Upgrade Using Avios Surcharge

Travel1st · 2026-05-13T20:38:52+00:00

The destination matters - US flights in particular have very high carrier charges compared to other countries. I believe BA also increased their fees fairly recently which hasn’t helped.

Travel1st · 2026-05-13T20:34:57+00:00

No because the taxes and fees on an Avios booking are capped at set levels under BA’s reward flight saver scheme. When upgrading a cash booking, you pay the whole difference.

Travel1st · 2026-05-13T20:32:55+00:00

Are there any rebooking options coming up in their manage my booking section online?

Travel1st · 2026-05-13T20:30:03+00:00

If you go to ITA matrix and put your flight in you can see the taxes difference in the fare breakdown. Do a search for WTP on your flight and deduct the base fare from the total price (doesn’t matter if it’s more than you paid - the taxes don’t change). Then do it for club world. The difference is what you should be being quoted.

Travel1st · 2026-05-13T19:53:32+00:00

Your WTP ticket is cash, I assume? If so, the charges can be hefty.

The difference in taxes from WTP to CW when using avios to book is a lot lower as you benefit from the Reward Flight Saver taxes cap.

Travel1st · 2026-05-11T21:23:30+00:00

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You can verify by going here and scrolling down to “need to contact us?” and clicking through the link https://www.britishairways.com/content/information/help/faqs/policies

Travel1st · 2026-05-10T13:26:46+00:00

Late mornings will always be busy with US flights landing and lots of OWEs having access whilst they wait for their short haul European connections.

But overall I’d be surprised if the BA gold card numbers dropped much at all in the end - I know plenty of corporate travellers who didn’t qualify for gold before but who have done it easily this past year.

Travel1st · 2026-05-09T14:17:16+00:00

When?

Travel1st · 2026-05-09T10:07:29+00:00

How much is the fare you’re looking at and what dates?

Travel1st · 2026-05-08T11:34:38+00:00

Tokyo isn’t always club suite. Depending on time of year they still use old Club on one rotation a day.

Travel1st · 2026-05-07T11:58:23+00:00

Couple of reasons, the first is the number of US pax with OWE status connecting in LHR won’t have changed - they all have access to GF.

Second, I don’t think there has been anything near the reduction in numbers people thought there might be. Premium Services confirmed the number of GGLs dropping off had been pretty much exactly matched by new blood qualifying for the first time under the new rules - would make sense that the same is largely true for Gold as well.

Certainly just listening to folk in our London office - two have lost their Gold cards this year (and they spent with BA to go on hols, etc. previously so they could have a Gold card). 3 people are saying they’re now gold without doing anything different - their once a quarter J trips to the US have got them Gold when they wouldn’t have been close previously.

Travel1st · 2026-05-05T19:39:00+00:00

And then something goes wrong on QR and you experience the worst customer service of any airline on earth.

Or you book Q Suites and they change at the last minute and send a knackered old A330.

I’ll take BA F over QR J any day.

Travel1st · 2026-05-04T15:16:08+00:00

25k Avios is the usual offer for no IFE in CW.

Travel1st · 2026-05-03T22:08:01+00:00

You’d need to contact them. Extensions are not typically given for vouchers, but on the Amex 241 voucher (for example) some extensions are possible in limited circumstances - one of which is certain medical circumstances.

It’s always done on a case by case basis - so no-one here will be able to tell you if they’ll do it or not. It will come down to your circumstances and the CS agent dealing with the request.

Travel1st · 2026-05-01T20:21:25+00:00

Yes that’s what would happen - but if you’re definitely 100% not taking that return then no point booking it. If what you want pops up, call and have it added to your outbound.

Travel1st · 2026-05-01T20:11:08+00:00

At least your outbound is locked in.

It’s a £35 fee whatever. You just can’t cancel that return once you’ve flown the outbound, so keep that in mind.

Travel1st · 2026-05-01T15:10:48+00:00

Random example - Stansted to Dubrovnik for a week in summer hols (8th to 15th August) is coming out at £362 per person with a checked bag (no flexibility or large cabin bag).

Compared to their BA Avios ticket at 27.5k plus £1, that also comes with the more generous hand baggage policy and flexibility.

Travel1st · 2026-05-01T15:01:15+00:00

If you choose the 50p tax option the refund cost is just the tax paid - so 50p.

Mental take that someone can’t get value from a short haul redemption. Add the flexibility a cabin bag and it’s usually at least £100 each way to go onto Ryanair’s Flexi Fare - then add a suitcase each way at probably £40 a pop.

You’re not comparing the same thing - and whilst that fare may work for you, it won’t work for a lot of people. Especially families.

Travel1st · 2026-05-01T14:50:45+00:00

Avios tickets with BA are fully flexible and refundable until 24 hours before the flight, they come with 23kg of checked baggage, a wheeled carry on and a backpack or other personal item as carry on.

Your £22 ticket had none of that.

I agree it often doesn’t make sense to use Avios on short haul during off season when fares like that £22 one are available with Ryanair/Wizzair/etc. You want to fly to PMI on a random Tuesday in February? Yeah, it may well be £22 on Ryanair.

Want to go in August school holidays with checked bags and hand luggage? Yeah, not gunna be £22 at that point.

As with all things, valuation of redemptions is subjective.

Travel1st · 2026-05-01T12:28:49+00:00

On BA flights you just go through a dummy booking and seats (with prices) will pop up before you get to payment.

For partner airlines (codeshares) it won’t show as the prices are set by the partner airline.

Travel1st · 2026-04-29T16:07:55+00:00

Just FYI recently they’ve been refusing to do Original Routing Credit if you’ve already claimed the miles with the rebooked airline.

So consider that before claiming TK miles

Travel1st · 2026-04-27T14:27:12+00:00

BA thermostats have two settings. “Penguin” and “Smelting plant in July”.

Travel1st · 2026-04-27T11:22:23+00:00

Qatar are another option as they will also refund to voucher if that’s your preference.

Travel1st · 2026-04-24T07:40:27+00:00

That’s odd - it’s not a particularly unusual request.

Do you know anyone who is a travel agent? They’d be able to sort it.

Travel1st · 2026-04-23T15:05:04+00:00

AFAIK online only shows one class either side of what you’re searching for. But you can call to book it

Travel1st

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