We've Made an Avios Calculator: Calculate Your British Airways Avios Worth in Seconds

If you've been collecting Avios for a while, you've probably wondered whether it's better to spend them on flights or just pay cash and save your points for later.

The answer depends entirely on how much value you're getting per point. And that varies dramatically depending on which route you're booking and which cabin class you choose.

We've built a calculator that does the maths for you, showing exactly how many Avios you need, and what your Avios could be worth on any British Airways route from London.

You can find the Avios Calculator here (or find it under "Guide and Tools"), but keep reading for an explanation on how it works.

How Avios Redemptions Work

When you book a flight using Avios, you pay with points instead of cash. You'll still need to cover taxes and fees in real money, but the seat itself is paid for with the Avios used if you have enough.

The question is: how many Avios do British Airways want, and is that a good deal compared to just buying the ticket normally?

For example, BA might charge 13,000 Avios plus £1 in taxes for a one-way Economy flight to Madrid. If the same flight costs £120 in cash, you're effectively getting £119 of value from 13,000 points. That works out to 0.92 pence per Avios.

Is 0.92p per Avios good? That depends on what else you could use those Avios for. If a Business Class flight to New York gives you around 1.5p per point, you'd be better off paying cash for Madrid and saving your Avios for that trip across the pond.

What the Avios Calculator Shows You

The calculator makes these comparisons instant. Select any of British Airways' 213 destinations from London, pick your cabin class (Economy, Premium Economy, Business, or First Class where available), and it shows you four key numbers:

Avios Required: How many points BA charges for that route, plus the cash taxes you'll still need to pay. BA has different prices for "peak" and "off-peak" travel dates, which you can toggle between.

Typical Cash Price: What you'd normally pay if you bought the same ticket with money. The calculator shows this as a range (like £350-£550) because prices vary dramatically depending on how far ahead you book and how busy the route is.

Savings vs Cash: How much money you're effectively saving by using Avios instead of paying the cash fare.

Value Per Point: The big number - how many pence of value you're getting for each Avios point you spend. This is calculated by dividing the difference in cash amounts by the number of Avios required, then multiplying by 100 to get pence.

The calculator then rates each redemption as Excellent (1.5p+ per point), Good (1-1.5p), Fair (0.7-0.9p), or Poor (below 0.7p) so you can quickly see if it's worth booking.

What Counts as Good Value?

There's no universal rule, but most Avios "experts" suggest aiming for at least 1.0 pence per point. Anything below that and you're probably better off using your points elsewhere. Above 1.5p per point is genuinely excellent value.

Premium cabins on long-haul routes typically deliver the best value. Business Class to Singapore, Sydney, or The Maldives often hits 1.5-2p per point because the cash fares for those seats are expensive (£2,500-4,000+) while the Avios prices, though high, represent better value.

First Class can be even better when available, especially on routes where BA charges £5,000+ for a cash ticket. A First Class seat to Sydney might cost 184,000 Avios but save you £6,000-9,000 compared to paying cash, making that fantastic value at around 3.5p per point.

Short-haul Economy flights within the UK and Europe, on the other hand, often give poor value. BA's cash fares for Edinburgh or Amsterdam are frequently cheap enough (£60-120) that using 10,000+ Avios doesn't make much sense. You're better off paying £80 and keeping your points for something that delivers better value.

Off-peak pricing makes a significant difference. BA charges fewer Avios for flights during their "off-peak" periods (typically mid-week and outside school holidays). The gap can be substantial - Sydney Business Class costs 159,500 Avios off-peak versus 187,000 peak. That's 27,500 Avios saved for the exact same seat.

Important Caveats

The calculator shows one-way pricing because that's how BA prices award flights. If you're booking a return trip, you'll need roughly double the Avios and double the taxes, though occasionally BA charges slightly different amounts for each direction.

The cash prices are estimates based on typical BA fares seen across different booking windows. Your actual comparison will depend on the specific cash fare available when you search. If you're looking at a concrete booking, use the actual price BA is quoting rather than my estimate.

This calculator tells you if a redemption is good value, but it can't tell you if seats are available. BA's award availability can be limited, especially in premium cabins on popular routes. Just because Business Class to Tokyo looks like excellent value doesn't mean you'll find a seat on your preferred dates. Use tools such as Reward Flight Finder or Seatspy to easy search all BA Avios availability.

Using the British Airways Avios Calculator

The tool is free and doesn't require any signup. Pick your destination, select your cabin class, toggle between peak and off-peak if you want to compare, and you'll instantly see whether that redemption is worth pursuing.

You'll find the Avios Calculator here! Or find it under "Guides and Tools".

Any feedback, or ideas you'd like us to implement, leave a comment down below, or email sam@pointswellmade.co.uk.

BA award pricing data current as of December 2025

Sam

Points Well Made is a passion project of Sam and Helena with a loyal following. If you like what we do, and wish to help us continue to create the content you love, please consider buying us a Kofi, or subscribing monthly. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.