In 2023, British Airways announced a new payment option for Avios collectors: the ability to pay for entire holidays using points. This lets you tap into your Avios stash to cover flights, hotels, and even car rentals, making it possible to embark on what's essentially a cash-free holiday —aside from those unavoidable flight taxes and fees.
It's an enticing prospect, but does this full-scale Avios points splurge really translate to the best bang for your buck? We're breaking it down to see if this is truly the golden ticket to your next holiday or if the devil's in the details.
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How to Book with the Full Avios Payment Option
Here’s how it works: when you're choosing your ideal mix of flights and hotels on BA Holidays, just log in with your British Airways Club account, previously known as the British Airways Executive Club. Depending on your Avios balance, you'll see a range of BA redemption options.
Got a BA Household Account? Good news – you can pool everyone’s points for the trip, even if your travel partners aren’t part of your household account. It’s a smart workaround for those usually tight rules on Avios bookings.
When it comes to payment options, BA Holidays offers a couple of choices. You can either pay a small deposit upfront and the remaining balance closer to your departure date, or you can pay the entire cost all at once. Here's where Avios come into play:
- Paying a Deposit with Avios: If you opt to pay just a deposit at the booking stage, you can use your Avios for this part. However, when the time comes to pay the remaining balance, you'll need to do this with cash. Avios can't be used for the final payment unless you decide to pay the entire amount at booking.
- Paying the Full Balance with Avios: If you want to use your Avios for the entire holiday cost, you'll need to do so at the time of booking. This means paying the full amount with your points upfront.
Evaluating the Value of Avios Spend
It’s important to consider the value you're getting for your points when you're booking a holiday using British Airways Avios. Typically, collectors aim for a value of 1p per Avios. However, the actual value you get can vary significantly based on several factors, including your destination, the class you fly in, and the type of accommodation you choose.
It also depends on whether you pay the whole amount with Avios or use a mix of Avios and cash. For example, when checking BA redemption options on Reward Flight Finder (RFF), we saw that the Avios value varied from 0.4p to 0.9p per Avios for a trip in February. Our tip? Try to get as close to 1p per Avios as you can for the best financial return on your points.
As an example, let’s look at a case study of one of Reward Flight Finder (RFF)’s members, who recently booked a Business Class trip to Madeira for two for March 2024.
She paid £4,130.38 cash for a 9-night trip with a stay booked at Reid’s Palace, an iconic hotel. Without using BA Holidays, the cost would have been £5,573. The savings here are a substantial £1,443.
But it doesn’t end there. Along with the savings, she also earned double tier points (the offer lasts until Dec 2024), bonus Avios totalling 4,130, and normal Avios on the flights plus additional Avios through Amex. In total, this amounted to 25,290 Avios, which is enough for an Economy flight to the USA!
Here's the full breakdown:
Booking | Amount |
|---|---|
Return flights for 2 | £1,676 |
Hotel for 9 nights | £3,897 |
Total cost without BA Holidays | £5,573 |
Total cost with BA Holidays | £4,130.38 |
Savings | £1,443 |
Double Tier Points (80 per flight x 2) | 320 |
Bonus Avios (1 for every £1) | 4,130 |
Normal Avios on flights | 8,770 |
Amex Avios (3 for every £1 spent) | 12,390 |
Total Avios earned | 25,290 |
Her top priorities when booking this holiday were:
- Getting double tier points to be able to retain her bronze status and get closer to silver.
- Getting a holiday that earned her the best benefits as well as being good value for Avios spend.
According to her, “I would definitely have used BA Holidays even without the double tier points offer, but the latter makes it much sweeter.”
Want to see how many Tier Points you’ll earn on your next trip? Use our British Airways Tier Points Calculator below to quickly check your route and start planning your next status upgrade.
The Verdict
As we've seen, there's no one-size-fits-all approach here. For the savvy Avios collector, it's a balancing act between extracting maximum monetary value from each point and the sheer delight of cash-free travel. Some travellers may prioritise stretching the value of each point to the fullest with the aim of that golden 1p per point. Others might find value in the opportunity to take a holiday that's almost entirely paid for with points.
Using British Airways Avios for full holiday bookings is attractive. For starters, the ability to transform points into tangible travel experiences funded entirely through points resonates strongly with many. It provides a sense of financial relief and the chance to enjoy a well-deserved break without the usual cost implications.
What truly stands out with BA Holidays is the flexibility it offers. The option to pay entirely or partly with Avios, combined with the ability to choose from a wide range of destinations and services, tailored to varied traveller preferences and Avios balances, is truly an advantage to many.
Our Verdict
While using Avios for holiday bookings may not always offer the highest monetary value per point, the overall benefits – including savings, additional rewards, and the joy of a 'free' holiday – make it a worthwhile option for many travellers.
