If you’ve been saving up your Avios points all year in hopes of snagging a cheap flight, Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert (MSE) warns now is the time to act.
In the consumer finance guru’s latest newsletter, he encouraged Avios users to book any upcoming flights within the next five days.
From Monday December 15, the travel loyalty scheme will be putting up its rates for reward flights with British Airways and other partner airlines.
Basically, as MSE explains, failure to spend those hard-earned points will mean any bookings you make after the deadline ‘cost you more Avios and more money’ — even for the exact same journey.
BA claims its decision to up prices was made following ‘increasing Air Passenger Duty and third-party charges, as well as changing market conditions and ongoing inflation’.
But the news could cause further outrage among customers, who previously criticised changes to its popular frequent flyer scheme.
According to the airline, this latest price update will result in an expected increase of around 10% in Avios costs and additional charges for tax and fees.
With only five days before prices go up, the countdown is officially on!
What’s changing for Avios users?
The changes to the reward flight prices will affect all British Airways reward flights, to all destinations, along with those operated by BA partner airlines.
New prices will be visible on your British Airways Club account when you search for reward seats from December 15.
While exact amounts will differ from journey to journey, the airline shared some examples of what to expect:
London to Geneva, economy off-peak, one way
- Before 15 December: 9,250 Avios + 50p
- After 15 December: 10,000 Avios + £1
London to New York, economy off-peak, return
- Before 15 December: 50,000 Avios + £100
- After 15 December: 55,000 Avios + £120
Using the latter fare, it’d mean a BA Club blue member would have to spend £833 more accruing the extra 5,000 points required, while a gold tier member would have to spend £555 to make up the difference.
The changes will only affect reward flights
It’s not all bad news though. MSE emphasises that non-reward flights will not be affected by the new changes — even if you part-pay using your Avios points.
At Avios, reward flights are specific seats offered at a fixed low cost (which includes tax, baggage, and other fees) plus a certain amount of points.
However, non-reward flights are advertised with a standard fare, which customers can then reduce by applying their points to the price.
Will my existing reward flight be impacted?
Don’t panic if you have a reward flight already booked for travel on or after December 15 either, as there won’t be any impact to existing trips.
However, if you decide you do want to make a change to your booking -whether to the destination, seasonality, or cabin – you’ll need to do so before this date to avoid paying the higher charges.
According to MSE, ‘the value of Avios has already seen creeping devaluation over the years’, with the price of an off-peak economy return flight to New York more than doubling since 2021.
But a number of other loyalty schemes have been subject to changes like this over the last few years, including those run by airlines like Virgin Atlantic, Qatar Airways, and Delta, and major retailers Boots and Tesco.
Instead, many firms have moved towards offering member-only prices — a tactic which is now being investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ‘to understand the impact on consumers and competition of this approach to promotions.’
The best ways to collect Avios points
- You can typically accrue the most points by booking flights with BA and its partner airlines such as Iberia, Vueling, and Aer Lingus.
- However, if you connect your debit or credit cards to your Avios account, you’ll also earn through in-store shopping at associated retailers such as Pizza Express, Fenwick and Hamleys.
- Alternatively, go directly from the website or app when online shopping from the likes of ASOS, John Lewis, Deliveroo, and M&S.
- Don’t forget, you can also convert your Nectar points into Avios points by linking your Nectar and British Airways accounts.
- And if you’re looking for a credit card, consider a British Airways American Express, which offers one Avios point for every £1 spent.
