Class Action Settlement: Are 12,500 - 35,000 British Airways Avios Heading Your Way?

I'm sure you get tons of 'junk email' every day, and it can be very hard to differentiate the real email from the garbage. An email related to British Airways Avios was just sent out to many in the miles and points community, and you do not want to accidentally overlook it.

The email was informing that if you have had a valid United States address on file with the British Airways Executive Club, and you redeemed British Airways Avios for an award ticket from November 9, 2006 - April 17, 2013, then you may be able to claim some Avios or even cash as part of a class action settlement.

The subject line of the email is "Dover v. British Airways Fuel Surcharge Class Action Notice", and if you have the email then it is very likely you can claim cash or British Airways Avios because a settlement was reached after the "class" alleged that the fuel surcharges charged on award flights were not reasonably related to the price or cost of fuel. British Airways denies any wrongdoing, but none the less, a settlement was reached, and those within the class who paid a fuel surcharge on a British Airways award during that timeframe may have a 'payout' waiting for them.

If you meet the criteria of the settlement, then you can select an Avios payment between 12,500 - 35,000 Avios, depending on how many times you redeemed Avios during the class period. Alternatively, you can choose a cash option that will equate to 16.9% of the total fuel surcharges you paid during the included timeframe out of the estimated aggregate settlement payment of $27,125,000.

I don't frequently book award tickets that come with big fuel surcharges, so in my case, I was offered either 12,500 Avios or $14.09. That was easy math as I value 12,500 Avios at well over $150, so I went with the Avios. As you may already know, even if you don't frequently fly on British Airways, 12,500 Avios is enough for a nonstop flight of up to 3,000 flown miles on partners such as Alaska or American Airlines. That means you could fly something like Phoenix to Honolulu for just this amount of this settlement, which is clearly worth more than $14.09.

Thanks to all involved with this settlement for my 'free' flight to Hawaii!

Once I selected Avios as my payment, I was told they would be automatically deposited in my British Airways Executive Club account within 30 days.

The good news for those who may miss the email is that if you are included in the settlement, then even if you do nothing, you will still get the Avios awarded at some point after July 29, 2018. This is assuming you don't opt out and you still have an active Executive Club account. If you want the cash option, you must make that claim by July 29, 2018.

If you think you should be eligible for this settlement but did not receive the email with a unique identifying number for your account then you can head to www.fuelsurchargeclassaction.com, send an email to info@fuelsurchargeclassaction.com, or call 1-833-261-2496.

Did you have this email in your inbox and what were your settlement options?