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On December 15, 2025, British Airways devalued its award chart yet again. Although there was some notice of the coming change, it doesn't make this devaluation any less frustrating. These changes apply to all British Airways-operated flights to all destinations.
Now that the changes are live, here's what you need to know about this British Airways Avios price increase.
All British Airways Award Redemptions Increasing in Price
As of December 15, 2025, it's now more expensive to make an award redemption on British Airways or one of its many partner airlines. This change impacts both the number of Avios required for a redemption and the taxes and fees you'll pay. British Airways already charges some hefty taxes and fees on select redemptions, so this is disappointing news, to say the least.
Prior to the change, this is what British Airways announced as examples for what the changes would look like:
| Route | Price today | Price from 15 December 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| London to Geneva, off-peak each-way, Economy | 9,250 + 50p | 10,000 + £1 |
| London to Geneva, off-peak each-way, Business | 15,000 + £12.50 | 16,500 + £15 |
| London to New York, off-peak return, Economy | 50,000 + £100 | 55,000 + £120 |
| London to New York, off-peak return, Premium Economy | 85,000 + £305 | 93,500 + £350 |
| London to New York, off-peak return, Business | 160,000 + £375 | 176,000 + £399 |
| London to New York, off-peak return, First | 136,000 + taxes, fees and charges | 150,000 + taxes, fees and charges |
As you can see, the changes range from mild to painful. A short-haul, one-way economy award is only increasing by 750 Avios. This London (LHR) to Zurich (ZRH) fits the bill, coming in at 10,000 Avios plus $2 in taxes and fees.
Meanwhile, a long-haul return business class ticket is increasing by 16,000 Avios round-trip. Overall, it could be much worse. This London to New York (JFK) one-way business-class flight is now 88,000 Avios and a not-insignificant $410 in taxes and fees.
Note this is for off-peak dates. You can view British Airways' peak dates through 2026 here.
The further the distance, the more lackluster prices look. This London to Singapore non-stop business-class flight comes in at 121,000 Avios and $660 in fees. This is up from 110,000 Avios before the change and the fees are higher as well.
Partner awards are not immune either. For example, flying partner American Airlines under 650 miles used to be 12,000 Avios. That has now increased to 13,500 Avios, as evidenced by this Cleveland (CLE) to Charlotte (CLT) route.
Although British Airways doesn't have a published award chart, its prices are distance-based. So the longer the flight, the higher the cost. What we are seeing is about a 10% increase across the board on both the award cost as well as the taxes and fees cost.
What About Existing Bookings?
British Airways posted an FAQ section along with the announcement, and the first question is what's on all of our minds: “Why have the prices increased?”
Here's what the airline has to say:
“We’ve kept our Reward Flight prices at the same level for some time, but we’re having to make these changes as a result of increasing Air Passenger Duty and third-party charges, as well as changing market conditions and ongoing inflation”
This reasoning checks out, even if it isn't what a frequent traveler wants to hear. Luckily, if you make a change to an existing flight on or after December 15, 2025, you won't need to pay the difference for the new fare if you're only changing the date or time. However, if you wish to change your cabin, destination, or seasonality (off-peak to a peak date), then you will need to pay the difference between the original amount and the new higher amount.
Related: How to Transfer Avios Between Accounts
Bottom Line
Unfortunately, you will now need more Avios to book British Airways as well as partner flights. Now that the updates are live, it seems that the increase is manageable. In our opinion, there's still plenty of value to be found in Avios, even if tickets are a bit more expensive.
If you need to top off your British Airways Club account, you have no lack of options to do so:
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