad.
- Simply tap to pay with your contactless British Airways Visa Signature Card. Just look for the contactless symbol at checkout. It's fast, easy and secure!
- Member FDIC
- 3X Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia, and LEVEL
- 2X Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations
- 1X Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases
Final Thoughts
British Airways doesn't have a defined award chart for flights it operates. Instead, when you use British Airways Avios to book a flight, you'll note that prices fall on a wide-ranging spectrum. You'll have a variety of options, with some requiring more Avios and less cash, and vice versa.
You'll want to avoid picking the first price you see to get the most value from your points. Hidden in the options is a choice that'll make better use of your Avios, and it's a happy medium that balances Avios and cash. Taking a moment to compare all the Avios-plus-cash options can help you avoid spending more Avios — or more cash — than necessary.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: British Airways Visa Signature® Card (Rates & Fees)
