BA Doubles Reward Seats – Full News and Guide

BA Doubles Reward Seats

One of the biggest challenges we have as Avios collectors is the ability to spend our points. We spend a lot of points amassing points by the thousands, looking for good shopping offers, using our BA Amex Plus Credit Card, and flying BA whenever we can – and then, when we want to redeem our reward, we often struggle.

British Airways has announced that going forward they will DOUBLE the number of reward seats available on every flight in Economy, Premium Economy, and Business Class (Club World).

No changes announced for First – so I guess we will still struggle here for a while or use a service such as SeatSpy.com to be the first to know.

How Many Seats Will Now Be on Offer by BA for Reward Purchases

  • Euro Traveller (Economy): 8
  • World Traveller (Economy): 8
  • World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy): 2
  • Club Europe (Business): 4
  • Club World (Business): 4

Although every flight will vary, there has been an announcement on the minimum number of reward seats that British Airways will offer for each and every single flight from 2021.

This is great news for those of us who have a challenge each year to redeem our Avios Points or use the upgrade companion voucher on offer from the BA Amex Credit Card, or the cabin upgrade with the Barclays Premier Avios Account.

Why is First Not Included in the Reward Seat Increase?

No news has been released so far from British Airways on the release of the First reward seats. This is BA’s flagship cabin of course, for the real high-flyers. First has always been restrictive with rewards and generally on offer to paying customers. During the recent Covid lockdowns I have seen an increase in the number of First seats available, compared to normal, so once you feel confident enough you may be able to grab that premium seat.

A First return flight to New York will on average cost between 160,000-200,000 Avios, as well as the £800 or so taxes and fees.

When Does the Number of BA Reward Seats Increase?

BA will increase the number of reward seats available in all cabin classes, except First, from Wednesday 28th July 2021.

How Can I Check for BA Reward Seats?

You have two main options:

  • Log in to your BA Executive Account, and search for Reward Seats via the Your Account section.
  • Use a service such as SeatSpy.com and search for all available reward seats across an entire year to the destination of your choice. Seat Spy is a paid-for subscription service but has a limited number of free searches.

Once you have found the reward flights you want through the BA website or app, simply book using the ‘Pay with Avios’ option. As long as you have enough Avios Points in your account, your account will be debited the number of points upon purchase.

BA Doubles Reward Seats – The Insiders’ Notes

This will come as very good news to Avios points collectors and bridges the gap on other airline reward programs which can be more restrictive in some ways, but easier to redeem. We all hope that once travel resumes to be able to take the flights of our dreams, or at least be able to book the flights our Avios should entitle us to.

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