- Mr Plane Guy
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
British Airways Just Made Your Avios Worth Less, Here’s What's Changing
By Mr Plane Guy | Plane Points & Miles
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British Airways has officially announced that the cost of Reward Flights booked with British Airways Avios will increase from Monday 15 December 2025. The change affects both the Avios points required and the cash element of bookings across the entire British Airways network.
This marks one of the most significant British Airways Club changes in recent years and if you collect, save or are currently spending Avios, this directly impacts the real-world value of your points.
Let’s break down exactly what British Airways has confirmed, what it means for your Avios points value, and the smartest way to protect your Avios before the increase hits. Also do take a look at how to Maximise Your Avios Points in 2025: The Ultimate Guide to Boosting Your Collection
What British Airways Has Officially Announced
British Airways confirmed the Avios changes via a direct customer email and its official Reward Flight information pages.
The airline stated:
“From 15 December 2025, the price of Reward Flights will increase. This will affect both the Avios and cash elements of the fare. We’ve kept our Reward Flight prices at the same level for some time, but we’re having to make these changes as a result of increasing Air Passenger Duty and third-party charges, as well as changing market conditions and ongoing inflation.”
British Airways Official Customer Communication, December 2025
British Airways also stated that:
Any Reward Flights booked before 15 December 2025 will keep the current pricing
If you change the time or date of a booking after 15 December (same route, same seasonality, same destination), no additional Avios will be charged
If you change route, cabin, or destination after 15 December, the new Avios pricing applies
Confirmed Avios Price Increases (British Airways Examples)
British Airways has published two official live route comparisons showing exactly how the changes will work.
London to New York (Off-Peak Return)
Current pricing (before 15 December):
Economy: 50,000 Avios + £100
Premium Economy: 85,000 Avios + £305
Business (Club World): 160,000 Avios + £375
First: 136,000 Avios + taxes, fees and charges
New pricing from 15 December 2025:
Economy: 55,000 Avios + £120
Premium Economy: 93,500 Avios + £350
Business: 176,000 Avios + £399
First: 150,000 Avios + taxes, fees and charges
That’s an increase of up to 14,000 Avios per ticket, plus higher cash payments.
London to Geneva (Off-Peak One-Way)
Current pricing:
Economy: 9,250 Avios + 50p
Business: 15,000 Avios + £12.50
From 15 December 2025:
Economy: 10,000 Avios + £1
Business: 16,500 Avios + £15
This confirms that both short-haul and long-haul redemptions are affected.
What This Really Means for Your Avios Points Value
This is a true Avios devaluation:
You now need more Avios for the same flight
You now pay more cash on top
That lowers the real Avios points value overnight
If you were previously achieving around 1p per Avios on a booking, that value is now mathematically reduced unless you change your redemption strategy.
In simple terms: you now need more points and more cash for the exact same seat.
This effectively resets the Avios value for 2026 and confirms one of the biggest Avios devaluations British Airways has ever made.
What You Should Do Before 15 December (Critical Steps)
1. Log in to Your Avios Account Immediately
Use your normal British Airways Avios login and check:
Your current Avios balance
Any existing Reward Flight bookings
Any companion vouchers or upgrade vouchers sitting unused
2. Lock in Redemptions at the Old Rates
You can still book:
2026 travel
Long-haul business & first
Peak school holiday trips
And pay today’s lower Avios pricing, as long as you book before 15 December.
Even if your dates are flexible, you can:
Book now
Change time/date later (same route, same season)
Keep the old Avios pricing
3. Focus on High-Value Avios Uses
Now more than ever, Avios works best for:
Business Class upgrades
Peak-date economy redemptions
Companion voucher bookings
Long-haul premium when fares are expensive
Use Reward Flight Finder to Find Avios Seats Before Prices Rise
If you collect British Airways Avios, this tool is one of the easiest ways to actually use them properly, especially right now.
✅ Use Reward Flight Finder to Spot Avios Seats Instantly
This UK-designed tool connects directly with British Airways reward availability and lets you:
Search the next 355 days of Avios seats in seconds
View all British Airways routes in one place
Track Business Class and Premium Economy
Set instant seat alerts when availability appears
Membership Options:
Bronze (Free): 3 Economy searches + 1 alert
Silver (£3.99/month): Unlimited searches + 5 alerts
Gold (£6.99/month): Unlimited searches + instant alerts + 20 alerts
7-day free trial available
If you chase upgrades with Avios or want to beat the devaluation rush, this tool saves hours of manual searching and often saves entire flights.
👉 Try Reward Flight Finder free for 7 days here
Will Upgrade With Avios Costs Also Increase?
British Airways has confirmed that Reward Flight pricing increases apply across the programme, which means:
Upgrade With Avios pricing will also rise
The Avios gap between cabins will widen
Cash co-pays will increase alongside Avios
If upgrades are part of your Avios strategy, booking before 15 December is especially important.
The Smart Reality of Spending Avios after the Devaluation
Avios isn’t “dead” but it has officially become a precision tool, not a blanket reward system.
Smart Avios users will now:
Target very specific routes
Compare upgrade vs full redemption
Use tools like Reward Flight Finder to avoid blind searching
Spend Avios sooner, not later
Because one rule always wins with airline currency:
Unused Avios only ever go in one direction, down.
Should You Still Collect Avios in 2026?
Yes, if you use Companion Vouchers
Yes, for upgrades
Yes, for peak travel
No, for casual economy-only flyers without vouchers
Final Boarding Call
British Airways has now formally confirmed:
Avios redemptions cost more points
Avios redemptions cost more cash
The change takes effect from 15 December 2025
If you’re sitting on a large Avios balance, the next 10 days matter more than the next 10 months!
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More Plane Blogs:
How I Went from Zero Avios to a Qatar Airways Business Class Upgrade in 3 Months
How I Turned My £34 Worth of Tesco Clubcard Points into a Flight from London to New York
Free Flight Upgrade with Avios? Here’s How the Barclays Voucher Really Works
Maximise Your Avios Points in 2025: The Ultimate Guide to Boosting Your Collection
Hello, I’m Paul a professional jet-setter and all-around plane travel pro. After 15 years working in and around planes, I became a flight delay expert at a London airport and mastered plane travel hacks, a PLANE flight expert with BIG travel plans but small carry-on.
Now, I share PLANE travel news, tips, reviews, and deals with honesty, humour, and zero baggage! Thanks for reading British Airways Just Made Your Avios Worth Less, Here’s What's Changing.
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