Avios user? Book British Airways reward flights before 27 May as it'll cost you more from then

Avios is a loyalty scheme, similar to Nectar and Tesco Clubcard, but with travel-focused rewards. You accrue Avios on spending and you can then use these to pay for flights (excluding taxes and charges).

Reward flights are special fares you book on a separate BA (or partner airline) page, where you pay using a mix of Avios and cash. Non-reward flights are the standard fares anyone can buy at normal prices – though you can still use Avios to reduce the cost of these.

Generally, reward flights give you better value for your money or Avios, especially as they include checked baggage, whereas the regular 'Economy Basic' fare on non-reward flights doesn't.

What's changing for Avios users

The cash cost of reward flights is changing from Wednesday 27 May, so you'll need to pay more to book them from this date. Here are some examples of how this will work in practice:

We've asked BA for more details, including whether the changes apply to ALL destinations and booking types, and we'll update this story when we know more.

Got an existing booking? Make any changes you need to before 27 May

If you have an existing reward flight booking that you made before 27 May 2026:

• Don't need to make any changes? Your booking won't be affected.

• If you make any changes before 27 May, the EXISTING prices will apply. This includes if you change the flight to depart on or after 27 May.

• If you make any changes on or after 27 May, the NEW prices will apply. This means you'll need to pay the difference.

How to maximise your Avios

We have 28 tricks to boost your Avios in our guide, but here are two quick tips to consider ahead of the 27 May shake-up:

• Check if you can get better value for your reward flight depending on the Avios to cash ratio used. Avios has six different options with different weightings of Avios and cash (one being to use the most Avios and least cash, and six vice versa). What's best varies depending on whether it's a short- or long-haul flight.
  
  For example, on a peak economy flight to New York (booked before Wednesday 27 May), the 'cheapest' option is option one – 66,000 Avios, plus £120, which is an approximate total cost of £780. In contrast, the most expensive is option three – 44,000 Avios, plus £490 – an approximate total cost of £930.

• Compare flights with other airlines as they may work out cheaper. Don't splurge Avios and money for the sake of it – just because you're using Avios it doesn't always mean you're getting the cheapest deal.