British Airways has announced a major update to the Avios earning system, set to take effect on 18th October 2023. However, it appears that this change may not bode well for most passengers, as it will likely result in a significant reduction in the Avios they can earn. This change is called revenue-based earning for Avios.
The current system, which rewards Avios based on miles flown, is being replaced with a new model where the earning is tied to pounds spent on flights. While the press release suggests that this change will offer a clearer and more consistent approach, it seems that it will only benefit a select few.
Passengers will now be earning Avios based on the amount they spend, meaning those who usually manage to find great deals or book flights during promotions may be at a disadvantage. Instead of being rewarded for their loyalty and frequency of travel, passengers will now be rewarded primarily based on their spending power.
Moreover, the press release highlights the opportunity to collect Avios on ancillary purchases, such as upgrades and pre-paid seat selection. While this may sound enticing, it also means that passengers will need to spend more to earn a comparable amount of Avios they used to receive from miles flown. In essence, British Airways may be encouraging passengers to spend more to earn the same rewards they once enjoyed.
The revised earning rates based on Tier status may sound appealing for Gold members, who will receive 9 Avios per qualifying £1 spent. However, for the majority of passengers with lower Tier status, the amount of Avios earned will be substantially lower than what they have been accustomed to under the previous system.
This update, masked as a positive change towards transparency, raises concerns about the true implications for most passengers. It seems that the revised Avios earning system will disproportionately favour those with higher spending capacity and potentially lead to a diminished value of rewards for the average passenger.
As loyal British Airways customers, we cannot help but feel apprehensive about the impending changes. The lack of transparency surrounding the actual impact on Avios earning for most passengers is disconcerting. It remains to be seen how revenue-based earning for Avios will play out, and whether it will truly benefit the majority of loyal customers or leave them feeling shortchanged.
The only good news we can share about this change is that the rules for earning tier points so far appear to be unchanged. Flights that earn 40, 80 140 tier points will continue to do so, at least for now.
Profit after taxation 2.7 billion euros ($2.9 billion) in 2023. They just can’t screw you out of some of your benefits, they have to devalue them all!