British Airways Executive Club raises costs for American and Alaska Avios domestic redemptions

The British Airways Executive Club has notably raised the Avios redemption prices for short-haul flights on American Airlines and Alaska Airlines — with no prior warning.

This marks the second hike in these redemption rates within the past year, and unfortunately, this increase is even more significant than the previous one, though there are options available.

What alterations has British Airways implemented?

The new Avios requirements for flying with American or Alaska through British Airways Executive Club are as follows:

• Flights up to 650 miles: 12,000 Avios in Main Cabin economy (increased from 8,250 Avios), or 24,000 Avios in first class (up from 16,500)
• Flights 651-1,151 miles: 16,000 Avios in economy (up from 11,000 Avios), or 32,000 Avios in first class (increased from 20,500)
• Flights 1,152-2,000 miles: 18,000 Avios in economy (up from 14,500 Avios), or 40,000 Avios in first class (up from 29,000)
• Flights 2,001-3,000 miles: 20,000 Avios in economy (increased from 16,000 Avios), or 50,000 Avios in first class (up from 42,500)

Using your Avios through BA's Executive Club program for domestic flights with American or Alaska was once a fantastic points and miles opportunity. However, that is no longer the case, especially in first class, which we advise against redeeming Avios for unless the flight is on a wide-body aircraft.

Fortunately, there are no changes for flights of 3,001 miles or more, which mainly involve long-haul routes operated by American Airlines (Alaska does not offer long-haul flights).

Are there alternative ways to pay fewer points and miles?

The American Airlines AAdvantage program offers domestic awards starting at 7,500 miles in Main Cabin economy or 15,000 miles in first class, with occasional web specials dropping to as low as 6,000 miles in economy. At these lower rates, booking with AAdvantage miles is a much more favorable choice than Avios. However, since AAdvantage prices awards dynamically, these costs can surge during peak times, making Avios potentially more appealing due to their fixed pricing, if available.

In light of the recent devaluation of domestic American and Alaska awards via Qatar Airways Privilege Club, if you hold transferable credit card points, think about redeeming Avios through Finnair Plus instead of the Executive Club, as it is another program that utilizes Avios as its loyalty currency.

Finnair Plus employs region-based pricing rather than distance-based, charging a flat 11,000 miles for domestic flights within the continental U.S. (and Canada) operated by American or Alaska in economy class, regardless of the flight length. Prior to this BA devaluation, Finnair Plus was only advantageous for longer domestic flights, but now you’ll pay less for all domestic economy flights via Finnair Plus compared to BA's Executive Club program.

Keep in mind that you can transfer Avios between British Airways Executive Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, and Finnair Plus at a 1:1 ratio, as often as you wish in either direction.

In conclusion

Loyalty programs that raise certain prices without prior notice (commonly referred to as "devaluations") are an unfortunate but inevitable aspect of the points and miles landscape. Occasionally, programs provide a notice period—like 30 days—before increasing prices, giving members a chance to make any planned redemptions at the current rates.

Regrettably, the British Airways Executive Club did not provide such notice, making it less advantageous to use Avios through their program for booking domestic flights on American Airlines and Alaska. Thankfully, pricing through Finnair Plus, which also accepts Avios as its loyalty currency, remains more favorable, and you can easily transfer Avios between the two programs at a 1:1 rate in either direction.