American Increases British Airways Award Redemption Fees

British Airways, like most European carriers, charges hefty surcharges and fees on their award tickets. A good way around this in the past, was booking a BA flight with American miles. Not any longer.

American just added an additional fee for business and first class BA redemptions- a whopping $220 each way or $440 roundtrip. This is in addition to their currently high fees, so you may find yourself paying over $1,000 extra for award tickets.

While the fees are high, it still may be worth it to splurge for BA if you get the New First Class product, which I had the pleasure of flying in June and absolutely LOVED. BA first class flyers are also entitled to priority check-in and access to the exclusive Concorde Room lounges, which has complimentary full meal service and free Elemis spa treatments (Heathrow).
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