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British Airways First Class can be a fantastic way to cross the Atlantic using points and miles. Between the premium onboard experience, exclusive ground services at London Heathrow, and all-new First Suites coming to the Airbus A380, there's plenty to love.
But there's one big catch: Booking British Airways First Class with certain airline
For example, we found First Class awards from Washington, D.C. (IAD) to London (LHR) requiring more than $1,600 in taxes and fees when booked with British Airways Avios. Yet other airline programs let you book BA First on the same route for a fraction of that out-of-pocket cost — sometimes even with fewer miles.
So, which airline miles should you use to book British Airways First Class? We compared actual award availability and pricing across several loyalty programs to find the best options. Here's what we found.
Which British Airways Aircraft Have a First Class Cabin?
First Class seats are available on the following British Airways aircraft:
- Airbus A380 (configured with 14 First Suites)
- Boeing 777-300ER
- A portion of the airline's Boeing 777-200ER
- Boeing 787 Dreamliners (all configured with 8 First Suites).
Amenities include everything from Johnnie Walker Blue Label luxury Scotch whisky to First Wing access at London Heathrow Terminal 5. The new A380 First Class will feature a new dining experience, luxury amenity kits, sleepwear, and more.
However, if you want to use your British Airways Avios to book First Class, you'll be shocked by the taxes and fees. British Airways charges 75,000 Avios for a one-way off-peak First Class ticket between Washington, D.C. and London, which is pretty reasonable, but you'll pay $1,683.50 in taxes and fees.
That's entirely unreasonable, so we've rounded up a few partner redemptions that won't require quite as much out of pocket.
Best Ways To Book British Airways First Class
American Airlines
It'll cost you just 85,000 American Airlines miles to book BA First from Washington, D.C., to London, although be prepared to pay more than $1,500 (!) in carrier-imposed taxes and surcharges. Not quite as bad as British Airways, but still not great.
However, booking through AAdvantage means no cancellation fees, so the added flexibility makes sense if this is an aspirational redemption for you.
To earn American Airlines miles, you're somewhat limited. You can transfer
$95Rates & Fees
- 10X on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets
- 3X – Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations
- 1X – Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases
$595Rates & Fees
- 12X – Earn 12 Points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel booked on cititravel.com.
- 6X – Earn 6 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants including Restaurant Delivery Services on CitiNights℠ purchases, every Friday and Saturday from 6 PM to 6 AM ET. Earn 3 Points per $1 spent any other time.
- 1.5X – Earn 1.5 Points per $1 spent on All Other Purchases.
$695
- Earn 12X miles for every $1 spent on eligible hotels booked at aa.com/hotels and eligible rental cars booked through aa.com/cars
- Earn 4X miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases (increased to 5X miles through the end of the calendar year after you pass $150,000 in purchases annually)
- Earn 1X mile for every $1 spent on all other purchases
Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards
You can book the same route in BA First for 82,500 Alaska Atmos Rewards points. The taxes and fees here are more palatable, although still high at slightly more than $1,000. One benefit of booking with Atmos, however, is the status miles you'll earn, which could matter if you're chasing Alaska elite status.
To earn Atmos Rewards points, once again, you're somewhat limited. You can transfer Bilt Points to Atmos Rewards, or earn through one of Alaska's co-branded
$495Rates & Fees
- Earn up to 1.25X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee.
- 2X points on everyday spend
$95
- Earn unlimited 3 points for every $1 spent on eligible Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines purchases
- Earn unlimited 2 points for every $1 spent on eligible gas, EV charging stations, cable, streaming services and local transit (including ride share) purchases
- Earn unlimited 1 point for every $1 spent on all other eligible purchases
$395
- 3X points on eligible dining, foreign transactions, Alaska Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines purchases
- 1X point on all other purchases
- 10% points bonus with an eligible Bank of America® account
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
Arguably the best way to book BA First is through Japan Airlines'
Plus, you have several options to earn JAL miles, but Citi, Rove, and Bilt will offer the best transfer ratios:
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Cathay Pacific is another Asian airline with low taxes and fees for BA First. Asia Miles, the loyalty program for the Hong Kong-based carrier, has BA First available for 100,000 miles, with taxes and fees under $250. This is quite a bit more than some of the other programs, but you might prefer the lower taxes and fees in exchange for the higher mileage cost.
While
That means U.S.-based travelers can build up a Cathay Pacific Asia Miles balance through any card that earns these points, like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Wells Fargo Autograph Journey® Card.
Bottom Line
British Airways First Class is an aspirational airline product that should only get better once we experience these seats on a retrofitted A380. Luckily, there are multiple options for flying in this premium cabin over to London.
What programs have you used to book British Airways First Class?
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Citi Strata Premier® Card (Rates & Fees), Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (Rates & Fees), and Bilt Palladium Card (Rates & Fees)
