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On May 22, 2026, British Airways sent a notice to British Airways Club members that taxes and fees on award tickets will increase, effective May 27, 2026. That's a great 5-day notice, especially considering British Airways is already notorious for charging extremely high taxes and fees to begin with. Here's a look at the damage — and why this update is confusing.
British Airways To Increase Award Taxes and Fees
There's nothing like a devaluation to spice up your week. Below is a screenshot of the email that was sent to British Airways members:
Of course, when you click “Find out more,” you are taken to a page that has no mention of any upcoming changes. After some digging, we found another page that provides examples of what the damage will look like.
Starting May 27, the cash element of reward flights will increase:
- A round trip in Club World from London Heathrow to New York JFK will require 176,000 Avios + £499 (~$670)
- A round trip in World Traveler from London Heathrow to Cape Town will require 66,000 Avios + £190 (~$255)
- A one-way trip in Club Europe from London Heathrow to Rome will require 22,000 Avios + £20 (~$27)
- A one-way trip in Euro Traveler from London Heathrow to Amsterdam will require 10,000 Avios + £2.50 (~$3.30)
Note that these examples reflect off-peak dates, so peak travel dates will cost more. Luckily, any reward flights booked before May 27 will remain at their current price.
But how bad is this change?
If you take this at face value, this is upsetting news — especially considering there was just a British Airways devaluation in December.
However, you are likely already paying far more in taxes and fees than the rates British Airways is advertising.
For instance, the round-trip economy flight from London to Cape Town during off-peak dates can cost 66,000 Avios, plus $340 in taxes and fees. That means the current taxes and fees ($340 round-trip) are already quite a bit higher than the advertised new rate of $255 in taxes and fees.
Similarly, the round-trip business class flight from London to New York can be booked for 176,000 Avios and $820 in taxes and fees. That's substantially more than the $670 in taxes and fees that is advertised.
After conducting numerous searches, the only real devaluation we found was the one-way economy flight from London to Amsterdam. Before the devaluation, you could book it for 10,000 Avios plus $2 in taxes and fees. Starting May 27, you'll pay $3.30. That's not a very meaningful change, even if the percentage is high.
Related: The Best Ways to Avoid Paying High Fuel Surcharges When Booking Flights With Avios
Bottom Line
It appears that the baseline taxes and fees charged on British Airways award flights will increase effective May 27, 2026. However, you're likely already paying higher fees. Only time will tell whether the increase in the baseline will result in higher median taxes and fees charged. But for now, it doesn't appear like there's any reason to worry.
