British Airways is increasing the cash cost of reward tickets booked through its Avios loyalty programme by up to a third, with just five days’ notice of the change.
The airline has told customers that from Wednesday 27 May 2026 the cash element of reward tickets will rise by between 10 and 33 per cent, depending on the route and cabin class. The number of Avios required for bookings will remain unchanged for now, British Airways said in an email to members. Customers have until the effective date to book at current prices.
For example, a round-trip Club World ticket from London Heathrow to New York JFK, which previously required 176,000 Avios plus a cash payment, will now demand £499 in cash — an increase of roughly £100, or about 25 per cent. British Airways has also published new cash amounts for other routes: a World Traveller return from London Heathrow to Cape Town will cost 66,000 Avios plus £190; a one-way Club Europe flight from London Heathrow to Rome will cost 22,000 Avios plus £20; and a one-way Euro Traveller ticket from London Heathrow to Amsterdam will cost 10,000 Avios plus £2.50. These prices reflect off-peak dates and are subject to availability. Any changes made to existing bookings on or after 27 May will be subject to the new cash rates.
How the Avios system works
The Avios programme allows members to collect points through flying and partner spending, then redeem them for reward tickets that previously carried little or no cash cost. Over time, British Airways has introduced and steadily increased a cash surcharge on these bookings, a shift that has drawn criticism from frequent flyers.
This is the second adjustment to Avios reward tickets in five months. Last December, the airline made changes that raised the Avios element by 10 per cent and the cash element by 3 to 23 per cent. The latest increase targets only the cash component, with an additional rise of 10 to 33 per cent on top of the earlier adjustment.
British Airways is not alone in raising fees. Other carriers — including Air France/KLM, Scandinavian Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and All Nippon Airways — have also implemented fuel-related surcharges or fee hikes. IAG, the parent company of British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia, said in April that its total fuel bill for 2026 is expected to reach €9 billion, a €2 billion increase from earlier forecasts. While IAG has a fuel hedging strategy that offers some short-term mitigation, the company said it aims to recover approximately 60 per cent of these higher costs through revenue and cost management. In a statement from April, IAG noted: “We are not seeing jet fuel supply interruptions, but fuel prices have risen sharply and, despite our hedging strategy which gives some shorter term mitigation, we are not immune to the impact. Like other carriers, IAG airlines are making some pricing adjustments to reflect these higher fuel costs.”
The airline has also made other recent changes to its loyalty programme, including a shift to a spend-based Tier Point system in April 2025, which received mixed reviews. British Airways previously faced scrutiny for calling these cash elements “fuel surcharges” when they were not directly linked to actual fuel costs.
Expert commentary
Rob Burgess, writing on his Head for Points frequent-flyer website, said: “This is the second devaluation in just five months. The earlier changes led to a 10 per cent increase in the Avios element and 3-23 per cent increase in the cash element. This change only impacts the cash element and represents an additional 10-33 per cent. These changes are very likely to be linked to the increase in fuel costs due to the Middle East crisis, although British Airways has better hedging in place than most carriers. With little sign of the oil situation improving, however, it is likely that fuel costs will remain high beyond the life of the hedges.”
Simon Calder, travel correspondent at The Independent, said: “When British Airways first unveiled ‘Air Miles’, flights were genuinely free – no one was expected to hand over cash. To see the cash element increased up to £500 will prove a deterrent for some. But many passengers, especially those who amass Avios on their company’s spend, remain transactionally loyal to BA.”
