Do you have a balance of 25,000 British Airways Avios you want to use up? Look no further! This guide to the best Avios redemptions under 25,000 Avios is for you.
In this guide, we will cover all the different types of British Airways Avios Redemptions to maximise the redemption value you receive from redeeming your points.
As a reminder, Redemption Value is defined as:
= (Cash price of flight – Avios co-payment/airport fees and taxes) / Number of Avios required
Whether you are based in the USA, UK, Europe, Asia or Oceania, through British Airways’ own flight network, oneworld partner airlines’ flight network, and British Airways’ non-Oneworld partners, there are thousands of redemption flights available everyday all over the globe.
Below, we will also cover the best Avios redemptions to use your British Airways Avios other than just for British Airways flights, including for cabin upgrades, to make your journey that little bit more enjoyable.
How to Book a British Airways Redemption Flight
The easiest way to book a British Airways Avios redemption flight is through the “Book with Avios” function on the British Airways website.
Simply log in to your British Airways Executive Club account, click “Book with Avios” and experiment with the route you are after to see availability.
If you are more flexible with your route, dates or cabin, use the “Check British Airways Availability” tool to see a calendar view for the route selected and in the specific cabin you are after.
Note, for flights with oneworld or non-onewolrd partner airlines, you must use the “Search and Book” tool and unfortunately you must search the route and date manually as there is no calendar view available for partner flights.
Play around with routes and dates until you find what you are after, and then you can click through and book the flight.
With British Airways, there will be a co-payment to pay for the airport fees and taxes in addition to the Avios for the flight, but with Rewards Flight Saver, this payment can be as little as £1 on some routes.
Uncover Hidden Gems: Amazing Avios Redemptions Under 25K
So without further ado, let’s explore several different ways to maximise your redemption value, under 25,000 Avios:
Rewards Flight Saver
With British Airways Economy redemption flights starting from just 9,250 Avios + 50p ($0.63), there are many short-haul destinations in the British Airways flight network to or from London that make great redemption opportunities. You can adjust the cash payment and reduce the number of Avios required if needed.
The sweet spot for Economy here is the option with the £17.50 ($22.16) co-payment to maximise redemption value. Amsterdam, Dublin, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Glasgow, Inverness, Paris, Manchester, Jersey or Brussels all make great shorter redemption opportunities at the low-end, only requiring 4,750 Avios + £17.50 ($22.16). Flights to these destinations can be really expensive in normal times, but using Avios for flights to these destinations at peak holiday times, school holidays or last-minute can maximise your redemption value.
Note that British Airways has off-peak and peak pricing depending on the travel dates you are after, so worth checking the British Airways availability calendar to see if there are any off-peak dates around your intended dates of travel if you have flexibility to save Avios. Rewards Flight Saver has been extended to long-haul destinations too across the British Airways flight network, but more on that later.
Rewards Flight Saver Club Europe
To step the redemption value up even further, booking in Club Europe for European flights to and from London is a great way to enjoy a taste of luxury and the best British Airways have to offer for minimal cost.
Flights start from 15,000 Avios + 50p ($0.63) but the best value Avios redemption is usually the co-payment for £25 ($31.67). At the short-haul end, these Avios redemptions start from 8,500 Avios + £25 ($31.67).
With this, you get all the perks of British Airways’ European Business Class including lounge access, an increased baggage allowance, complimentary food and drink and a middle seat blocked (not applicable on the London City Embraer flights which have a 2-2 configuration).
To maximise redemption value, booking in peak season such as the European summer period, school holidays, December holiday period or last minute all can represent great Avios redemption value, however as noted above, British Airways does have off-peak and peak pricing so worth checking the calendar view if you do have date flexibility and your date of travel happens to have peak pricing.
British Airways Premium Cabins
With an Avios budget of 25,000, you will plenty of route options in Premium Economy and Club Europe within our budget. For Club Europe, flights must be under 2,000 miles (Zone 3), Premium Economy flights must be under 3,000 miles (Zone 4) and for comparison sake, under 7,000 miles (Zone 8) in Economy to fit within our 25,000 Avios budget (some routes may require a larger co-payment).
Check out my full list of British Airways routes here within each Distance Band / Distance Zone. Note, I am making the assumption of a one-way flight here and standard co-payment, so you may be able to fly the next zone up with a higher co-payment or reduce the zone if you are after a return flight with your Avios.
Here are some “sweet-spot” route highlights from my guide that fit our criteria above:
- London to Tenerife (Club Europe, one-way or Economy, return)
- London to Istanbul (Club Europe, one-way or Economy, return)
- London to Doha (Premium Economy, one-way with increased co-payment)
- London Gatwick to Dubrovnik (Club Europe, one-way, or return with increased co-payment)
- London to Tel Aviv (Premium Economy, one-way with increased co-payment)
Make sure to check out my full destination guide by distance band, then play around with dates, cabins, routes and co-payment options in the “Book with Avios” tool to find a suitable redemption that works for your budget.
British Airways: Sweet Spot Routes
British Airways Flight Rewards are distance-based. These distance bands, along with time of year (off peak or peak) and cabin, determine how many Avios you require. This uncovers sweet spot destinations that are just inside the maximum distance of each distance band that maximise your redemption. Check out my other article on the destinations within each distance band, for sweet spots that maximise the time and distance you spend in the air. As mentioned above, in order to look for best Avios redemptions under 25,000 Avios, you should look for (one-way):
- Zone 8 or below in Economy
- Zone 4 or below in Premium Economy
- Zone 3 or below in Club Europe
Note that you can increase the co-payment applicable (with Rewards Flight Saver now on all British Airways flights) to also reduce the number of Avios required if you are looking at flights longer than these thresholds.
In all, sweet spot routes maximise your time in the air for the same Avios required. This is especially worthwhile in premium cabins, especially in Club Suite and British Airways First, where like me, you probably don’t want to leave.
Jetsetting on a Budget: Cheap Flight Deals with British Airways Avios
Checking the redemption value versus the cash price is imperative to maximising the amount of value you get from redeeming your Avios. Sometimes, it’s cheaper to just pay cash, or seek alternative routes with a cheaper “repositioning” flight onwards to your final destination.
Split Ticketing Example: New York to Barcelona
To experiment with redemption routing like this, take key British Airways or oneworld hubs where there are multiple regularly-scheduled flights such as New York to London.
Say you wanted to fly New York to Barcelona. Booking the New York to London with Avios, stopping over in London for a few hours or nights then buying a cash ticket onto Barcelona may well work out cheaper than booking with Avios or a cash price.
Note that this would require a self-transfer (you will need to pass through immigration with the correct visa, pass through customs with your baggage and check in again) so be prepared with a transfer of several hours between flights to allow for any delays on your outbound flight. Do make sure you have travel insurance if you opt to do this as the airline will not cover you for the second flight if your first flight is delayed and you miss your second flight.
Trans-Atlantic: When One-way flights cost more than Return flights
One-way flights can also represent value if you have no-need for a return flight or have a longer trip planned. Trans-Atlantic flight pricing amongst most airlines seeks to encourage return flights across the Atlantic with the same carrier or airline alliance, with return journeys frequently costing less that one-way flights. Using Avios for one-way British Airways, American Airlines, Iberia or Aer Lingus flights can represent good value when compared to cash prices if you do not require return flights, which often have no-show fines on these particular routes if you do not fly the return journey.
Off-peak Pricing
Off-peak pricing can represent best value Avios redemptions if you have flexibility in your dates. Sometimes, shifting your dates by even a day (or even a morning flight to the previous evening) can represent a big Avios saving. To check which dates have peak or off-peak pricing, click the “Find availability with British Airways on other dates” calendar when you have made a reward flight search through the “Book with Avios” tool on the British Airways website. Note this will only show availability on British Airways and sadly, not oneworld airline partners. Hopefully British Airways implements this in the future as it would be a game-changer.
A Taste of Luxury: Using your British Airways Avios to Upgrade
If you have booked flights with British Airways and paid with cash, absolutely check if there is an “Upgrade” button available to you within “Manage my Booking”. It’s not available on all bookings, in all fare classes and on all routes and is subject to availability, but when available, upgrading with cash and even better, upgrading with Avios can represent great redemption value compared to paying outright with cash for a higher cabin. To note, Economy Basic fares are excluded from upgrading with Avios or cash. If you have booked an Economy Classic fare or above, upgrading may be available to you. I had luck twice last year, once with cash, and once with Avios. Avios upgrades are priced by:
Upgraded Cabin Avios Flight Cost minus Current Cabin Cost in Avios
To fit within our 25,000 Avios budget, you could look at upgrading:
- Economy to Club Europe Return: Zone 3 or below
- Economy to Premium Economy: Zone 5 or below (13,000 Avios each way so just over 25,000 Avios return)
Whilst you won’t earn tier points of the higher cabin, you will earn tier points on the cabin of the original fare. Using Avios to pay for an upgrade can save you a lot of money on premium cabins. The Avios earned on the cash paid fare, help offset the Avios spene on the upgrade.
Where East Meets West: Best British Airways Avios Redemptions for Asia Travel
If we look at oneworld partner flight routes under 2,000 miles within Asia, to allow for a return economy flight within our 25,000 Avios budget, we have quite a few great options. Inter-Asia flights can get expensive compared to low-cost alternatives, so the ability to redeem Avios for flights within Asia can unlock some great redemption value opportunities. Within Asia, there are four main oneworld partner airlines that operate:
- Malaysia Airlines
- Cathay Pacific
- Sri Lankan Airlines
- Japan Airlines
Whilst it will take too long to list all their routes under 2,000 miles (enough Avios for a return redemption in Economy), here are some highlights:
- BKK to HKG (Bangkok to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific)
- BKK to KUL (Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines)
- BKK to CMB (Bangkok to Colombo on Sri Lankan Airlines)
- CMB to GAN (Colombo to Gan Island on Sri Lankan Airlines)
- CMB to DEL (Colombo to New Delhi on Sri Lankan Airlines)
- CMB to SIN (Colombo to Singapore on Sri Lankan Airlines)
- HKG to SIN (Hong Kong to Singapore on Cathay Pacific)
- HKG to TYO (Hong Kong to Haneda, JAL or Narita, Cathay Pacific)
- HKG to KIX (Hong Kong to Osaka on Cathay Pacific)
- HKG to ICN (Hong Kong to Seoul on Cathay Pacific)
These inter-Asia routes can provide good redemption value compared to other flight routes, so if you are travelling through Asia, it’s worth checking if there is Avios availability.
Island Hopping: Best British Airways Avios Redemptions in the Caribbean
There are tons of fantastic Avios redemption opportunities within the Caribbean Basin that you can redeem Avios for, travelling with American Airlines. For simplicity, I am also including the Mexican East Coast destinations in this list below. These all fit within our 25,000 Avios budget.
With only 7,500 British Airways Avios one-way or 15,000 British Airways Avios return, you can fly the following routes to and from Miami in the Caribbean with American Airlines:
7,500 Avios one-way
- Bahamas
- Miami to/from Freeport
- Miami to/from Marsh Harbour
- Miami to/from Nassau
- Miami to/from North Eleuthera
- Miami to/from George Town
- Cayman Islands
- Miami to/from Grand Cayman
- Turks and Caicos
- Miami to/from Providenciales
- Mexico
- Miami to/from Cancun
- Miami to/from Cozumel
- Jamaica
- Miami to/from Kingston
Additionally, if you increase your Avios budget to 9,000 Avios each way, the following routes are possible redemptions with American Airlines, with some additional origin cities in addition to Miami:
9,000 Avios one-way
- Belize
- Miami to/from Belize City
- Haiti
- Miami to/from Port-au-Prince
- Fort Lauderdale to/from Port-au-Prince
- Aruba
- Miami to/from Oranjestad
- Dominican Republic
- Miami to/from Puerto Plata
- Miami to/from Santiago
- Miami to/from Santo Domingo
- Miami to/from Punta Cana
- Columbia
- Miami to/from San Andrés Island
- Miami to/from Cartagena de Indias
- Miami to/from Barranquilla
- Honduras
- Miami to/from Roatán
- Mexico
- Miami to/from Chetumal
- Miami to/from Mérida
- Dallas Fort-Worth to/from Cancun
- Dallas Fort-Worth to/from Cozumel
- Charlotte to/from Cancun
- Charlotte to/from Cozumel
- Austin to/from Cancun
- Raleigh-Durham to/from Cancun
- Puerto Rico
- Miami to/from San Juan
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Miami to/from Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas)
- Miami to/from Christiansted (St. Croix)
- Bahamas
- Charlotte to/from George Town
- Charlotte to/from North Eleuthera
- Charlotte to/from Nassau
- Philadelphia to/from Nassau
- Cayman Islands
- Charlotte to/from Grand Cayman
- Turks and Caicos
- Charlotte to/from Providenciales
Increasing the budget again to 11,000 Avios each way (return flights at 22,000 Avios is still within our 25,000 Avios budget), we can start looking at some of the outer Carribean Islands and longer routes to and from the US:
11,000 Avios one-way
- Belize
- Charlotte to/from Belize City
- Bahamas
- Chicago to Nassau
- Dallas-Fort Worth to/from Nassau
- Jamaica
- New York-JFK to/from Montego Bay
- Charlotte to/from Montego Bay
- Philadelphia to/from Montego Bay
- Chicago to/from Montego Bay
- Dallas-Fort Worth to/from Montego Bay
- Boston to/from Montego Bay
- Aruba
- Charlotte to/from Oranjestad
- Philadelphia to/from Oranjestad
- Dominican Republic
- Charlotte to/from Puerto Plata
- Philadelphia to/from Punta Cana
- Charlotte to/from Punta Cana
- New York-JFK to/from Punta Cana
- Chicago to/from Punta Cana
- Boston to/from Punta Cana
- Curaçao
- Charlotte to/from Willemstad
- Grenada
- Charlotte to/from St Georges
- Antigua
- Charlotte to/from Antigua
- New York-JFK to/from Antigua
- Puerto Rico
- Charlotte to/from San Juan
- Philadelphia to/from San Juan
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Charlotte to/from Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas)
- New York-JFK to/from Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas)
- Philadelphia to/from Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas)
- St Lucia
- Charlotte to/from St Lucia
- Philadelphia to/from St Lucia
- Cayman Islands
- Philadelphia to/from Grand Cayman
- Chicago to/from Grand Cayman
- Dallas-Fort Worth to/from Grand Cayman
- Turks and Caicos
- Philadelphia to/from Providenciales
- New York-JFK to/from Providenciales
- Chicago to/from Providenciales
- Dallas-Fort Worth to/from Providenciales
- Boston to/from Providenciales
- Mexico
- New York-JFK to/from Cancun
- Philadelphia to/from Cancun
- Philadelphia to/from Cozumel
- St Maarten
- New York-JFK to Simpson Bay
- Philadelphia to Simpson Bay
- Saint Kitts
- New York-JFK to Basseterre
- Miami to Basseterre
This is a definitely one of the best avios redemptions in my opinion, as these flights can absolutely get pricey around peak holiday season (such as the December holiday period). There are plenty of options to take advantage of here, and you could easily build yourself a multi-island Caribbean holiday fully on points. Do note that direct flights between islands seem to be few and far between, so you may need to route through Miami or Mexico.
Across the Outback: Qantas Redemption Opportunities
Qantas is an often forgotten-about airline being at the “bottom of the world”. They have an extensive flight network within Australia, with many great off-the-beaten-track destinations. Some of these regional destinations can be expensive due to Qantas having a monopoly on certain regional routes.
Whilst award availability can be scarce, if you happen to be visiting Australia, it can be worth looking to see if there is Avios award availability to extend your trip to some fantastic destinations such as Lord Howe Island, Perth (with increased co-payment), Cairns, Darwin, Adelaide, Tasmania, Ayers Rock and Alice Springs – all great getaway destinations within our 25,000 Avios budget for return flights.
In fact, I also recently used Avios for a flight from Sydney to Melbourne in Qantas Business Class which was a really enjoyable experience and at an impressive redemption value. It will absolutely require a lot more experimentation with the British Airways “Book with Avios” tool due to limited rewards availability, but it is entirely possible to get great value here if you do happen to be visiting Australia.
Hawaiian Sunset: Best Domestic US British Airways Redemptions
Domestic US flights can be EXPENSIVE! Luckily, British Airways Avios can be used for award flights on oneworld partners, Alaska Airlines and American Airlines, at fixed rate redemptions based on flight distance. This is especially beneficial on expensive flight routes, such as low-competition regional routes, Hawaii to US Mainland flights, trans-continental routes.
Like British Airways’ own Rewards Flight Saver, last-minute or peak holiday or summer season travel can maximise the redemption value here if there is award space available. Whilst airport taxes and fees still need to be paid in cash, Avios redemptions start from just 7,500 Avios + taxes. Do note that British Airways has a multi-carrier award chart for booking two or more Oneworld carrier flights together, however at a minimum of 30,000 Avios + taxes for the shortest total distance under 1,500 miles, these generally represent poor redemption value compared to booking individual short-haul flights. Therefore, for Domestic US routes, booking either one-way or return point-to-point flights is generally better value than multi-stop (Avios multi-carrier) flights.
Don’t forget about exploring US to Mexico or US to Canada flights as well as good savings can also be had by using Avios compared to the cash price for flights. US West Coast to Hawaii flights start from just 13,000 Avios each way in Economy, which can also represent a huge saving compared to usual cash prices.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are plenty of different Avios redemption opportunities under 25,000 Avios all over the globe to uncover. By being flexible with dates and routes, you too can discover cheap flights and cheap travel worldwide. With British Airways being part of the oneworld alliance (as well as having their own partner airlines), you are not just limited to the British Airways flight network (which mainly consists of flights to and from London with limited fifth freedom routes), but award availability on oneworld and partner airlines all over the globe. With so many easy ways to earn Avios and some fantastic cheap redemption opportunities under 25,000 Avios, if you haven’t already, sign up for British Airways Executive Club today.
If you have any additional suggestions to add to the best Avios redemptions under 25K Avios above, please email me at [email protected] or leave a comment below. I want to hear about it and share it with our readers!