British Airways raised the cash element of its Avios Reward Flights on 27 May 2026. The change is already live. Every new Reward Flight booking now costs more in cash than it did last week.

The Avios count stays the same. What went up is the cash portion of your booking, covering taxes, fees and carrier charges. This is the part that varies by route and cabin.

On a return to New York in Club World, the cash element jumped from £399 to £499, an extra £100 per person. On some shorter routes the proportional rise is even steeper.

What Actually Changed

Every BA Reward Flight has two parts: a fixed Avios amount and a cash element covering taxes, fees and carrier charges. This time, only the cash side moved.

The Avios required for each route are unchanged. A London to New York return in Club World still costs 176,000 Avios, exactly as before.

What changed is the cash bill. That same New York Club World return now carries a £499 cash element. Last week it was £399.

On shorter routes, the pound amounts are smaller but the proportional jump is steep. A one-way London to Amsterdam in economy was £1. It is now £2.50.

BA published four off-peak examples. London to Rome one-way in Club Europe: 22,000 Avios plus £20. London to Cape Town return in economy: 66,000 Avios plus £190.

Head for Points, which tracks every Avios change, puts the combined cash increase at between 10 and 33 percent across routes, depending on the destination and cabin.

BA cited air passenger duty, rising third-party charges, changing market conditions and ongoing inflation as reasons behind the move.

A spokesperson said BA had not passed on a previous APD rise. The latest changes reflect a situation that had become, in their words, “more challenging.”

Flights booked before 27 May keep their original prices. Nothing changes on existing Reward Flight bookings, regardless of travel date.

This follows the December 2025 devaluation, when BA raised both Avios and cash elements together. That round added roughly 10 percent to Avios costs and between 3 and 23 percent to the cash element on top.

What Avios Holders Are Saying

The reaction from regular Avios holders has been weary rather than surprised. Incremental devaluations have become a pattern the frequent flyer community now tracks closely.

On FlyerTalk’s British Airways Club forum, members have been logging each devaluation in detail since the December 2025 round landed:

“It’ll only be a true devaluation if the cash fares are not going up by similar amounts.”

FlyerTalk’s BA Club forum tracked the December 2025 devaluation in real time, with members calculating the combined Avios and cash impact. The May 2026 cash increase is the second wave of increases since that thread opened. View on FlyerTalk

Rewards account @ukrewards on Threads was among the first to flag the May change to its followers, describing it bluntly:

“No more £1 flights. This is now the second Avios devaluation in less than six months, with some routes increasing by up to 33% in taxes and surcharges.”

View on Threads

@ukrewards flagged the change as soon as the BA email arrived, noting it was the second devaluation in under six months with surcharges rising by up to a third on some routes. View on Threads

Rob Burgess at Head for Points, the UK’s most-read Avios site, gave a precise breakdown of the combined damage from both devaluations in five months:

“This is the second devaluation in just five months. The earlier changes led to a 10% increase in the Avios element and 3% to 23% increase in the cash element. This change represents an additional 10% to 33%.”

Head for Points alerted its readers days before the 27 May deadline, giving members a narrow window to lock in Reward Flight bookings at the old pricing. Their May 2026 analysis confirmed the combined cash increase now stands at 10 to 33 percent since last December. Read the full analysis

Are Your Avios Still Worth Using?

The honest answer: it depends entirely on the route you want to book.

Long-haul BA flights in premium cabins have always carried high surcharges. At £499 cash for a New York Club World return, you are paying a significant fee on top of 176,000 Avios.

Before booking, compare the Avios plus cash total against the best available cash fare on the same route. The gap is often smaller than it looks.

Short-haul European Reward Flights still offer strong value. London to Amsterdam at 10,000 Avios plus £2.50, or Rome in Club Europe at 22,000 Avios plus £20, remain excellent last-minute options.

Partner airline redemptions are also worth checking. Iberia, American Airlines and Qatar Airways can all be booked with BA Avios and often carry lower surcharges than BA-operated flights.

Simon Calder, travel correspondent at The Independent, put the wider lesson plainly: “It’s a reminder not to hang on too long to frequent flyer points, because devaluation is inevitable.”

What You Should Do Now

If you have Avios in your account and a trip in mind, here is how to approach your next booking.

1. Check the total cost, not just the Avios. Add the Avios value (roughly 1p each) to the new cash element before comparing with the best available cash fare on ba.com.
2. Look at partner airlines for long-haul trips. Iberia for Madrid and beyond, American Airlines for US routes, and Qatar Airways often carry lower surcharges than BA-operated flights for the same Avios spend.
3. Use Avios for short-haul at short notice. Last-minute European cash fares regularly reach £150 or more. A Club Europe Rome return for 44,000 Avios plus £40 still beats that comfortably.
4. Do not sit on a large balance. Avios have devalued twice in five months. Waiting for the perfect redemption means accepting further erosion of value.

Why BA Keeps Raising the Price

British Airways is not alone. Air France/KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Cathay Pacific and Scandinavian Airlines have all raised award ticket surcharges in the past year.

Airlines face rising fuel costs, higher APD and increased airport fees. Loyalty programme surcharges have become one way to recover those costs without touching published fare prices.

The December 2025 increase raised both Avios and cash elements. The May 2026 increase raised only cash. Head for Points calculates the combined effect at 10 to 33 percent more on the cash bill since last December.

The Civil Aviation Authority does not regulate loyalty programme pricing. Avios is a commercial product and BA can change the terms with whatever notice it chooses.

The practical response has not changed: earn Avios broadly, redeem them smartly for short-haul and last-minute trips, and never assume that holding points is the same as holding value.