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DEVALUED: Avios flights on American Airlines, Alaska and LATAM get pricier

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A new wave of Avios devaluations has been unveiled for selected partner airlines.

Intriguingly, this is the second change in seven months for American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. Clearly the first hike wasn’t enough to put people off redeeming!

Remember that redemptions on Japan Air Lines and Cathay Pacific were devalued last September for flights under 3,000 miles.

Avios redemptions on American Airlines, Alaska and LATAM

This is what has changed:

American Airlines, Alaska Airlines

Because the two devaluations happened so close together, it seems fairer to compare the new pricing with the December 2023 pricing and not what was available in the intervening six months.

ZoneDistanceEconomy
(Dec 23)		 Economy
(July 24)		Business
(Dec 23)		Business
(July 24)
11 – 650 miles7,50012,00012,50024,000
2651 – 1,150 miles9,00016,00016,50032,000
31,151 – 2,000 miles11,00018,00022,00040,000
42,001 – 3,000 miles13,00020,00038,75050,000

There are no changes to American Airlines redemptions for flights over 3,000 miles. I don’t think Alaska Airlines has any flights longer than 3,000 miles.

LATAM

Unfortunately I can’t find the equivalent Business Class information for LATAM, but here are the new Economy rates:

ZoneDistance Old EconomyNew Economy
11 – 650 miles6,0008,500
2651 – 1,150 miles9,00013,500
31,151 – 2,000 miles11,00015,500
42,001 – 3,000 miles13,00017,000
53,001 – 4,000 miles20,75031,250
64,001 – 5,000 miles25,75041,250

The old Business Class rates were Zone 1 – n/a, Zone 2 – 16,500, Zone 3 – 22,000, Zone 4 – 38,750, Zone 5 – 62,000 and Zone 6 – 77,250. We will try to put together the new Business Class rates at some point.

Avios used to have a standardised chart for partner redemptions. What we now have, deliberately, is a multitude of different charts depending on which partner you plan to use. It almost seems as if you are being softened up for the removal of charts entirely.

Save Avios by redeeming via other Avios-issuing airlines

What is bizarre about all this, of course, is that – for American and Alaska – you can simply go off and book the same flights via Qatar Airways Privilege Club or Finnair Plus for potentially fewer miles.

Here is a comparison for American Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights between British Airways Executive Club and Qatar Airways Privilege Club:

ZoneDistanceEconomy
(BAEC)		 Economy
(QAPC)		Business
(BAEC)		Business
(QAPC)
11 – 650 miles12,0006,00024,00012,500
2651 – 1,150 miles16,0009,00032,00016,500
31,151 – 2,000 miles18,00011,00040,00022,200
42,001 – 3,000 miles20,00013,00050,00038,750

The Qatar Airways Privilege Club numbers may look familar – this is because they used to match British Airways Executive Club pricing until December 2023, but haven’t increased their pricing despite two BAEC devaluations.

You can learn how to transfer your Avios from British Airways Executive Club to Qatar Airways Privilege Club in this article.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards

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:

Barclaycard Avios Plus card

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios card

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

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

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

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.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

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The Platinum Card from American Express

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

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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.

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

Category

American Airlines and AAdvantage, British Airways and Avios, oneworld alliance partners, Qatar Airways and Privilege Club

Comments (82)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • pigeon says:
    15 Jul15 July 05:39

    Looks like a concerted effort to lock the sweet spots down…

    Given where Avios is going (I.e. selling the points to credit card companies and hotels and what not) this is the right strategy, even if we don’t like it !

    • BJ says:
      15 Jul15 July 07:14

      On a wider note I wish the authoritirs in various places would start unpicking partnerships, joint ventures and alliances. These have always been mostly in the interests of the industry at the expense of customers, and have become increasingly so. I feel it’s time to rip them all up in favour of greater competition.

      • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:
        15 Jul15 July 10:43

        The ‘authorities’ are the ones who approve the Joint Venture / Business arrangements/ mergers in the first place and the regularly review them.

        The Korean Air and Asiana Airlines merger requires the approval of six regulators in six key markets and is still not approved.

        The transatlantic joint venture (BA/AA/IB et al) gets reviewed on a regular basis and slots often get taken away.and awarded to competitors.

        And be careful what you wish for in ending alliances just in terms of things like earning status Ams using lounges Ams coordinated schedules.

        • BJ says:
          15 Jul15 July 12:48

          Yes I know, I just think they might be best reviewed out of existence.

  • bafan says:
    15 Jul15 July 05:47

    Glad all my points are in Amex and I just transfer as needed – the sweet spots are what make the entire thing worth it.

    • BJ says:
      15 Jul15 July 07:08

      Convertible points are always best despite the risk of devaluation of transfer rates.

  • BJ says:
    15 Jul15 July 07:06

    I am increasing in favour of QAPC and AY+ and see BAEC as an earning and transfer partner only. At the moment I bank my avios with QAPC because I anticipate at some point VAEC is going to take aim at Combine My Avios if QAPC and AY+ continue to offer (increasingly) better burning value. While I still have reservations about the reputed quality of QA products and quality it has now become my first choice and favoured airline overall, even finding that their reportedly awful CS is not as bad as it seems if we practice HUACA.

    • Thywillbedone says:
      15 Jul15 July 07:11

      And the award for most acronyms in a short comment goes to …

      • Qrfan says:
        15 Jul15 July 07:15

        He’s finally admitted Qatar is the best airline so let’s leave him be for today…

        • BJ says:
          15 Jul15 July 07:27

          Getting there but mostly because of changes elsewhere, and Qatar back to double daily from EDI. Hopefully with Emirates about to bring its new business class to EDI in a few months we may see Qatar respond with better seats on the route too.

      • BJ says:
        15 Jul15 July 07:16

        I’ve done much better than that 🙂 HfP has a glossary.

      • Paul Allen says:
        15 Jul15 July 12:41

        BJ being the best one!

      • Rob says:
        17 Jul17 July 18:23

        Initialisms, not acronyms!

  • NorthernLass says:
    15 Jul15 July 07:11

    12k avios for 200-mile hops like MIA-MCO/TPA/NAS is bonkers! Starting in the US there are still the very low taxes, of course, but returning from the Caribbean and Latin America you’re looking at $60+ pp.

    • BJ says:
      15 Jul15 July 07:21

      I don’t travel as much in USA as I used to but I’m guessing there are still lots of competitive revenue fare around for domestic flights despite post-pandemic demand.

      • JDB says:
        15 Jul15 July 08:54

        @BJ – fares aren’t at all competitive in the US vs what you see in Europe. It’s an enormous competitive advantage for US carriers over European ones. Southwest may theoretically be a low cost carrier (and the original model for Ryanair) but it doesn’t offer the sort of LCC prices we see in Europe. US carriers are very profitable in their domestic market whereas European flag carriers can’t make money on their European operations.

        • BJ says:
          15 Jul15 July 09:10

          Changed days, when I was flying to the States regularly pre-2007 there were bargains a plenty, I recall getting Washington to Sacramento for $69 which was very cheap even back then. However, even two years ago I cancelled reward flights for Alaska revenue but that had Alaska status fulfilment as a cherry on top. In Europe things might be competituve but I’m not seeing cheap deals so nych anymore unless one is happy to fly with minimum cabin bags and no swat selection. Certainly from Scotland at least where I’m increasibgly hearing about people heading to Manchester again to save a lot on both flights and holidays. I think tvere are still good deals on Ryanair but my partner refuses to fly on a MAX and I remain reluctant myself.

          • JDB says:
            15 Jul15 July 09:41

            Since 2007, you have ‘lost’ Northwest, Continental and US Airways, absorbed cheaply by the big players DL/UA/AA who have also themselves this century all been through Chapter 11, enabling to renegotiate staff and other contracts, slash or cancel retirement / medical plans etc. This consolidation with competition really at the margins and buoyant demand has enabled them to maintain high pricing.

            As for cheap fares in Europe, there are plenty of extraordinarily cheap fares, but if you are expecting those to include free luggage and seat selection that’s optimistic! We had a taxi driver in Norfolk recently complaining that business wasn’t too good for taxis or hospitality generally, I pointed out that Norfolk was too expensive for many and that it was possible to fly to Spain and back for the price he was charging for a return journey of 24 miles. Plus there would have been the added benefit of dinner at our destination costing half the price. You wouldn’t be able to say that in America.

          • BJ says:
            15 Jul15 July 10:49

            @JDB, it’s not that long ago extraordinarily cheap fares in Europe included baggage and seat selection. Even when fares were deconstructed tge extras were typically significabtly less than the basic fare while they now commonly exceed the basic fare. I think shorthaul European fares exEDI are now typically double what they were prepandemic and up tov3x more sometimes. Same is true of many intraEurope flights. Bargains can still be found though.

        • ken says:
          15 Jul15 July 09:30

          Thats because you aren’t remotely comparing like with like.

          Even the cheapest Southwest fares include;

          2 checked in bags
          2 carry on bags
          no fees to changes
          credit if you cancel.
          They also go to the main airports as well as smaller ones, while Ryanair gives you one choice which may be 70 miles away.

          I’m a big fan of Ryanair but a single checked bag can be £30 each way.

          Delta, American and United all managed to shed huge legacy costs through Chapter 11 two decades ago.
          How shocked was I to find out they are more profitable than European flag carriers.

          • T says:
            15 Jul15 July 10:39

            30 or more

          • Londonsteve says:
            15 Jul15 July 16:20

            The champions of charging for extras has to be Wizz Air. I was once quoted £80 for a 20 kilo suitcase on the LTN-BUD route. Prices for things like seat booking, priority boarding (essential if you want to take a trolley bag on board) and checked in luggage yo-yo around with seemingly no logic, they’re charging what their algo is telling them they can get away with. Lord knows what inputs it feeds on, probably things like your travel history and ISP address. Needless to say, it was considerably in excess of the base fare. I went from being a regular flyer to virtually never flying with them as reward tickets on BA represent much better value, especially if travelling with checked luggage.

  • NorthernLass says:
    15 Jul15 July 07:19

    Actually, this is yet another reason not to bother with the USA just now. AA redemptions used to be a great way of connecting between cities and visiting other places, but this option is now markedly less attractive.

    • Mikeact says:
      15 Jul15 July 07:47

      It depends what you’re looking for, and when and where. 12k Avios can still be excellent value. Not as good as using my KL miles on Delta however. Take the route between NewYork and Washington ; down the back, 5000 miles, plus $7, or Business, 15k miles, plus $10. About a 1.5 hr flight.

    • executiveclubber says:
      15 Jul15 July 09:39

      aa “business” offering is also crap — your Avios are not even securing a lounge or any form of decent food

      • Rob says:
        15 Jul15 July 09:59

        You do get a massive seat though ….

        • NorthernLass says:
          15 Jul15 July 10:37

          Ha, we were upgraded to “First” on American Eagle on our last US trip. The seat might have been large but it looked as though it was going to fall apart imminently, as did the rest of the plane! However, 9k avios plus $6 each at Xmas from DCA to Key West was a great deal at that time.

          • Pockets says:
            15 Jul15 July 13:40

            Key West is such a tiny airport, of course you got AA’s subcontracted American Eagle which was either a CR or an Embraer. Want better than an Embraer or CR first class for that little airport, you need to rent or buy your own plane.

      • NorthernLass says:
        15 Jul15 July 10:35

        If you have OW status you get free bags, seat selection and lounge access on economy bookings.

  • ayearinmx says:
    15 Jul15 July 07:26

    I’m BA Gold, if I book using Qatar privilege do I lose all the perks that come with gold?

  • Safety Card says:
    15 Jul15 July 07:57

    If you move Avios from BA to Qatar and then book, can you still use your BA Status Benefits?

    • LittleNick says:
      15 Jul15 July 08:14

      Yes but you need to change the frequent flyer number on the booking

  • Ann says:
    15 Jul15 July 08:36

    Just tried to book a reward Houston to LA on Qatar. Direct reward flight available on BA website – only flights availlable on Qatar website are via Heathrow !

    • LittleNick says:
      15 Jul15 July 08:55

      Talk to them on the chat function, they should be able to see the reward availability, and can make the reservation for you

    • A350 says:
      15 Jul15 July 08:58

      You need to call up Qatar sometimes to book, their online award search engine isn’t as sophisticated as BA’s.

    • BJ says:
      15 Jul15 July 09:13

      Are you sure you are using the partner option and not the Qatar/BA search option?

      • A350 says:
        15 Jul15 July 09:49

        Awards for AA, MH, JetBlue and also VA do actually appear online under the standard Award Flights section. All other airlines it goes via the form one has to fill in and await a manual process. The Qatar/BA search is obsolete.

        • marcolau says:
          15 Jul15 July 10:31

          Except QR may not show all availability. I recently found out a number of flights available on BA but not the full set on QR. I decided to call them directly after finding the chat team response very erratic to my enquiry on that occasion.

          (Note: QR fees on AA domestic flights is US$4.5 more than BA because for some reason QR added Passenger Facility Charge into redemption tickets which according to others it should not have happened)

          During the call the agent found the matching availability as BA but then quoted a tax/fee of USD$128, I immediately questioned the fee stating other options available online is charging US$10.1 only. The agent go back to check again and agreed to match that price, then it took half an hour for the agent to work offline to create the booking and for me to pay online. The first call took around half an hour.

          In short, QR offers a reasonable redemption availability at a lower price, but charging you more for tax/fees. You also need to expect quite a lot of hassle in holding the seats.

        • BJ says:
          15 Jul15 July 10:54

          Thanks, hadn’t noticed as I only have used it to book Qatar.

        • LittleNick says:
          15 Jul15 July 12:15

          And CX appears on there too except premium economy doesn’t.

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