British Airways is running a massive sale when using Avios to book flights, offering 25% off award rates on short-haul journeys within Europe and 50% off all long-haul flights.
Best of all, these discounts apply to every single British Airways flight, whether you're flying economy or First Class. That means you can fly economy from the U.S. to London-Heathrow (LHR) for as low as British Airways First Class from the U.S. to Europe for as low as 34,000 miles each way! Flights from Oct. 13, 2020 through June 30, 2021 are eligible for these discounts.
These discounts apply automatically when you search at BA.com – no need to punch in a code or register for this promo. Only British Airways flights are eligible, so you won't see lower pricing on partner awards like Iberia or Qatar Airways.
Book by next Tuesday, Oct. 13 to get these deals!
The one hitch with this deal is that the mandatory taxes and fees on these award redemptions won't be discounted. And with British Airways, those fees can be enormous. They range from roughly $80 on a one-way economy ticket to nearly $2,000 on some business or first class round-trip itineraries. Even a round-trip economy ticket gets hit with more than $300 in fees.
Still, there is plenty of value here. And award space on British Airways first and business class is plentiful, so you shouldn't have a hard time finding the seats you want for travel as far out as early summer 2021.
Diving into the Deals
British Airways uses a distance-based award chart, where award rates are set based upon the length of your flight. That means you'll get the best deals starting from the East Coast.
For example, you can fly economy one-way from Boston (BOS) to London-Heathrow (LHR) for just 6,500 Avios.Â
Or fly British Airways' new business class suites with a door from New York City (JFK) to London for just 25,000 miles each way.Â
Luckily, flights from Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) to London can be booked at those same rates, too. Just 6,500 Avios for a one-way ticket in economy, 25,000 Avios for business class, or 34,000 Avios to fly First Class. While paying $700-plus in fees stinks, it still beats the normal $7,000-plus cost of these first class tickets.
Venture west from Chicago, and the rates start to inch up. But at 50% there are still amazing deals, like using just 31,250 Avios for the long flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to London in business class.
The list goes on and on (and on and on). If it's a British Airways flight, you can book it at BA.com for up to 50% off.Â
With much of Europe still banning American travelers and no end in sight to the uncertainty surrounding travel due to coronavirus, booking a big international trip may feel like a gamble. But it may be worth booking at these discounted rates before they expire next Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Worst case scenario, you can cancel your British Airways award ticket to get your Avios (and taxes and fees) back by paying a reasonable $55 redeposit fee.
Bottom Line
These discounts are enormous, and – dare I say it? – unheard of. And while there are still hefty fees on these discounted British Airways awards, you could still come out far ahead booking travel through June 2021.
Book by next Tuesday, Oct. 13 to take advantage!