How to redeem Avios for First Class flights with British Airways

HfP publishes an Avios redemption ‘price list’ – basically, a list of British Airways destinations with the maximum number of Avios needed for a flight.

We do not include First Class Avios redemptions on that list because of the different way that Avios redemptions in British Airways First are priced.

At present, although this will soon change, Reward Flight Saver does not exist for First Class redemptions. The downside of this is that the taxes and charges sum is far higher. The upside is that in some cases you need fewer Avios than in Business Class.

We have put together this article which looks at how to book British Airways First Class flights with Avios.

Where does British Airways fly its First Class cabin?

The number of British Airways routes with a First Class cabin has shrunk in recent years.

Most notably, British Airways retired its entire Boeing 747 fleet in 2020 during the pandemic. These aircraft had big 14-seat First Class cabins which meant that it was easy for the airline to offer Avios redemptions. The 747 fleet has been replaced by aircraft with either no First Class seats or just eight, cutting capacity significantly.

Your best chance of getting a First Class redemption is on an A380 route, where you will still find a 14 seat cabin. Time may be running out here too, as the A380 fleet is due to be refurbished next year and the First Class cabin may be shrunk.

At the time of writing, we believe that British Airways currently flies First to the following destinations on some or all flights in summer 2024:

• Abu Dhabi
• Atlanta
• Bahrain
• Barbados
• Beijing
• Bermuda
• Boston
• Chicago
• Cincinnati
• Dallas Fort Worth
• Doha
• Dubai
• Hong Kong
• Houston
• Johannesburg
• Kuwait
• Los Angeles
• Male
• Mexico City
• Miami
• New York
• Philadelphia
• Portland, Oregon
• Riyadh
• San Francisco
• Santiago
• Seattle
• Shanghai
• Singapore
• Sydney
• Tokyo
• Washington DC

How to find British Airways First redemption availability

Unfortunately, British Airways doesn’t make it easy to redeem Avios for First Class seats.

Unlike in economy, premium economy and Club (business class), British Airways does not guarantee any First Class reward availability on its flights.

This means that you are at the mercy of BA’s pricing algorithm to determine if, when, and where it wants to release seats in First.

One of the easiest ways to see where you can get first class availability is by using a third party tool such as SeatSpy. SeatSpy lets you view Avios availability by route and cabin 355 days in advance, which is when British Airways starts selling tickets. That said, you are more likely to see First Class opening up in the months leading up to departure than 355 days out.

You can also use the ‘Where can I go?’ function on SeatSpy to see all First Class availability across BA’s entire network for particular dates.

A New York example ….

New York has more First Class seats available than any other British Airways route with multiple daily flights. At the time of writing, SeatSpy shows that availability for TWO First Class seats outbound, on any of the daily flights to either New York or Newark, looks like this:

• May 2024: 1 day
• June 2024: nothing
• July 2024: 1 day
• August 2024: 1 day
• September 2024: nothing
• October 2024: nothing
• November 2024: nothing
• December 2024: nothing
• January 2025: 11 days
• February 2025: 5 days
• March 2025: 13 days
• April 2025: 6 days

British Airways First Class Avios pricing by route

Another oddity in the system is First Class reward pricing.

British Airways has now rolled out Reward Flight Saver pricing across all other cabins on short and long haul routes, but First remains the exception for now.

That means that taxes and fees can vary and are not fixed, unlike with RFS pricing.

At the time of writing, you should expect to pay £700 to £900 per person RETURN in taxes and charges on top of the Avios listed below.

We’ve compiled the table below for all routes which we believe currently have First Class. Remember that this is one-way pricing so needs to be doubled for a return flight.

One-way prices	First (off-peak)	First (peak)
Abu Dhabi	68,000	80,000
Atlanta	85,000	100,000
Bahrain	68,000	80,000
Barbados	85,000	100,000
Beijing	85,000	100,000
Bermuda	68,000	80,000
Boston	68,000	80,000
Chicago	68,000	80,000
Cincinnati	68,000	80,000
Dallas	85,000	100,000
Doha	68,000	80,000
Dubai	68,000	80,000
Hong Kong	102,000	120,000
Houston	85,000	100,000
Johannesburg	85,000	100,000
Kuwait	42,500	50,000
Los Angeles	85,000	100,000
Male	85,000	100,000
Mexico City	85,000	100,000
Miami	85,000	100,000
New York	68,000	80,000
Philadelphia	68,000	80,000
Portland	85,000	100,000
Riyadh	68,000	80,000
San Francisco	85,000	100,000
Santiago	119,000	147,500
Seattle	85,000	100,000
Shanghai	102,000	120,000
Singapore	119,000	147,500
Sydney	170,000	200,000
Tokyo	102,000	120,000
Washington DC	68,000	80,000

Can I use my Amex companion voucher or Barclays Upgrade Voucher?

You CAN use American Express 2-4-1 companion vouchers in First Class.

You CANNOT use your Barclays Upgrade Voucher to book First Class. You can only use a Barclays voucher to fly in Club World / Club Europe or World Traveller Plus.

What can you expect flying British Airways First?

Whilst flying British Airways First isn’t as luxurious as on some other airlines, it does offer a number of benefits over what you’d get flying BA Club World (business class).

For a start, you get to use dedicated First check-in and baggage drop counters. In Heathrow Terminal 5, these form part of the First Wing, an exclusive, fast-track check-in and security lane that whisks you straight into the British Airways lounges.

You’ll also have access to BA’s top-tier lounges, including the Concorde Room at Heathrow Terminal 5 and the First Dining Room in Terminal 3. These lounges are reserved for those flying in First or those with BA Gold Guest List status and feature a la carte dining, (fairly) premium champagnes and a calm, relaxing environment.

Onboard, you’ll enjoy a much smaller and more intimate cabin of between 8 and 14 seats (versus 97 Club World seats on its A380!) with dedicated cabin crew.

The British Airways First Class seat is wider and more spacious than Club Suite, and the latest version, introduced in 2020, features a door (review here) – see the photo above. We are expecting an entirely new First Class seat to be installed on the refurbished A380 fleet next year.

You will receive Temperley London pyjamas and amenity kits with skincare products from Elemis.

When it comes to food and drink, you’ll be able to dine on demand at any time. The meal service includes a round of canapés, starters, soup, main course, dessert and cheese and biscuits.

Passengers in First also get free on-board wifi.

Seat selection is free for all passengers in First, although the first row is held back for Gold card holders (and only Gold card holders – your partner on the same booking needs to sit elsewhere!).

Conclusion

Whilst British Airways has downsized its First Class cabins, snagging a First Class Avios redemption is by no means impossible.

You will, however, need to be flexible on destination and dates. If you read HfP regularly, we often run articles when a large amount of First Class seating suddenly opens up on a particular route.

You can read more about British Airways First in our guide here.

Our ‘price list’ for Avios redemptions in Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class is here.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.