Good values remain for those with Amex, Chase, and Starwood points.
On Jan.28, British Airways announced changes to its Executive Club (as of April 28) that in many ways make the program less lucrative: For example, higher rates for both upgrades and free mileage tickets on BA and partner flights.
But, BA miles can still be very worthwhile for those who have amassed them, or have access to them via Multi-Airline-Currency credit cards (MACs).
Biggest Losers April 28: Chase Point Chasers
It only has five major premium partners, and BA is a huge one, not only on its own but for the access it provides to One world partners American, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, etc. The BA Deval means that Chase points suffer a significant deal, too.
Especially painful coming on the heels of Chase’s Significant Deval last year when United tanked its program, specifically travel on Star Alliance partners. Instead of transferring Chase points to United consider using Amex or Star wood with ANA—and you’ll often pay up to 54% less. (NYC-Frankfurt in First is 54% less with ANA, as one example.)
Biggest Winners April 28:
Loyalty “Deval Anxiety-Free” Agents
(You’re sleeping fine right now.) Check out the MAC partner comparison and the Play Your Cards Right Crib sheet.
Another British Airways Devaluation Workaround: A cool way to book BA First Class is with Alaska miles, a transfer partner with Starwood Starpoints.
Availability via Alaska miles is often similar to BA’s own, but instead of paying 160,000 to 200,000 BA miles for First; you get the ticket for 140,000 Alaska miles (or 115,000 Starpoints)—for tickets which otherwise easily run $7,000 to $17,000+. (Keep this between us, be-cause card churners could exploit it, which could make it go away.)
Using American miles is another good strategy to get BA tickets for much less between the U.S. and Europe, as AA charges only 125,000 miles (or 100,000 Starpoints) for First Class on BA. Two other options: Cathay Pacific (120,000 to 180,000 miles, same number of Amex points; 100,000 to 145,000 Star points), and Japan Airlines (85,000 to 115,000 miles; 70,000 to 95,000 Star points).
Round-trip First Class fares on BA from the U.S. to Europe are typical $5,000 to $10,000 with a 90-day advance- purchase, and can easily run up to $20,000+. Advance-purchase Business Class generally goes for $4,500 to $8,500, and $10,000+ otherwise, so it often pays to use miles to lower the cash outlay.
Seven Ways to Still Reap With BA
#1 Make Up for Lost Ground With Amex Bonus:
The last one was 40%. The bonus alone can compensate for much of the devaluation.
#2 Domestic First Class with BA Partners Still Saves 28%:
Use BA miles for First Class travel with American and US Airways flights on short-haul domestic routes. Cost is going from 27,000 miles to 36,000 round-trips, still savings of 14,000 over using AA (which just absorbed the US Airways mileage program) miles.
#3 U.S. to/from Canada Business Class Remains Unchanged:
The cost still ranges from 18,000 to 40,000 miles round-trip in Business Class, a savings of 10,000 to 32,000 (up to 65%) over the cost via American miles.
#4 U.S. to/from Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean Business Class Remains Unchanged:
AA and US Airways flights still cost 18,000 to 40,000 miles round-trip via BA miles—20,000 to 42,000 less (up to 70%) than with AA.
Survey of Award Availability: British Airways to London
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[aside headline="Hedge Fun" alignment="alignright" width="small" headline_size="default"] Book BA awards on BA, AA, and Iberia to Europe and beyond before April 28 even if you don’t know your travel dates. Why? You’ll save 13% to 50%—and you can change your dates (but not the routing) later, free of charge.
Get BA Miles via point transfers from Amex, Chase, and Starwood. The first two offer almost instant transfers.[/aside]
#5 Mileage Upgrades Still Net a Hefty Discount: 30% to 60%:
While mileage upgrades are taking a big hit in the devaluation, up to 100% (frankly, these were extraordinarily generous), the new upgrade tool will still be competitive.
Because BA does not require cash co-pays with upgrades, the cash outlay can be less than the cost of using American or United miles to upgrade. That’s often the case when BA’s Premium Economy fares are less than $1,000 (typically shoulder and off-season) and when Business Class fares are low (holiday and during flash EasyUp sales).
#6 Decent Availability: Business and First Class:
Many routes, BA availability, is more than that of most other carriers—sometimes it even amounts to being quite generous.
#7 First Class Awards Still Save Up 27% When Compared to Others:
BA awards will jump to 160,000 (East) to 200,000 (West) round-trip between London and the U.S. That’s only 22% to 37% more than with AA and up to 27% less than United charges for its partner flights.
One consideration, however: BA’s cost is less than flights on United partners with United miles. Offset the other increases through Amex bonuses (and think twice about using United miles for partner flights).