British Airways Extends — But Devalues — 2017 AARP Discount
Update 5/22/17: In a rare move, British Airways and AARP have extended the date ranges well ahead of expiration. The terms and conditions have now been updated to allow the discount on flights through December 31, 2018 — instead of the previous limitation of March 31, 2018. You must still book by December 31, 2017 to get the discount.
One of the greatest travel promos available over the past few years has been the AARP British Airways discount. For just a $16/year membership — open to travelers of all ages — you could save $65 off round-trip economy flights, $130 off round-trip premium economy flights or $400 off round-trip business and first-class flights. This is the discount that led to some of the best premium-cabin deals we've ever posted, such as this $446 + 30,000 Avios business class deal to Spain and this $1,058 business class deal to Italy.
This version of the discount was set to expire on January 31. While this discount has come up for renewal in the past, it has always been extended in advance of the deadline. So, we were worried when this discount still hadn't been extended by yesterday.
Want the good news or the bad news? Let's start with the good. British Airways has extended this AARP discount through December 31, 2017. The bad news is that the discount has been cut for business and first-class flights. Instead of saving $400 per round-trip, AARP members will only save $200 per booking. However, economy and premium economy travelers retain their discounts ($65 and $130, respectively).
You can now book flights using this promotion through December 31, 2017 for flights as far out at March 31, 2018. Besides that, all of the terms and conditions remain the same from the previous version.
Bottom Line
The $400 AARP discount was a bit too good to be true. So, we are saddened but not surprised that it's been slashed in half. Still, if you're going to fly transatlantic, an AARP membership is a no-brainer. British Airways has been offering really cheap economy fares, as it continues to battle with low-cost carrier Norwegian for transatlantic market share, while discounted premium-cabin fares continue to pop up from time to time as well.
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