How to save up to $200 plus 10% off British Airways round-trip flights
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
British Airways Executive Club may not be the most popular among miles collectors, due to the high surcharges it charges on award flights. However, BA's many U.S. gateways and European destinations make it a great airline for getting a deal to Europe and booking cheap BA premium-cabin flights can be a great way of earning American Airlines status. But, if you're paying full price for those flights, you're leaving money on the table.
After all, anyone can pay as little as $9 a year (depending on the plan you choose and whether you prepay) to save up to $200 per person off British Airways flights. The promotion is a long-running partnership between British Airways and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). And, in case you're wondering, the AARP will let people of any age and employment status sign up and book British Airways flights with a discount. I'm under 40 years old and have been an AARP member for over a decade. Other non-retired people have also signed up and even used this discount to book a $1,100 round-trip business-class flight to Spain.
While this discount isn't a guaranteed benefit of AARP membership, it's been extended each and every year — although it's been cut back over the years. In its present iteration, this deal is valid through at least Jan. 31, 2024, so let's take a look at the details.
Here's how the discount breaks down:
- Save up to $65 off travel in economy class (World Traveller).
- Save up to $200 off travel in business class (Club World).
Related: How to use your AARP discount on travel
In order to get this discount, there are a number of limitations to keep in mind:
- Valid for travel through Jan. 31, 2024.
- Must log in and book through AARP's British Airways discount page.
- Discount only reduces the base fare, which limits the discount for cheap flights.
- Valid on British Airways-operated flights and BA codeshare flights operated by either American Airlines or American Eagle with a British Airways flight number.
- Must book a round-trip; no open-jaw itineraries allowed.
- Inbound and outbound travel must be booked in the same cabin.
- Only valid for "U.S. residents paying in U.S. dollars only, with travel originating in the U.S."
But, there's some good news — although the terms and conditions state that "this offer is not combinable with any other discount or deal," we've found that you can in fact combine this $200 with the 10% discount you'll get when paying with Chase Visa cards.
While this discount is designed for cardholders of the British Airways Visa Signature Card, we've been able to successfully use other Chase cards, such as Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred Card to get this discount. For full details, check out our guide to saving 10% off British Airways flights. With a deal like this available, we believe every savvy traveler should have an AARP membership.
Join AARP at this link to begin saving on your British Airways flights.
Related: Maximize the Chase trifecta of Ultimate Rewards cards