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When most travelers consider British Airways, it's for flights to the United Kingdom or somewhere in Europe. However, the British Airways Executive Club program offers unique booking opportunities to destinations across the globe on dozens of partner airlines. This post will show you how to find and book awards with Avios, explain the British Airways award charts, and highlight the best British Airways partners.
The good news is that you've got more options than ever for booking award flights on the British Airways website. Alaska Airlines recently joined the Oneworld Alliance, adding even more options when redeeming Avios for flights within the Americas. Beyond Alaska, there is a long list of British Airways partners that you can book online — including American Airlines, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, and more.
Note: Avios is the currency used by five other airlines: Aer Lingus, Finnair, Iberia, Qatar Airways, and Vueling. You can transfer Avios between programs, and each has slightly different redemption rates. This post covers searching for and booking Avios awards through British Airways.
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How To Book a British Airways Avios Award Flight
The easiest way to search for and book an award flight using British Airways Avios is through the British Airways website. If you haven't already, you'll need to enroll in the British Airways Club program. You must be logged in to your Club account to see Avios award availability and rates.
Once you've enrolled in the Club program, follow these step-by-step instructions to search for award flight availability:
Navigate to the British Airways homepage and hover your cursor over “Book.”
Once the navigation bar loads, click on “Book a flight with Avios.”
If you haven't already, you must sign in to your British Airways Club account. A prompt will appear on-screen if you're not logged in yet.
After logging in successfully, you will be directed to a menu that requires you to fill out all the relevant search information. This includes the departure and arrival airports, the date of travel, class of service, the number of passengers, and whether or not you want to book a round-trip or one-way flight.
In this example, we're booking a one-way flight from St. Louis (STL) to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) on August 6, 2025 for one passenger in economy class on American Airlines.
The next screen displays all available awards based on your search criteria from above. Note that British Airways will display more than the selected cabin class. For example, if you search “economy,” British Airways will typically include premium economy and/or business as well. Similarly, selecting first-class space will almost always show business options as well.
If you find award availability and see an itinerary you like, simply select it to view the price quote which will appear at the bottom of the screen. Here is a sampling of flights with Avios award availability based on our search criteria:
Selecting one of the boxes on the right side of the flight result list will open a box at the bottom of the screen. This box will show the rate including any applicable taxes, fees, and carrier-imposed surcharges:
In this case, there's availability on British Airways' Oneworld partner American Airlines. The price is now 12,000 Avios, as British Airways recently devalued its award chart for American and Alaska. You'll also have to pay the $5.60 in taxes and fees. If everything looks good, scroll down and click “Continue.” On the next pages, follow the steps to enter your payment information and complete your booking.
Just like that, you have booked an Avios award ticket! Be sure to take note of your confirmation number. Occasionally, multiple confirmation numbers will be displayed when booking with a partner airline. All confirmation numbers are important for future access to your award booking. You may need partner confirmation numbers to select seats and perform other necessary tasks.
Finding British Airways and partner award availability
Awards for all British Airways Oneworld partners should be bookable on the British Airways website. Searching for award availability through the British Airways site is relatively straightforward. The main downside is the lack of a calendar view. You literally have to search each date to see the available flights.
When searching for partner award availability, keep in mind that other partners should have access to the same awards. For example, Aer Lingus also partners with United Airlines in addition to British Airways, so you can also check for Aer Lingus award space at United.com. If you find a desirable award is available through another partner that doesn't show up on the website, it might be worth calling British Airways at 800-452-1201 to see if you can book it.
If the representative tries to charge a fee for calling in, politely ask for the fee to be waived since you can't book the award online. While calling is a hassle, it sometimes pays off.
You can use a tool such as Seats.aero to look for award space. You can look for American Airlines awards via Alaska Mileage Plan and vice versa. Additionally, you can use Seats.aero to uncover Qatar Airways Qsuite awards — all of which you can book via British Airways Club.
Related: How To Avoid Paying High Fuel Surcharges When Booking Flights With Avios
British Airways Award Pricing
British Airways Club uses one of several different Avios award charts to determine the number of Avios you'll need for an award booking. However, similar to Delta SkyMiles, United MileagePlus, and several other frequent-flyer programs, the program no longer publishes an official British Airways award chart for its own flights or partner award flights.
To make things easy, we've reconstructed the Avios award charts based on the last publicly available data and recent itineraries booked by AwardWallet members.
Award chart for British Airways-operated flights
The British Airways award chart applies to itineraries operated exclusively by British Airways. If you are booking a connecting flight that features a flight operated by a partner airline, you'll need to consult the Avios partner award flight chart instead.
| Zone (Distance) | Economy (Off-Peak) | Economy (Peak) | Premium Economy (Off-Peak) | Premium Economy (Peak) | Business (Off-Peak) | Business (Peak) | First Class (Off-Peak) | First Class (Peak) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 (up to 650 miles) | 4,750 | 5,250 | Not Offered | Not Offered | 8,500 | 9,750 | Not Offered | Not Offered |
| Zone 2 (651 to 1,151 miles) | 7,250 | 8,250 | Not Offered | Not Offered | 13,500 | 15,750 | Not Offered | Not Offered |
| Zone 3 (1,152 to 2,000 miles) | 9,250 | 10,750 | Not Offered | Not Offered | 17,750 | 20,750 | Not Offered | Not Offered |
| Zone 4 (2,001 to 3,000 miles) | 10,000 | 12,500 | 20,000 | 25,000 | 31,250 | 37,500 | 42,500 | 50,000 |
| Zone 5 (3,001 to 4,000 miles) | 13,000 | 20,000 | 26,000 | 40,000 | 50,000 | 60,000 | 68,000 | 80,000 |
| Zone 6 (4,001 to 5,500 miles) | 16,250 | 25,000 | 32,500 | 50,000 | 62,500 | 75,000 | 85,000 | 100,000 |
| Zone 7 (5,501 to 6,500 miles) | 19,500 | 30,000 | 39,000 | 60,000 | 75,000 | 90,000 | 102,000 | 120,000 |
| Zone 8 (6,501 to 7,000 miles) | 22,750 | 35,000 | 45,500 | 70,000 | 87,500 | 105,000 | 119,000 | 140,000 |
| Zone 9 (7,001+ miles) | 32,500 | 50,000 | 65,000 | 100,000 | 125,000 | 150,000 | 170,000 | 200,000 |
Note that British Airways now offers a range of Avios pricing options for award flights. Some options let you drop the out-of-pocket cost to $1 while others only require a few Avios.
You can decide for yourself which is the best option. However, the best value is generally found when you select the award pricing we've listed in the above chart. In the example above, the best value is found at 4,750 Avios and $31 in taxes and fees.
Related: British Airways Avios Plus Cash: Which Redemption Option Should You Pick?
Peak vs. off-peak pricing
Depending on your travel dates, you may see either the off-peak or peak award prices for your trip. A full calendar used to be available to see which dates qualified for the lower, off-peak pricing, but British Airways no longer publishes a calendar.
Avios partner airline Aer Lingus, however, continues to publish an off-peak pricing calendar. Note that this calendar does not necessarily reflect off-peak pricing for all Avios partners like British Airways. Nevertheless, it's a good tool to have as a reference.
Here is the Aer Lingus Aer Club Avios award calendar for peak/off-peak pricing for the remainder of 2024, along with all of 2025:
To check off-peak dates for British Airways Avios award travel, you need to perform an award search. You'll see off-peak dates labeled in the date bar. The Aer Lingus calendar might give you some insight as to when off-peak dates will generally occur, but British Airways will not be an exact match.
You can see up to a month of peak vs. off-peak pricing by clicking “Find availability with British Airways on other dates” or “Show peak and off-peak periods for British Airways” above the search results.
Generally, peak dates are from early July through early September, mid-December through early January, and late March through mid-April.
Award chart for British Airways partner-operated flights
If your itinerary includes one or more flights operated by British Airways partners, the number of Avios you'll need will be based on one of the British Airways partner award charts below. Unlike the pricing for Iberia and British Airways award flights, this chart doesn't have peak or off-peak rates.
Flights within North America
British Airways Club uses specific award pricing for flights within North America. Short-haul American Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights price at these rates:
Award pricing for Cathay Pacific
In August 2021, British Airways raised award redemption rates on Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines. Thus, these awards are priced differently than prices in the chart above:
| Flight distance (miles) | Economy | Premium Economy | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-650 | 9,750 | 14,300 | 20,800 |
| 651-1,151 | 12,000 | 21,600 | 30,000 |
| 1,152-2,000 | 14,300 | 23,400 | 32,500 |
| 2,001-3,000 | 15,600 | 30,900 | 46,500 |
| 3,001-4,000 | 20,750 | 41,250 | 77,250 |
First class has become unavailable on many routes where Cathay used to operate it. Don't expect to find seats.
Award pricing on Japan Airlines
| Flight distance (miles) | Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-650 | 10,500 | N/A | 17,500 | N/A |
| 651-1,151 | 11,000 | N/A | 26,400 | N/A |
| 1,152-2,000 | 14,300 | 21,450 | 31,200 | N/A |
| 2,001-3,000 | 15,600 | 30,900 | 46,500 | 61,800 |
| 3,001-4,000 | 20,750 | 41,250 | 62,000 | 82,500 |
Award pricing for Qantas awards
| Flight distance (miles) | Economy | Premium Economy | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-650 | 6,000 | N/A | 12,500 |
| 651-1,151 | 9,000 | 16,500 | 16,500 |
| 1,152-2,000 | 11,000 | N/A | 22,000 |
| 2,001-3,000 | 13,000 | N/A | 38,750 |
| 3,001-4,000 | 20,750 | N/A | 62,000 |
Award pricing on Qatar Airways
In June 2023, British Airways revamped its award charts for Qatar Airways — resulting in a slew of hybrid distance- and region-based award charts. See the post linked above for the full breakdown.
Award pricing on LATAM
| Flight distance (miles) | Economy | Premium Economy | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-650 | 8,500 | 12,500 | N/A |
| 651-1,151 | 13,500 | N/A | 24,750 |
| 1,152-2,000 | 15,500 | 23,000 | 30,750 |
| 2,001-3,000 | 17,000 | N/A | 50,500 |
| 3,001-4,000 | 31,250 | 62,000 | 93,000 |
And there are likely several other British Airways partner award charts. But this gives you an idea of just how complicated the situation is.
How to use the British Airways award chart
British Airways calculates award pricing differently from other distance-based frequent-flyer programs. To use the British Airways award chart, you need to find the distance flown (in miles) for each individual flight segment on the itinerary. Others instead use the total distance.
Once you have determined the flight distance of your desired flight segment(s), find the corresponding zone(s) in the charts above. When building a multi-stop itinerary, note how many Avios are required for each flight. Add up the costs in Avios to get the total price. You can find more details in our guide to how many miles you need for a free flight.
Tip: Use a tool like Great Circle Mapper to determine the distance between two airports. This may not be exactly what British Airways uses, but it will get you the correct zone in 99% of cases.
Tools aside, the easiest way to determine the award price for any given itinerary is to do an award search. Alternatively, you could utilize a third-party award calculator (like this one) to at least get a ballpark figure of how many Avios you'll need.
Award chart for multi-carrier flights
Interestingly, there is also another, lesser-known award chart for British Airways: the multi-carrier reward flights chart. It kicks in when flying two or more Oneworld airlines (besides British Airways) on the same itinerary. Unlike the previous two Avios award charts, these prices are still available on the British Airways Club website — at least for now.
This award chart holds some interesting value for business-class flights on partner airlines. It has fortunately been left untouched amid other British Airways Club pricing updates. We'll see if it remains in place, or if British Airways rolls out new pricing here as well.
| Miles in Itinerary | Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First | Additional Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| up to 1,500 miles | 30,000 | 45,000 | 60,000 | 90,000 | Up to $181.85 |
| 1,501 to 4,000 miles | 35,000 | 52,500 | 70,000 | 105,000 | Up to $931.42 |
| 4,001 to 9,000 miles | 60,000 | 90,000 | 120,000 | 180,000 | Up to $1,149.45 |
| 9,001 to 10,000 miles | 70,000 | 105,000 | 140,000 | 210,000 | Up to $3,594.76 |
| 10,001 to 14,000 miles | 90,000 | 135,000 | 180,000 | 270,000 | Up to $1,296.97 |
| 14,001 to 20,000 miles | 100,000 | 150,000 | 200,000 | 300,000 | Up to $1,688.35 |
| 20,001 to 25,000 miles | 120,000 | 180,000 | 240,000 | 360,000 | Up to $899.55 |
| 25,001 to 35,000 miles | Pricing Not Available | Pricing Not Available | Pricing Not Available | Pricing Not Available | Pricing Not Available |
| 35,001 to 50,000 miles | Pricing Not Available | Pricing Not Available | Pricing Not Available | Pricing Not Available | Pricing Not Available |
The method for calculating the total price with the multi-carrier Avios award chart is different (and fortunately more straightforward) than the other two charts. To find the cost of a multi-carrier award, you just need to find the total distance for the whole itinerary and look up the price. With this chart, you don't need to find a price for each flight segment.
At the time of publication, no pricing information was available on the British Airways website for the last two distance tiers. For the last two tiers, we can estimate that an economy award would cost at least 140,000 Avios and 160,000 Avios, respectively, based on what they have been before. If this is correct, then you can calculate the price of the other cabins based on the information provided:
“The Avios amount for reward flights in premium economy will be 1.5 times the Avios amount shown; for business class it will be 2 times, and for first class it will be 3 times. Taxes, fees and carrier charges increase on a sliding scale from economy up to first class.”
How To Redeem Avios for Maximum Value
Now that you know how to search and book Avios award flights, let's go over a handful of examples of how to maximize your redemption value.
Fly to Hawaii using Avios on American Airlines or Alaska Airlines
One of our favorite sweet spots in the British Airways Club award chart is flying from the West Coast of the U.S. to Hawaii. You can get one-way economy awards to Hawaii on British Airways partners Alaska or American for as few as 16,000 Avios and just $5.60 in taxes and fees. Further away destinations, such as Phoenix, cost a little more — 20,000 Avios per way. It's still a decent award option for flights to Hawaii. But you can now find better.
Remember, now that Alaska is a member of Oneworld, you'll need to use the multi-carrier award chart if your itinerary includes segments operated by both Alaska Airlines and American Airlines.
Mexico or the Caribbean for 12,000 Avios in economy
Depending on your departure location, you can fly economy to Mexico or the Caribbean from as few as 12,000 Avios plus taxes and fees. However, the best origin for many of these awards is Miami (MIA).
Short-haul flights outside the U.S.
British Airways Avios awards are distance-based. That means you can really stretch your Avios with short-haul flights. The shortest flights (under 650 miles outside the U.S.) cost as few as 6,000 Avios. Short hops in Africa, South America, Africa, Europe, the South Pacific, and Asia on British Airways partners are all possibilities.
Just watch out for high taxes and fees on some routes. Make sure to compare the total cost with cash prices to make sure you're getting a good deal.
Boston to Dublin in Aer Lingus economy for 13,000 Avios
This route causes a lot of confusion in the award redemption world. Although Boston and Dublin are just under 3,000 miles apart, British Airways has decided to treat this route as a 3,000+ mile route, making it a Zone 5 redemption. Still, it's an excellent award sweet spot costing just:
- Off-peak one-way in economy: 13,000 Avios + taxes and fees
- Off-peak one-way in business: 50,000 Avios + taxes and fees
- Peak one-way in economy: 20,000 Avios + taxes and fees
- Peak one-way in business: 60,000 Avios + taxes and fees
Other Perks of the British Airways Club Loyalty Program
Aside from the award pricing, British Airways also offers several unique and customer-friendly features for Avios awards:
- No close-in booking fee: British Airways awards are great for last-minute flights, as it doesn't impose any close-in booking fee. While close-in booking fees have been eliminated by most airlines, both United and Delta now charge higher award rates for awards booked close to departure.
- Pool your Avios: British Airways allows members to combine and redeem Avios with friends or family easily via household accounts.
- Flexible cancellation policy: If you need to cancel your Avios award, you can do so up until 24 hours before departure for up to a $55 fee. However, there's a catch. If the taxes that you paid on the award are less than this fee, British Airways just keeps that amount. So, if the taxes and fees are just $5.60 on an award, you only have to “pay” that $5.60 to get your Avios refunded. That's a small price to pay for flexibility!
If you need to cancel within 24 hours, you aren't necessarily out of luck. You may be able to change your flight to avoid losing your Avios.
Earning British Airways Avios
British Airways Club members can earn Avios in many ways — the most obvious of which involves booking cash flights on British Airways, other airlines that utilize Avios in their frequent flyer program, or Oneworld alliance partners.
However, there are even better options for boosting your Avios balance. For instance, you can accrue points by making purchases with the British Airways Visa Signature® Card.
- 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
Currently, new cardholders can earn 75,000 bonus Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
You can also transfer Avios between other programs that utilize the Avios currency at a 1:1 ratio. For example, if you have some Avios in your Qatar Airways account, you can transfer these instantly, at no cost, and at a 1:1 ratio to your British Airways Club account. That means welcome bonuses and daily spending on the Aer Lingus Visa Signature® Card and Iberia Visa Signature® Card.
Or even better, you can transfer miles or points from other programs. You can transfer points from several major award currencies to the British Airways Club:
Bottom Line
Despite high fuel surcharges on British Airways flights and some recent devaluations, British Airways Avios still hold solid value. Given that they can be used for flights on dozens of partner airlines across the globe, you have plenty of options for using your points. My biggest gripe is the reduced value you get on American and Alaska flights within the U.S. This used to be a key use of Avios. In certain situations, it's still well worth booking Avios awards, though.
If you're looking to pick up more Avios, check out the British Airways Visa Card. Or, even better, consider applying for a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card. Both cards feature great welcome bonuses, stellar earning rates, and points that transfer 1:1 to British Airways Avios. There are numerous ways to earn Avios, and now you know how to redeem them.
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