British Airways decided to rain on many American's Fourth of July parades with some nasty award rate increases when using Avios to book flights on American Airlines and Alaska, too … for the second time in just a few months.
Once a go-to way to book shorter flights (and even trips to Hawaii) with American or Alaska, this is the second such devaluation in less than a year, all but destroying any value of using Avios within the states. British Airways didn't announce the change nor did it give members a warning, but One Mile at a Time spotted it.
How bad is it? British Airways doesn't publish a public-facing award chart – the cheat sheet you use to determine how many Avios you'll need to fly from point A to point B. But after digging in, here's what you can expect to pay based upon the distance of your flight versus what it cost just earlier this week.
| Miles Flown (one way) | Old Price (Economy) | New Price (Economy) | Percentage Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - 649 miles | 8,250 Avios | 12,000 Avios | 45% |
| 650 - 1,149 miles | 11,000 Avios | 16,000 Avios | 45% |
| 1,150 - 1,999 miles | 14,500 Avios | 18,000 Avios | 24% |
| 2,000 - 2,999 miles | 16,000 Avios | 20,000 Avios | 25% |
Not sure how long your flight is? Plug it into GCmap.com!
A price hike of a few thousand Avios each way might not seem like the sky is falling … but make no mistake, this is a significant devaluation for what was long considered the best way to book American (and Alaska) flights for fewer points. When you consider that less than a year ago, many of these flights could be booked for nearly half the Avios, it's even worse.
If this all feels familiar, it's because it is: This is the second time in less than a year that British Airways delivered a blow to travelers looking to use their Avios – or transferable credit card points from banks like Chase, Amex, Capital One, and others – to book flights with U.S. partners. Back in December 2023, British Airways raised award rates by as much as 78%. They've done it again.
Less than a year ago, you could book a flight from Los Angeles (LAX), Seattle (SEA), Phoenix (PHX), or other West Coast cities out to the Hawaiian islands for just 13,000 miles each way. After jumping to 16,000 Avios late last year, that same flight now costs 20,000 Avios each way.
There's one saving grace: There's a much better (yet still quite easy) way to book these same flights.
Other partner carriers like Qatar Airways and Finnair also use Avios, but still charge far fewer miles than British Airways. And because you can easily combine Avios across all the programs that use them like Qatar Airways and Finnair, you can put your credit card points (or British Airways Avios) to better use with one extra step.
This news comes just days after another U.K.-based airline, Virgin Atlantic, killed off one of our favorite sweet spots of all: Using Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points to fly Delta One business class to Europe. When it rains, it pours.
Here's how the latest devaluation impacts your travels – and how you can get around it.
Higher Prices in Action
We've covered how many more British Airways Avios you'll need depending on where you're flying. Now, let's take a look at some popular routes you can book through BA just to see just how much this devaluation stings.
Short American Airlines Flights
Under the old pricing, you could book this short 334-mile American flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) for 8,250 Avios one-way. Now that same route costs 12,000 Avios one way – a 45% increase.
What About Alaska Airlines?
As Alaska Airlines looks to expand its reach to the Hawaiian islands with its planned acquisition of the state's flag carrier, British Airways is making it more expensive to use Avios to get there … and everywhere else Alaska flies, for that matter.
This short one-way flight between Seattle (SEA) and San Francisco (SFO) on Alaska Airlines used to cost just 11,000 Avios. Now you'll need 16,000 Avios for this short, two-hour flight – a whopping 45% hike, overnight.
Longer flights, like the 1,400-mile hop from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Seattle (SEA) took a hit, too. This flight previously cost just 14,500 Avios in each direction. Now you'll be on the hook for 18,000 one-way – a 24% increase.
How to Get Around It
This devaluation stings, there's nodoubt it. But the fact that many of these flights can still be booked for less through Avios programs like Qatar and Finnair certainly helps ease the pain.
Under British Airways' new award pricing, a one-way flight from American Airlines' hub at Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to New York City (JFK) used to be bookable for 14,500 Avios one way and now costs 18,000 miles each way – a 25% increase over the old pricing.
If you instead transferred your British Airways Avios to Qatar, or used transferrable credit card points from partners like Amex or Citi, you can still book this same flight for just 11,000 Avios and an extra $5 in taxes.
And this trick works for Alaska flights, too. That same Seattle (SEA) to San Francisco (SFO) route that we highlighter earlier prices out at just 9,000 Avios when booked through Qatar. Once again, the taxes are a few bucks higher … but that's well worth the 7,000 Avios you'll save when compared to what British Airways is now charging on this route.
Another great option for booking American and Alaska flights for less is the newest airline to adopt Avios as a currency, Finnair. Flights within North America (continental U.S. and Canada) price out at just 11,000 Avios one-way, regardless of the route. And if you've got your sights set on the Hawaiian islands, you'll only need 13,500 one-way in economy, all the way from the mainland.
Read more: Why You Should Care About Finnair Avios
Bottom Line
British Airways just made another no-notice devaluation to awards on its U.S. Oneworld partner airlines, American and Alaska, by raising rates as much as 45%.
But thanks to the ability to combine Avios across all programs, and more favorable pricing from both Qatar and Finnair, this devaluation isn't the end of the world. At least not for now.