British Airways isn't touching the Avios price of its award flights. The number of points to be used for a Reward Flight stays the same. Those “cash” deposits that you're required to make, in addition to your points (the taxes and fees, that is), will be increasing starting May 27, 2026. This is not something to take lightly on long-haul, premium cabin.

The change was announced this week to members of Executive Club, and a few examples of typical pricing were given to illustrate the new categories of fees, but it's only when people start working out the pricing on specific routes they may wish to run that they will get the full picture.

What's Actually Changing, May 27th

What they're actually charging: British Airways will increase the cash contribution part of bookings for Reward Flights, but not change the Avios redemption rates. It's a recurring scenario: yet another non-headline points price change that, while not headline-grabbing, has turned out to be quite a bit more of an out-of-pocket expense.

To explain the new pricing format, the airline provided some examples of how the new off-peak pricing would be used:

• Round trip Club World (business class), London Heathrow to New York JFK: 176,000 Avios plus approximately £499 ($670)
• Round-trip economy, London Heathrow to the Cape 66,000 Avios plus around £190 ($255)
• One way Club Europe, London Heathrow to Rome: 22,000 Avios and around £20 ($27)
• One way London Heathrow to Amsterdam is 10,000 Avios plus a little bit of £2.50 ( approximately $3.35)

The program's weakest link has always been British Airways fees

Significant before this particular fee hike, the mechanism behind airlines charging the surcharges on British Airways long-haul flights was the main deterrent for those who have earned points from other airlines to use them for a British Airways redemption. British Airways has some of the highest carrier surcharges on its own flights, and with the cash commitment for Club World redemptions, transatlantic Club World redemptions have not historically been very popular.

This is not a new issue. A fact that has been a long food for the thinking intelligent Avios holders for years on the Executive Club program. The May 27 raise doesn't create a new dynamic, it reinforces an existing one, that of saving money on a discounted cash fare, on a redemptions journey.

After the 27 May, Avios will no longer be a worthwhile asset to use

Often the reasons for using British Airways Avios are not long-haul British Airways flights, as this is the least interesting use case. They've had something else on their minds and it's not going away May 27.

The Avios redemption sweet spots which haven't altered due to these changes:

• Partner flights: American Airlines, Iberia, Alaska Airlines and other oneworld partners offer domestic flights within the United States and Canada and impose no surcharges on Avios domestic flights. The distance-based pricing can be quite low these flights may cost as little as 4,500 points one-way.
• Transatlantic redemptions: Iberia redeems Avios on flights on its own aircraft at significantly lower surcharges than would BA, which means that it's possible to get a better value for Avios redeemed on flights operated by Iberia than on flights operated by BA.

On short-haul routes, the underlying tool behind Avios pricing can really be powerful, and with American Airlines, the partner flight angle is one of the more impressive ones in the entire space of points and miles, particularly for U.S. travelers. May 27 is a day of no change.

But it's only the math, which is already hard enough in British Airways business class, but will now be a bit more difficult hence the best strategy is to use Avios with Iberia or partner flights (if applicable) when traveling across the Atlantic).

The Other Pattern to See

However, this price increase could be viewed as a one-off occurrence, given that there have been several changes to the Executive Club over the years that have been gradually increasing BA's award travel cost. They've improved the redemption rate of Avios. The access of partners has been changed. Fuel surcharges are up. As one of the more interesting award programmes that used to exist it has been slowly, but steadily, trending upwards on cost.

None of this is good for nothing Avios is still in use for many credit card transfer programs, including American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One miles, and Citi ThankYou points (all of them 1:1). The ease with which Avios can be accumulated is a huge benefit and the value for partner flight redemptions is fairly robust for the right itinerary.

Would you like to make a reservation before May 27?

If you already had a particular trip on British Airways scheduled to book soon, and you've been thinking about taking that trip anyway then the booking would be completed BEFORE the increase in the cash surcharge that will be in effect on May 27. The Avios cost will be the same regardless of either option, but with the pre-increased fee structure, it will cost you less out of pocket.

The word of caution that applies to any advance booking: Only make a booking if it is a trip you really want to make. It just doesn't make sense to book just to prevent an increase in fees when it's then cancelled, and with some fare rules, it could lead to a canceling fee.

If you are not yet sure what to redeem the Avios for, and you need to adjust your thinking around the redemption, the more beneficial route is the former. Short-haul flight sweet spot is unchanged. With each price change, the long-haul BA redemption of the business class just gets less and less attractive. When you're trying to do things that might not make the most sense, you're wasting your time.You're not going to do things that make sense that equal the bookings that will provide you great value.

The Bottom Line

British Airways' announcement of an increase in award flight prices on May 27 is not the end of the world, but another indicator that British Airways is rewarding those who know the true cost of a redemption and are paying attention. The price of the Avios isn't rising. On long haul premium cabins, that distinction is more significant than it sounds, and the total out of pocket expense is quite important.

The golden rule about Avios the same one that's always been true is the fact that the real benefit is in short-haul partner flights, Iberia-operated transatlantic flights, and in redemptions based on distance, on oneworld partners, and not on paying high surcharges on the British Airways' long-haul service. May 27 doesn't make it different. It makes it a bit more pressing to apply it.