British Airways slashes Avios for economy passengers

The airline makes major changes to its Avios loyalty scheme.

British Airways has announced some major changes to its Avios loyalty scheme.

It says that the new scheme aims to be fairer, with more expensive tickets earning higher rewards. These changes will come into effect on April 28th.

Winners and losers

The big losers are people who travel in economy, as the number of Avios earned on flights will be slashed.

Currently, an economy flight will earn you the same number of Avios as miles flown. So for example, a flight to New York will pocket you 3,458 Avios. After the end of April you’ll only earn those points if you buy a pricier flexible ticket. The cheaper tickets which most budget passengers buy will only get 50% or 25% of the points depending on how cheap it is. So with a flight to New York, you may earn just 865 Avios.

Premium Economy currently get 125% of miles flown, which will fall to 100% for non-flexible tickets but rise to 150% for flexible tickets.

Flyers living outside London will also be worse off. As most reward flights have a connection in London, it’ll cost you more if you need to get to the capital for your connection. At the moment this is free, but after 28th April you’ll have to cover that leg of the journey yourself.

Business and expense account flyers, on the other hand, will get more Avios.

Business class will remain at 150% for non-flexible tickets, but rises to 250% for flexible. First class gives 200% Avios on all flights at the moment, but this will increase to 250% for non-flexible and 300% for flexible tickets.

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Peak and off-peak flights

British Airways is also going to split flights into peak and off-peak in all cabins. Peak times are around the summer, Easter and Christmas holidays along with half-term time. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are classed as off-peak, no matter what time of year it is.

BA’s partner airline, Iberia, will also introduce on and off-peak pricing but it hasn’t been confirmed when. If you use points to book flights on other airlines via the BA scheme they’ll be charged at BA’s peak prices year-round, which could bump up the cost in some cabins.

It's a good idea to grab your miles now as you can get the current Avios points if your booking is made before 28th April, even if you fly after that date.

Boosting your Avios

Even though you’ll need to save for a bit longer to get your flights, there are a number of ways that you can collect Avios.

Use an Avios credit card

There are a number of credit cards linked to the Avios scheme, which mean you build up your balance every time you shop.

For example there's the Lloyds Bank Avios Rewards Credit Card. It's actually two credit cards, a MasterCard and an American Express. You earn 1.25 Avios for every £1 spent on the Amex and for every £5 spent on the MasterCard.  What's more, there's double Avios on your spending on the Amex for the first six months. Spend £7,000 in a year and you'll get a free upgrade voucher too. be warned though, there's a £24 annual fee to consider.

There's also a Premier version, where you get 1.5 Avios for every £1 on the Amex and every £5 on the MasterCard. You get an upgrade voucher when you spend £5,000, and also a free companion ticket if you spend £12,000 in a year. The Lloyds Bank Premier Avios Rewards card comes with a whopping £140 annual fee though.

TSB also offers two Avios cards which work along similar lines. The TSB Avios Credit Card gets you one Avios for every £1 spent on the Amex and every £5 on the MasterCard. There's no annual fee either.

Meanwhile the TSB Premier Avios Credit Card offers 1.25 Avios for every £1 on the Amex and every £5 on the MasterCard. You can get a free companion ticket if you spend £15,000 in a year. The annual fee is £50.

Finally, American Express offers two British Airways-linked cards which reward your spending with Avios. The British Airways American Express Credit Card gives you one Avios for every £1 spent, with a bonus 9,000 Avios if you spend £1,000 within the first three months with the card. You can get a free companion ticket if you spend £20,000 in a year. There's no annual fee.

Alternatively there's the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Credit Card, which rewards you with 1.5 Avios for every £1 spent. This doubles when you spend on British Airways flights and holidays. There's a bonus 25,000 Avious when you spend £3,000 within the first three months, while you can get a free companion ticket when you spend £10,000. The annual fee is a whopping £150.

As with any reward credit card, it's essential that you clear your balance in full every month. Otherwise the interest you pay will soon wipe out the value of your rewards.

Collect Tesco Clubcard points

You can earn Avios just by doing your weekly shop. You’ll get 600 points for every £2.50 you have in Tesco Clubcard vouchers.

Look after your motor

Whether it’s taking out breakdown cover with RAC (up to 4,500 Avios depending on your cover) or refuelling with Shell (10 Avios for every 20 litres of fuel) your car could help up your Avios.

Shop at the eStore

You can collect Avios by shopping via the eStore with a vast range of online retailers including Argos, Waterstones and M&S. You’ll get up to 12 Avios for every £1 spent with over 200 major brands.

Avios recycling

You can recycle your old gadgets like phones, laptops and sat navs and earn points too. You get a freepost address label and a jiffy bag to post your goods in and you’ll receive your Avios within 30 days of them getting the device.

Avios opinions

Turn your opinions into Avios with e-Rewards. You’ll need to register first, but you'll get 750 Avios if you complete your first survey within 60 days. Invitations for surveys are sent out every three months.

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