The £2.50 Avios flight isn't wrong, it's just not the best option when buying a reward flight
As I often do, I was on the BA website this week pricing up a flight from London to Berlin. Once I'd chosen my flight, BA had already made a choice for me, that I'd want to pay 10,000 Avios plus £2.50, ticked and ready to go.
I can't lie, £2.50 is a nice number. Berlin for less than a flat white. It's the figure you'll see in every "I flew to Europe for £2.50" reel and all of the BA marketing, and I completely get why, who doesn't want a flight for only £2.50?
But there were five other options underneath the Avios + £2.50 option, and one of them is a smarter use of your Avios, and the one I'd pick every time.
What BA is actually offering you
When you book an Avios reward flight, you don't pay entirely in Avios, there's always a cash element to pay. Once you've chosen your flight and cabin, BA shows you this list and lets you choose how to split the cost between Avios and cash.
At the top, you use the most Avios and pay the least cash. At the bottom, you use the fewest Avios and pay the most cash.
It's easy to think of Avios as free. You collected them, they're sitting in your account, so spending 10,000 of them feels like it costs nothing. But Avios are a bit like money just sat in a different wallet. Every Avios you spend today is one you can't use for your next trip.
So it helps to put a price on them. At Points Well Made, we say one Avios is worth about 1p.
It means:
1,000 Avios is worth about £10
10,000 Avios is worth about £100
And so on
Once you think of Avios that way, the "£2.50 flight" looks a bit different, because you're really paying £2.50 in cash plus about £100 in Avios.
Adding it all up
Here's every option on the screen, with the Avios turned into pounds at 1p each, then added to the cash:
Option | Avios in pounds | Cash | Total cost |
10,000 Avios + £2.50 | £100.00 | £2.50 | £102.50 |
9,400 Avios + £6.50 | £94.00 | £6.50 | £100.50 |
8,000 Avios + £14.00 | £80.00 | £14.00 | £94.00 |
5,250 Avios + £23.78 | £52.50 | £23.78 | £76.28 |
4,150 Avios + £41.50 | £41.50 | £41.50 | £83.00 |
3,250 Avios + £51.57 | £32.50 | £51.57 | £84.07 |
So is the £2.50 option ever right?
Yes. There's no wrong answer here, just a better fit for your situation.
If you're short on cash but have a lot of Avios, this can make sense.
If you've got a large balance you just want to use up, the top option is a perfectly good way to clear it. But I would recommend using our Avios Calculator to see how else you could use those Avios.
If you're saving up for something bigger, like business class to Cape Town, then pick an option that uses fewer Avios and you can save those Avios for something bigger.
What to do next time you book
Search for your reward flight on ba.com as normal.
When you reach the "How many Avios do you want to use?" screen, don't just accept the option BA has ticked.
Type the options into the calculator below.
Pick the one it highlights, and carry on with your booking.
The numbers change from route to route and date to date, so the best option won't always be the fourth one down. That's exactly why the calculator is there.
So by all means, fly to Berlin for less than a coffee. Just know you could fly there for the price of a burger instead, and keep 4,750 Avios for next time.
Sam
Points Well Made is a passion project from Sam and Helena. If you've enjoyed this and want to help us keep the lights on, please consider buying us a Ko-fi or subscribing monthly. You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for more of the same. Thanks for reading.
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