Skip to content
Go to Home Page
News

Best Options for Booking British Airways’ Excellent New Business Class Suites

March 18, 2019
•
5 min read
181210NM_Vector-0108_RT (1)
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.

British Airways just unveiled its brand new Club World product, which is expected to debut on its first Airbus A350-1000 in July 2019. For the first time in years, award travelers will actually want to seek out British Airways business class.

If you're looking to try out the new business class product, here are the points and miles that you'll want to have, and how to book.

Routes

In the announcement Monday morning, British Airways said that it's going to initially fly the A350 on runs between London and Madrid (MAD) to allow crew to familiarize themselves with the new aircraft. However, the new aircraft hasn't been loaded into the schedule yet, so it's not bookable at this time.

Starting in October, the first long-haul routes for the new aircraft will be between London and Toronto (YYZ) and then to Dubai (DXB). However, not every London to Toronto and London to Dubai flight will get the new product. From what's been loaded into the schedule so far, the aircraft will operate on the following schedule:

  • BA 93 — London Heathrow (LHR) 1:05pm Departure ⇒ Toronto (YYZ) 3:55pm Arrival
  • BA 92 — Toronto (YYZ) 6:30pm Departure ⇒ London Heathrow (LHR) 6:40am Arrival +1 day
  • BA 107 — London Heathrow (LHR) 12:50pm Departure ⇒ Dubai (DXB) 11:05pm Arrival
  • BA 106 — Dubai (DXB) 1:30am Departure ⇒ London Heathrow (LHR) 6:15am Arrival

Rates

The award rates and best ways to book these flights depends on the route:

BA business class (one-way)LHR-MADLHR-DXBLHR-YYZTransfer Partner
British Airways Avios (peak)
15,000
60,000
60,000
MR, UR, Marriott
British Airways Avios (off-peak)
12,750
50,000
50,000
MR, UR, Marriott
JAL Mileage Bank
24,000
42,000
42,000
Marriott
Cathay Asia Miles
30,000
50,000
50,000
MR, TY, Marriott
American AAdvantage
22,500
42,500
62,500
Marriott

The math is different for round-trip awards:

BA business class (round-trip)LHR-MADLHR-DXBLHR-YYZTransfer Partner
British Airways Avios (peak)
30,000
120,000
120,000
MR, UR, Marriott
British Airways Avios (off-peak)
25,500
100,000
100,000
MR, UR, Marriott
JAL Mileage Bank
30,000
80,000
80,000
Marriott
Cathay Asia Miles
60,000
100,000
100,000
MR, TY, Marriott
American AAdvantage
45,000
85,000
125,000
Marriott

As you can see, Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to all of the top options, making these points the most flexible currency for scoring awards in the new British Airways Club World product.

Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

You can stock up on Marriott points by applying for the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card or the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card, which are both offering a 100,000 Bonus Points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

As a transfer partner of British Airways and Asia Miles, American Express Membership Rewards are another top transferable currency to accumulate for BA Club World awards on these routes. There's plenty of ways of racking up these points -- including through the

  • The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel, up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year; then 1x and prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel)
  • The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (5x points on airfare and prepaid hotel rooms booked with American Express Travel and 1.5x points on all purchases over $5,000; up to an 1 million additional points per year)
  • American Express® Gold Card (4x points at restaurants; 4x points at US supermarkets up to $25,000 per calendar year; then 1x and 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com)
  • The Blue Business®️ Plus Credit Card from American Express (2x points on all purchases up to $50,000 per calendar year; then 1x)

Searching Award Availability

There's a few different ways of checking award availability on British Airways. Most obviously, you can just use British Airways' built-in search tool. Especially if you're going to book with Avios, there's simplicity to being able to complete your booking if you find award availability.

BA's site will only show you one day of availability at a time, although you can click through the date tabs to search +/- 3 days. I've found that BA doesn't like you clicking around too much and will pop up Captcha challenges after a short amount of clicking around.

So, if your dates are flexible, you're going to want to use a different search method than British Airways. One of our favorite sites for searching Oneworld award availability is Qantas' website -- which lets you search up to a month of availability at a time.

Just a warning that you're going to get a lot of false positives when looking for British Airways business class flights between London and Dubai since Qantas is also partners with Emirates. So, you might want to skip this method for Dubai flights:

Finally, ExpertFlyer is an invaluable tool for both award searching and award availability alerts. If you're new to ExpertFlyer, here's a comprehensive guide on how to get started.

b

Featured image by Nick Morrish/British Airways
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

TPG featured card

Best for dining at restaurants

American Express® Gold Card

Apply for American Express® Gold Card
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
TPG Editor‘s Rating
4 / 5
Go to review
Apply for American Express® Gold Card
at American Express's secure site

Rewards

1 - 4X points

Intro offer

As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

Annual Fee

$325

Recommended Credit

Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • 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.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $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.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.
Apply for American Express® Gold Card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for dining at restaurants

American Express® Gold Card

TPG Editor‘s Rating
4 / 5
Go to review

Rewards Rate

4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
4XEarn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
3XEarn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
2XEarn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
1XEarn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.

  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

    Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • 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.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $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.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.