British Airways Extends AARP Discounts for Economy, Business and First Class

Update: British Airways has reduced the economy and premium economy discounts to previous levels ($65 for World Traveler and $130 for World Traveler Plus), but all four discounts (including business and first class) are now available for bookings made through October 21, 2016.

Great news, economy travelers: British Airways has increased the AARP discount for economy and premium economy flights. While you previously could save $65 off economy flights and $130 off premium economy flights, the discount has now been sweetened to $100 per person per round-trip in economy and $200 per person per round-trip in premium economy.

Effective immediately, the AARP discount on new bookings are as follows:

– $100 off for travel in World Traveller (economy)
– $200 off for travel in World Traveller Plus (premium economy)
– $400 off for travel in Club World (business class)
– $400 off for travel in First

If this discount is new to you, we did a deep dive into the AARP discount last week — so start here. Remember that the AARP discount is good only for transatlantic round-trip flights originating in the US and booked through British Airways' AARP portal.

The current terms of the AARP discount require you to book by July 31, 2016 and fly by March 31, 2017. If you have your heart set on a trip, it's a good idea to book before then. However, this AARP discount has been extended multiple times in the past. Considering these positive changes are coming just weeks before the current ending date, we can be optimistic that it'll be extended.

The AARP discount website doesn't reflect these changes yet, though BA's site does, and the changes are certainly already in effect. With a quick Google Flights search, I found Houston-Johannesburg for $768 round-trip over Thanksgiving. This is already a steal to fly across the world to a great destination, but the deal gets even better when you apply the AARP discount — dropping the price $100 to $668 per person.

Note that you won't be racking up many American Airlines miles on British Airways economy flights. You currently only earn 25% of the flight miles as redeemable miles and only 0.5 elite-qualifying miles, so these flights are not mileage run material. But, this AARP discount is a great way of getting a cheaper transatlantic flight with typically good service.

If you haven't experienced British Airways "World Traveller" economy before, note that the onboard hard product varies between aircraft types. Don't worry, we've covered many of the options in detailed flight reviews:

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• British Airways A380 World Traveller (economy) — Johannesburg to London
• British Airways 747-400 World Traveller (economy) — London to Johannesburg
• British Airways 787-8 World Traveller (economy) — London to Austin

You might want to opt for the newer A380 or 787 Dreamliner — if you have the choice — rather than the older 747-400.

Have you taken advantage of the AARP discount?

H/T: No Mas Couch