Guide to redeeming British Airways Flight Saver reward points
Editor’s Note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
Avios, the bounty unit of British Airways Executive Club program, which is easy to earn and redeem even if you’re not traveling to the UK.
Long-distance premium cabin redemptions booked through the Executive Club program can also entail significant fees, taxes, and surcharges, making the currency appear less valuable.
However, Flight Savings Rewards are a great app for Avios, as they allow you to pay fees, taxes, and surcharges under $1 per flight. It’s as close to free travel as you can get.
Bonus flight savings are available on all British Airways operated flights worldwide in all cabins except first class.
Related: Lower fuel surcharge: Flight savings bonus rolled out on all British Airways flights
Flight Saver Rewards Basics
Flight savings rewards are priced per flight, not per journey. So if you’re flying from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Geneva via London on British Airways, rewards are priced based on distance per leg. Since you will have a stopover in London, it is more convenient and better value to book your premium ticket on another airline that has direct flights.
In addition to having Avios available in your Executive Club account, you must have earned at least 1 Avios in the 12 months prior to booking to take advantage of the Flight Savings Bonus.
Bonus flight savings can be especially valuable on last-minute flights, as their flat prices keep costs low. I’ve frequently used Save on Flight Rewards for flights less than 650 miles in advance a few days when fares were more than $200 in revenue. It’s a great use, based on TPG . Avios Valuation.
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Flight savings rewards are marked with a blue star with a banknote symbol above the flight number.
Flight Saver rewards for short flights
Economy Flight Bonus is a great special offer on short flights operated by British Airways to or from the UK and in the Caribbean. You’ll only need 50 UK pence (about $0.62) per flight plus Avios for flights under 2,000 miles.
Flight distance, per flight | Economy class outside of peak hours | Highest Economy Class | Off-peak business class | Top business class |
---|---|---|---|---|
0-650 miles. | 9,250 Avios + 50 coins. | 9,750 Avios + 50 coins. | 15,000 Avios + 50 coins. | 16,250 Avios+ 50 coins. |
651-1,150 miles. | 11,750 Avios + 50 coins. | 12,750 Avios + 50 coins. | 20,000 Avios + 50 coins. | 22,250 Avios + 50 coins. |
1,151-2,000 miles. | 13,750 Avios + 50 coins. | 15,250 Avios + 50 coins. | 24,250 Avios + 50 coins. | 27,250 Avios + 50 coins. |
This is a great option if you are rich in Avios. Remember, all Avios redemptions include Free checked baggage. You can also use any elite benefits with Oneworld’s partner airlines alike American Airlines.
You can also choose to pay more cash and less Avios if you want. To get the best redemption value for your Avios, the hot spot for short redemptions is to choose the option of £17.50 ($21.90) for economy class or £25 ($31.30) ) for business class.
Reward Flight Savers for long-haul flights
Standard Avios pricing for British Airways long-haul flights can let you fly to Europe in business class for as little as 50,000 Avios each way. There is only one drawback: There is very high Fuel surcharge is set by the carrier.
If you choose the Save Flight Bonus option instead, you’ll pay more Avios in exchange for reducing the surcharge to a more affordable rate.
Whether you want to part with more cash or more Avios, the choice is yours.
Here’s a breakdown of the prices of the Bonus Flight Savings program on two popular routes from the US to Europe with return flights on off-peak days.
Itinerary (round trip) cabin |
cabin | Avios request | Costs, taxes and surcharges |
---|---|---|---|
New York to London | World Traveler (economy). | 50,000. | $200. |
World Traveler Plus (premium economy). | 85,000. | $560. | |
Club World (business class). | 160,000. | $700. | |
Los Angeles to London | World traveller. | 60,000. | $300. |
World Travelers Plus. | 95,000. | $660. | |
Club World. | 180,000. | $900. |
Related: British Airways’ Club Suites don’t disappoint: On a retrofitted 777 from London to New York
How to earn Avios
Credit
The easiest way to earn some meaningful Avios for daily spending is by subscribing British Airways Visa card signature.
This card — issued by Chase and therefore subject to 24/5 luật rule — currently offering up to 100,000 Avios to new subscribers. Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening and earn another 25,000 Avios after you spend $20,000 in the first 12 months of account opening . TPG values Avios at 1.5 cents each, making the entire reward $1,500.
The British Airways Visa Signature has an annual fee of $95 and earns 3 Avios for every dollar spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Level. In addition, you can earn 2 Avios for every dollar spent on hotel rooms when buying directly with the hotel. All other purchases earn 1 Avios for every dollar spent.
Transferable Rewards Cards
Savvy readers of TPG know that we generally recommend using earned tokens Points are transferable because of their added flexibility. This strategy still applies if you are trying to accumulate Avios. British Airways is a transfer partner of capital one, Chase the ultimate reward, American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards And Marriott Bonvoymake Avios one of the easiest currency to earn.
Most points transfer from Chase, Bilt and Amex at 1:1 (sometimes transfer bonus up to 40%). Meanwhile, Marriott’s points transfer to Avios in a ratio of 3:1. Additionally, you will receive a 5,000 Avios bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred.
The following cards now offer powerful welcome bonuses that you can easily convert to Avios:
- American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first six months of account opening. Terms apply.
- Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases within the first six months of your card membership. Check if you are targeted for 125,000 points welcome offer through CardMatch (Offers are subject to change at any time). Terms apply.
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Priority Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
- Ink . Business Preferred Credit Card: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
You can also buy Avios, which sometimes goes to sell.
bottom line
British Airways does have a bad reputation for ticket exchange surcharges in all classes. The airline has addressed this by allowing Executive Club members to use more Avios in exchange for lower surcharges by Rewarding Flight Savers. On short flights, the option of paying less than a dollar plus Avios on a full-service airline across Europe is hard to beat.
For long-haul flights, travelers with large Avios balances may want to take advantage of this option to reduce the cost of cash on their next redemption.