Jason Steele is a Senior Points and Miles Contributor who has been writing for The Points Guy since 2012. An expert in credit cards and award travel, Jason travels frequently across the United States and around the world with his wife and three children. Jason lives in Denver, Colorado, where he enjoys cycling, snowboarding, and piloting airplanes.
Ben Smithson is a senior writer for TPG and is based in London. Originally from Australia and a qualified lawyer with a financial services background, he has almost a decade of experience writing about a broad range of travel and loyalty topics.
also contributed to this story
August 8, 2024 • 7 min read
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Quick summary
Fuel surcharges, also called carrier-imposed surcharges, can significantly increase the out-of-pocket cost of award flights, sometimes matching or exceeding the price of an economy ticket.
Not all airline loyalty programs impose these surcharges; some programs consistently avoid them, while others add them only on certain routes or carriers.
Strategies to minimize or avoid surcharges include booking through programs with low or no surcharges, choosing alternate departure points, and comparing partner airline options.
Using transferable rewards and travel credits can help offset or cover these extra fees when they cannot be avoided.
What to consider
Fuel surcharges vary by airline, route, direction of travel, operating carrier and the loyalty program used to book.
Some airports and countries, such as the United Kingdom, may add additional charges like Air Passenger Duty, increasing total fees.
Transferring rewards to the right loyalty program or booking through a travel portal can help reduce or eliminate these costs.
What you'll miss from the article
A detailed breakdown of which airline loyalty programs impose fuel surcharges and practical tactics to avoid or minimize these fees.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
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Fuel surcharges — also known as carrier-imposed surcharges or YQ surcharges — are an important issue for award-travel enthusiasts. After all, these extra fees can make your award flight cost hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars in addition to your miles redeemed.
In some cases, fuel surcharges are so high that they can match or even exceed the price of an economy-class ticket.
Fuel surcharges aren’t necessarily related to fuel costs. Instead, fuel surcharges often include various additional fees that airlines add to their tickets, to the point where some airlines call these surcharges "carrier-imposed surcharges" to reflect the fact they have little to do with the price of oil.
These surcharges vary based on route, direction of travel, operating carrier and loyalty program. This guide will examine which loyalty programs do and don't add fuel surcharges to award tickets and outline a few strategies to avoid paying fuel surcharges.
Airline programs that don’t impose fuel surcharges
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
A handful of programs don’t impose fuel surcharges on any awards, including on their own flights and those operated by partner airlines. These include:
Delta SkyMiles (Delta-, Air France-KLM- and Virgin Atlantic-operated flights departing Europe, many SkyTeam carriers including Air Europa, China Southern, China Eastern and Saudia)
Emirates Skywards (large surcharges in all cabins on Emirates flights)
Tips to avoid fuel surcharges
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Whether you must pay a fuel surcharge depends on various factors, including the airline you fly, the loyalty program you book through and your routing. Luckily, there are several ways to avoid hefty carrier-imposed surcharges when booking an award ticket. Here are some simple strategies to use.
Each type of Avios has its positives and negatives, including sweet spots unique to each program. Best of all, you can transfer Avios between accounts at no cost, which can help you maximize each program’s Avios currency.
The best thing about these programs is the flexibility. In particular, you can transfer rewards from these programs to a loyalty program that lets you book awards with minimal or no fuel surcharges.
Seek out destinations, origins and transit points with lower surcharges
There are many destinations where awards don’t incur fuel surcharges. Additionally, some departure, destination and transit airports may unlock lower fees.
Ultimately, it would be best to go where you want. However, it sometimes makes sense to reposition to a nearby country or transit through a different airport to minimize the fees you must pay on an award. In short, pick the one with lower fees if you’re trying to decide between two otherwise equal options.
Also, remember that if you are starting a long-haul flight from Europe, such as a flight back to the United States, you can avoid an additional charge, the Air Passenger Duty, by not commencing your journey in the United Kingdom.
Travel on a carrier with low or no fuel surcharges
Even when a program does impose fuel surcharges, the cost can vary dramatically depending on which carrier operates the flights.
So if the flight you want has high fuel surcharges through one loyalty program, check how much the fees would be through partner airlines. Especially if you have transferable rewards from your credit card, it's best to compare the cost of your award route before transferring any rewards.
Use a credit card that reimburses you for travel expenses
Some credit cards, including the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, allow you to redeem miles for travel expenses you charge to your card.
If you’re stuck paying fuel surcharges on an award ticket, you can use the miles earned from these cards to cover the cost, which reduces your out-of-pocket expenses.
Other cards offer travel credits, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees) $300 annual credit for travel purchases.
If you’re flying British Airways, you can use the British Airways Visa Signature® Card (see rates and fees) to save up to $600 annually on award taxes and fees on BA flights. Pay your award ticket taxes and fees with the card, and you’ll get a $100 statement credit for economy tickets or a $200 statement credit on business- and first-class tickets up to three times per year.
Many transferable currencies also offer the ability to redeem rewards directly for paid tickets through their travel portals. This allows you to book flights that don’t have fuel surcharges (or already include the surcharge in the price) and earn frequent flyer rewards.
Redeeming rewards to book flights through a transferable currency’s travel portal usually won’t offer the best redemption value. However, doing so can help if you’re trying to minimize the cash cost of your award travel — especially if your travel plans force you to take an airline that imposes fuel surcharges.
Overall, it can sometimes be hard to avoid pesky surcharges. However, if your plans are flexible and you plan, you can save yourself money and maximize your points and miles.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
