This week British Airways rolled out a new policy for redemption rates on its long-haul flights, allowing all routes to benefit from its Reward Flight Saver category, which significantly reduces the charges, taxes and fees payable alongside Avios points, and replaces them with a fixed fee.
The new policy applies to awards in Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class cabins, but not in First Class, and became effective from 7th December 2022.
For members based in the UK and the USA, this is mostly good news because it means they can now either pay broadly the same Avios and taxes as before when redeeming flights like London to Singapore, or pay more Avios but enjoy substantially lower fees.
How it works
For example, a UK-based member was looking at an outlay of 87,500 Avios + GBP 503 (S$837) to redeem a British Airways off-peak Club World (Business Class) award from London to Singapore before the change, but this itinerary now prices at 110,000 Avios + GBP 300 (S$499).
If the member still wishes to pay the lower rate of 87,500 Avios, this remains possible through the part-pay with Avios option, one of which is now priced at 87,500 Avios + GBP 400 (S$665).
This is actually 20% less cash outlay than before the change, when the pricing was 87,500 Avios + GBP 503, which is good news, but there’s a snag…
This doesn’t work for Singapore members
The problem is that Executive Club members based outside the UK or the USA aren’t eligible for long-haul Reward Flight Saver redemptions on British Airways, so for most of our readers based in Singapore the Avios requirement has gone up to the new levels, but the previous (higher) taxes and fees remain payable.
In the above example (LHR-SIN), a Singapore member is now stung with a rate of 110,000 Avios + GBP 503 (S$837), instead of 87,500 Avios + GBP 503 (S$837), 25% more Avios, overnight and with no advance warning.
This is therefore a pure devaluation when it comes to redeeming long-haul British Airways flights using Avios points for these members, with award rates increasing by up to 92%, without notice.
Here’s the impact on one-way Avios points required when redeeming BA flights from Singapore.
Singapore – Sydney
Avios Award rates
| Singapore Sydney |
||
| Cabin Class Season |
Old rate | New rate |
| Economy Off-Peak |
13,000 |
25,000 +92% |
| Economy Peak |
20,000 |
30,000 +50% |
| Premium Economy Off-Peak |
26,000 |
42,500 +63% |
| Premium Economy Peak |
40,000 |
60,000 +50% |
| Business Off-Peak |
50,000 |
80,000 +60% |
| Business Peak |
60,000 |
90,000 +50% |
| First Off-Peak |
68,000 No change |
|
| First Peak |
80,000 No change |
|
Singapore – London
Avios Award rates
| Singapore London |
||
| Cabin Class Season |
Old rate | New rate |
| Economy Off-Peak |
22,750 | 40,000 +78% |
| Economy Peak |
35,000 | 45,000 +29% |
| Premium Economy Off-Peak |
45,500 | 55,000 +21% |
| Premium Economy Peak |
70,000 | 80,000 +14% |
| Club World Off-Peak |
87,500 | 110,000 +26% |
| Club World Peak |
105,000 | 120,000 +14% |
| First Off-Peak |
119,000 No change |
|
| First Peak |
140,000 No change |
|
To clarify, taxes and fees payable on these flights have not reduced at all for Singapore-based Executive Club members, but UK and US-based accounts do now see lower cash pricing on these routes.
BA awards via partner FFPs are unaffected
Importantly there is no change to the award rates when redeeming British Airways flights using other oneworld programmes, like Asia Miles for this Singapore – London award.
Additionally, a British Airways Business Class award from Singapore to Sydney using Asia Miles will still cost you 61,000 miles, but will also still set you back S$460 in charges and fees.
Qatar Airways has increased the Avios requirement for Privilege Club members booking BA awards in line with the tables above, but also still applies the full taxes and fees even for UK and USA-based members, who are entitled to Reward Flight Saver cash rates on awards when booking via the Executive Club.
While it doesn’t make any difference for most of our Singapore-based readers, if you’re in this category be sure to transfer your Qatar Privilege Club Avios 1:1 into BA Executive Club then book through that portal, to pay the lower fees!
First Class now costs less than Business Class to Sydney!
The strange thing about this new policy of increasing Avios requirements but reducing taxes on Reward Flight Saver (RFS) awards in Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class is that it creates an unusual new disparity.
First Class awards on British Airways between Singapore and Sydney now cost less Avios than Business Class ones!
UK and USA based members pay lower fees on the (higher Avios) Business Class awards under RFS, but since a Singapore-based member pays the previous taxes and fees regardless, they now pay exactly the same cash outlay but less Avios when redeeming in First Class on BA to or from Sydney.
This can’t be what BA intended for Singapore members, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see all Executive Club accounts become eligible for Reward Flight Saver redemptions in due course (or maybe they’ll just hike the First Class award rates instead!).
Partner awards using Avios are unaffected
One important factor to remember here is that Avios rates and taxes payable to redeem oneworld partner awards have not changed, and the Executive Club remains a good way to access these cheaper short-haul awards in the region, such as on JAL, Cathay Pacific and Qantas.
Here’s a few examples where we’d still aim to use Avios points:
- Cathay Pacific Economy SIN-HKG 11,000 Avios (KrisFlyer 16,500 miles)
- Cathay Pacific Business SIN-HKG 25,000 Avios (KrisFlyer 34,000 miles)
- Qatar Airways Business SIN-DOH-LHR 75,000 Avios (KrisFlyer 103,500 miles)
- Japan Airlines Economy SIN-HND 20,750 Avios (KrisFlyer 27,000 miles)
- Malaysia Airlines Economy SIN-KUL 6,000 Avios (KrisFlyer 8,500 miles)
- Malaysia Airlines Business SIN-KUL 12,500 Avios (KrisFlyer 21,000 miles)
- Qantas Economy SIN-PER 13,000 Avios (KrisFlyer 21,500 miles)
- Qantas Economy SYD-PER 13,000 Avios (KrisFlyer VA 21,500 miles)
- Qantas Economy SIN-SYD/MEL/BNE 20,750 Avios (KrisFlyer 30,500 miles)
- Qantas Business SYD-MEL 12,500 Avios (KrisFlyer VA 23,500 miles)
- Qantas Business MEL-PER 22,000 Avios (KrisFlyer VA 44,000 miles)
- Sri Lankan Economy SIN-CMB 11,000 Avios (KrisFlyer 20,000 miles)
Most of our readers are not actually using their Avios to redeem British Airways flights to or from Singapore, so it’s great tha