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New British Airways Avios Sweet Spots From Nine US Cities to Ireland

Dec. 14, 2016
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4 min read
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New British Airways Avios Sweet Spots From Nine US Cities to Ireland
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Last week we shared the unfortunate news that the Boston (BOS) - Dublin (DUB) sweet spot using Avios isn't quite as attractive anymore. British Airways is following Aer Lingus' new award chart and treating BOS-DUB as part of Zone 5, even though the mileage between the two cities should make it a Zone 4 redemption. This change raises the standard one-way redemption cost on this route by 7,500 Avios in economy and a whopping 22,500 Avios in business.

But there's a silver lining to this change. Concurrent with British Airways' move to follow the Aer Lingus chart, BA also started allowing Aer Lingus award flights to be redeemed with Avios at "off-peak" pricing. Formerly, only British Airways and Iberia flights were eligible for the off-peak pricing.

For the BOS-DUB route, this means that award flights on off-peak dates cost just 500 Avios more each direction than before. In business class, the difference isn't as minor. Off-peak Zone 5 costs 12,500 more Avios each way than the standard Zone 4 business-class redemption.

Seven routes are now available eight months of the year for just 13,000 Avios each way. Image courtesy of Great Circle Mapper.

However, this off-peak change now opens 10 new routes at cheaper rates. Previously, you'd have to pay 20,000 Avios each way to book an Aer Lingus economy award flight on routes between 3,001 and 4,000 miles. Now, if you fly during Aer Lingus' off-peak dates (caution: PDF link), you'll pay just 13,000 Avios each way on these routes. For these off-peak dates, that's a savings of 14,000 Avios round-trip thanks to this change.

For routes between 4,001 and 5,500 miles, the standard Zone 6 award rate is 25,000 Avios. But, you'll pay just 16,250 Avios each way during off-peak dates.

Figuring the off-peak dates are super restrictive? Good news. The off-peak dates stretch through much of the year — excluding the winter holidays, the middle of April and peak summer travel. The exact off-peak dates are January 5-April 6, April 24-June 16 and September 11-December 15.

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CityRouteFlight MilesStandard Rate

(economy)		Off-Peak Rate

(economy)		Savings

(one-way)		Approximate Value

of savings*

(one-way)
Hartford
BDL-DUB
3,078
20,000
13,000
7,000
$105
New York
JFK-SNN
3,095
20,000
13,000
7,000
$105
New York
JFK-DUB
3,179
20,000
13,000
7,000
$105
Newark
EWR-DUB
3,193
20,000
13,000
7,000
$105
Toronto
YYZ-DUB
3,279
20,000
13,000
7,000
$105
Washington DC
IAD-DUB
3,404
20,000
13,000
7,000
$105
Chicago
ORD-DUB
3,674
20,000
13,000
7,000
$105
Orlando
MCO-DUB
4,072
25,000
16,250
8,750
$131
Miami
MIA-DUB
4,165
25,000
16,250
8,750
$131
San Francisco
SFO-DUB
5,098
25,000
16,250
8,750
$131
Los Angeles
LAX-DUB
5,181
25,000
16,250
8,750
$131

*Based on the latest TPG valuation of British Airways Avios

There's similar savings for award redemptions in business class. During off-peak dates, Aer Lingus flights between 3,001-4,000 miles drop from 60,000 Avios each way to 50,000 Avios. Meanwhile, 4,001-5,500 mile flights drop from 75,000 Avios to 62,500 Avios.

Interested in booking off-peak Aer Lingus flights using Avios? First, you need to figure out generally when you'd like to travel. To get the off-peak rates, you'll need to travel between January 5-April 6, April 24-June 16 and September 11-December 15. Next, search for Aer Lingus award availability using United's website. Finally, call British Airways (1-800-247-9297) to complete the booking.

Bottom Line

While we're still bemoaning the loss of year-round 25,000-Avios transatlantic round-trips, we can now celebrate 26,000-Avios transatlantic round-trips from six North American cities — and 33,000-Avios round-trips from four other cities — during eight months of the year.

H/T: Travel Miles 101

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  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
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  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
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