British Airways loyalty members can now book all flights for less than $2 plus Avios
Executive Club loyalty members can now book any British Airways flight for just 1 pound ($1.24) plus Avios.
British Airways has expanded its Avios part-payment service as of Tuesday. Now, it's possible to get even larger cash discounts in exchange for paying part of a fare with Avios.
Before this change, the discount you would receive as part of an Avios part-payment fare depended on several factors, varying by route and the time you booked. Now, British Airways is giving all customers the option to reduce the cash fare of their booking to just 1 pound.
Related: A guide to British Airways' Reward Flight Saver redemptions
Similar prices have previously been available as part of Reward Flight Saver tickets, which are different from Avios part-payment fares. Avios Reward Flight Saver fares are featured in a limited number on each flight and allow you to pay more Avios and less cash for redemptions.
The new changes mean you can use your Avios to receive a cash discount on any seat booked.
"We've listened to our Members' feedback and we're really excited to be introducing this latest update for them," Colm Lacy, British Airways' chief commercial officer, said in a statement. "We know that most of our customers choose the lowest cash amount when it comes to making Reward Flight bookings, so we anticipate this to be a popular option for those using Avios part payment too."
Executive Club members will still collect Avios and tier points on any flights booked using cash and Avios; they will also be able to use the same system for flights operated by American Airlines between the U.K. and North America, and British Airways codeshares.
At a glance, these new updates to the Executive Club program may seem like a great deal. However, it's worth noting that making a part-cash, part-points payment often offers worse value than what you would get from a standard award redemption.
Reward fares are also much more flexible, with the ability to cancel or change your booking up to 24 hours before you're due to depart. We'll be crunching the numbers later this week to give you a full breakdown of where to find the best value for your points.
The changes follow an update last year when British Airways Holidays introduced Avios part-payment, with holiday package bookings starting from 1 pound plus Avios.
Bottom line
British Airways has expanded its Avios part-payment system so that you can now pay less than $2 plus Avios for any flight. On the one hand, this is a good move that will appeal to some Executive Club members; however, compared to standard reward fares, it will likely not provide great value as a redemption.
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