British Airways Avios have been significantly devalued over the last two years. As a distance-based award chart, however, it can continue to offer tremendous value for short-haul flights. Additionally, awards booked with Avios aren’t subject to close-in booking fees and many of their awards (including American Airlines and AirBerlin) can be booked online. Here are the 5 best uses of Avios for International Awards:
1 – Fly West Coast to Tokyo Starting at 25,000 Avios
For just 25,000 Avios each way, you can fly to Tokyo from either Los Angeles or San Francisco on Japan Airlines. That’s an amazing value considering American and Alaska Airlines require 32,500 – 35,000 miles each way for the same award. Alaska Airlines does offer a discounted 25,000 mile off-peak award on this route, but that’s restricted to travel on American Airlines. Saving 32,000+ AAdvantage or Alaska miles and redeeming 25,000 Avios instead is a great choice in this scenario. If you want to experience Japan’s awesome business class product, it will cost you just 50,000 Avios, while First Class goes for 75,000 Avios each way.
2 – Fly to Mexico for 7,500 Avios Each Way
Mexico is a great destination for those who want lots of value out of their points. Hyatt has several all-inclusive hotels in Mexico that require just 20,000 – 25,000 points per night and include everything. The best part? They’re located on both coasts (Cancun and Los Cabos), so whether you’re living in Los Angeles or Charlotte, you can get there for just 7,500 Avios each way.
3 – Fly to the Caribbean for 7,500 – 10,000 Avios Each Way
Being distance based, Avios awards to the Caribbean are a great value for those living in Miami, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, and New York. The cheapest routes include Miami to Montego Bay, Nassau, and Saint Thomas for 7,500 Avios each way. For 10,000 Avios, there are a few other possible routes to the Caribbean:
Montego Bay (MBJ) to/from:
- Charlotte (CLT)
- Chicago (ORD)
- Dallas (DFW)
- Philadelphia (PHL)
Saint Maarten (SXM) to/from:
- Charlotte (CLT)
- Miami (MIA)
- Philadelphia (PHL)
Saint Thomas (STT) to/from:
- Charlotte (CLT)
- New York (JFK)
4 – Fly to Germany for 25,000 Avios or Less
With Airberlin as a British Airways partner, using Avios for flights to Germany works out super cheap – as little as 20,000 each way! Eligible routes include New York (JFK) and Boston (BOS –
to Dusseldorf (DUS), with the Boston route being seasonal. For 25,000 Avios each way, it’s possible to fly from Miami (MIA) to Dusseldorf or Chicago (ORD) to Berlin (TXL). That’s an awesome use of Avios, freeing up your AAdvantage miles for long-haul flights that would be more costly with Avios.
5 – Boston to Ireland for 13,000 Avios or Less
Flights between Boston and Dublin or Shannon are less than 3,000 miles long, so being able to redeem less than the standard 20,000 – 30,000 miles each way is really great. With British Airways Avios, this award costs just 13,000 Avios each way during off-peak travel rates. That’s right, for about the cost of a domestic economy class award, you can fly to Ireland instead.
If you’re interested in domestic travel, be sure to read my post on the 5 best uses of Avios for domestic awards.
What are some of your favorite uses of Avios for international awards?
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