British Airways devalued Avios by up to 14% — and members did the maths

Avios is the loyalty currency of British Airways (part of IAG), earned and spent by millions of UK members through The British Airways Club, formerly the Executive Club. For years the Avios price of a reward flight had stayed roughly flat, which members treated as an implicit promise. In early December 2025 BA announced that, from 15 December, reward flights would cost more — in both Avios and cash.

The devaluation hit every award flight, on BA and on Oneworld partners such as American, Alaska and Japan Airlines. The Avios price rose by 8–14% across the board, and the taxes and carrier surcharges on BA-operated tickets rose by up to 20%. A business-class reward from London Heathrow to New York went from 80,000 to 88,000 Avios plus about $410 in fees; some short-haul partner awards rose 14%. BA said the increase reflected rising Air Passenger Duty and third-party charges, changing market conditions and ongoing inflation.

The points community did the maths route by route, sharing before-and-after screenshots. Members called it 'death by a thousand cuts' and a soak of loyal customers; one long-time US gold member asked why he should stay if Avios were 'essentially worthless' for transatlantic flights. The sharpest criticism was for the wider reset — a rebrand to The British Airways Club and a shift to spend-based status — which members felt had been sold with misleading cheerfulness. Commentators noted that, for once, an airline had simply admitted it was raising prices rather than dressing it up as a benefit.