British Airways raises award cash component May 27

British Airways told customers on May 22 that the cash portion of Reward Flight bookings made with Avios will increase from May 27, according to notices reproduced by travel sites and wording on the airline’s own reward pages. The change applies to Reward Flights, the carrier’s redemption product in which members pay Avios plus a fixed cash amount that includes taxes, fees and carrier charges. British Airways says bookings made before May 27 will keep current pricing, while the Avios required will remain unchanged. The move adds to a series of recent pricing changes on British Airways reward tickets. Travel sites LoyaltyLobby and Head for Points both reported on May 22 that the airline had given five days’ notice of the increase and described it as another devaluation of Avios redemptions. British Airways’ current reward pages in the U.K. and U.S. markets still advertise reward flights from low headline cash amounts, but those pages do not yet show the post-May 27 tables in the search snippets returned. (headforpoints.com) ### What exactly is changing on May 27? British Airways said in customer wording reposted on Head for Points’ forum that “the price of Reward Flights will increase” from May 27 and that “this will only affect the cash element of your booking.” The same notice said any Reward Flights booked before the change will remain at the current price and that the Avios required will stay the same. (loyaltylobby.com) Reward Flights are British Airways award tickets booked with Avios plus cash. On the airline’s reward pages, British Airways describes the cash amount as inclusive of taxes, fees and carrier charges, and says members can use Reward Flights on British Airways services and, more broadly, use Avios for flights across its network and partners where available. (headforpoints.com) ### Does this affect only Britain-based members? British Airways’ U.K. and U.S. reward pages both describe the same Reward Flight structure, with localized headline examples in pounds and dollars. LoyaltyLobby reported that the May 27 change affects redeemed tickets globally, and the airline’s customer notice refers broadly to Reward Flights rather than a single country market. That suggests the revision is tied to the product itself, though British Airways had not, in the material reviewed, published a full public route-by-route breakdown in the search results. (britishairways.com) ### How does this fit with earlier Avios changes? British Airways changed Reward Flight pricing on Dec. 15, 2025, affecting both the Avios and cash elements of fares, according to the airline’s archived reward page and contemporaneous coverage. Head for Points described the May 27 move as the second devaluation in five months because this time the carrier is raising only the cash side while leaving the Avios side unchanged. (britishairways.com) LoyaltyLobby has also tracked earlier increases in the cash component on some British Airways redemptions, including a July 2024 change to certain Reward Flight Saver options. That history matters because British Airways offers multiple Avios-and-cash combinations on some itineraries, meaning the out-of-pocket effect can vary by route and cabin. (britishairways.com) ### Where will travelers see the new pricing? British Airways directs members to its Reward Flight booking pages and reward availability tools to search dates, routes and prices. The airline’s availability page says members can search specific dates, cities and connecting journeys, and its reward pages say the cash amount is bundled into the displayed offer. (loyaltylobby.com) May 27 is the operative date for anyone planning to redeem Avios on British Airways flights. Bookings made before then keep the current cash pricing, according to the customer notice, and bookings made on or after May 27 should reflect the revised cash component in British Airways’ search and booking flow. (headforpoints.com) (britishairways.com)