What credit cards can help me fly British Airways first class?

You can earn British Airways Avios directly through the British Airways Visa card. Additionally, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, or Marriott Bonvoy points to British Airways. Bank of America also provides co-branded cards that earn Alaska miles if you need to top off your Mileage Plan account.

How many Avios do you need for a first class flight?

To book a one-way British Airways first class flight between the U.K. and the U.S. using Avios, you’ll redeem at least 80,000 Avios. It can cost as much as 100,000 Avios if you’re flying to/from the U.S. West Coast.

Best Ways To Book British Airways First Class With Points [Step-by-Step]

Jeff BrownsonUpdated: June 28, 2023, 3:17am CDT

Edited by: Keri Stooksbury

& Kellie Jez

Best Ways To Book British Airways First Class With Points [Step-by-Step]

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British Airways (BA) usually provides a great service in its premium classes, with first class being the most luxurious. And today, we’re going to run through the best ways to book yourself a ticket in BA’s top product using your points and miles so you don’t have to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars to experience it.

Before we dive into the best ways to book, we’ll give you an overview of what you can expect in British Airways first class — let’s get to it!

A Look Inside British Airways First Class

Relax in the privacy of your British Airways first class seat and enjoy a glass of Champagne. Image Credit: Alex Miller

The spacious first class suites on British Airways’ aircraft are all about comfort and style.

Found on Boeing 777-300ERs and 787-9 Dreamliners, Airbus A380 superjumbos, and more, first class cabins typically have 8 to 14 reverse-herringbone seats, making for a private experience.

British Airways provides a customized amenity kit for women and men in first class. Image Credit: Alex Miller

First class amenity kits come in 2 distinct flavors and contain essentials from Elemis. These kits were designed exclusively for first class and are only available on British Airways.

Afternoon tea is a unique touch to the first class experience on British Airways. Image Credit: Alex Miller

You can expect a few quintessentially English touches in first class — this is British Airways, after all. In addition to the regular meal services, first class passengers can also experience a traditional afternoon tea service.

How To Fly British Airways First Class Using Points

British Airways is a member of the Oneworld alliance, which means you can use miles from any of the Oneworld carriers along with its Executive Club program to book flights. In addition to its Oneworld partners, BA also has a relationship with China Southern.

When booking an award ticket on BA-operated flights, you may notice the taxes and fees are higher than you would expect. This is because British Airways adds significant fuel surcharges on top of its fares. These surcharges are now $700 to $1,000 one-way for BA business and first class flights from the U.S.

BA considers these charges to be separate from the ticket price, so they’ll be added on to award tickets as well. This often means economy award tickets are too expensive to make sense, but the fees become easier to stomach when redeeming for first class.

While some airlines don’t pass on the carrier-imposed surcharges on award tickets, British Airways certainly does. Additionally, you’ll have to pay the British Air Passenger Duty when departing the U.K. on any flight over 2,000 miles if you’re flying business or first class. This fee is £156 (roughly $200). Keep in mind that if you use a British Airways Travel Together Ticket, you’re required to pay the fee for both passengers.

Hot Tip: To avoid these expensive added fees, you can begin your journey from another European city such as Paris or Amsterdam.

British Airways Executive Club

One of the easiest ways to book BA first class is through its frequent flyer program, known as British Airways Executive Club. The currency is called Avios.

Unlike major U.S. airlines, British Airways Executive Club uses a distance-based award chart (shown below) for first class redemptions. The award pricing can get quite complex depending on how many different partners you are flying with, but for our purposes, we’ll just look at flights operated by British Airways.

Zone	Distance (Miles)	Off-Peak	Peak
1	1 to 650	N/A	N/A
2	651 to 1,150	N/A	N/A
3	1,151 to 2,000	N/A	N/A
4	2,001 to 3,000	42,500	50,000
5	3,000 to 4,000	68,000	80,000
6	4,001 to 5,500	85,000	100,000
7	5,501 to 6,500	102,000	120,000
8	6,501 to 7,000	119,000	140,000
9	7,001 and greater	170,000	200,000

British Airways flights are individually priced based on the distance between origin and destination and which class of service you want to fly. This means if you want to book a flight that has a connection, each flight segment will be priced separately, and the 2 award prices will be added together.

In addition to the above guidelines, British Airways has peak and off-peak pricing depending on when the flights will take place.

British Airways awards can be booked online following the steps below:

Go to the British Airways website.
Log in to your account (in the upper right corner).
In the top-left, hover your mouse over the Book tab.
Click Book a flight with Avios.
Enter your origin and destination airports, dates, and select first class.
Click on Get Flights.
Select the button for the available first class flight you want and click Next.
Agree to the terms and conditions and click Continue.
Enter your passenger information and click Continue.
Confirm your flight details and make your payment.

Not only do the mileage prices add up for each flight segment, but taxes and fees (including fuel surcharges) add up as well. Multi-segment flights booked with Avios quickly become outlandishly expensive, so British Airways Avios are best used for nonstop flights or those with a single connection.

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank

Like British Airways Executive Club, the Japan Airlines Mileage Bank program uses a distance-based award chart. This award chart is broken into tiers based on how many miles you’re flying. Note that if you fly multiple segments, you’ll also need to account for the distance between each airport.

Distance (Miles)	Cost in JAL Miles
1 to 1,000	36,000
1,001 to 2,000	45,000
2,001 to 4,000	65,000
4,001 to 6,000	90,000
6,001 to 8,000	120,000
8,001, to 10,000	135,000
10,001 to 12,000	145,000
12,001 to 14,000	165,000
14,001 to 20,000	190,000
20,001 to 25,000	220,000
25,001 to 29,000	250,000
29,001 to 34,000	290,000
34,001 to 50,000	330,000

Japan Airlines allows partner airline-operated flights to be booked online, but because of the clunkiness of the website, we generally recommend calling to book award flights with partner airlines at 800-525-3663. However, this is easy to do if you follow the steps below:

Go to the Japan Airlines website.
Log in to your JAL Mileage Bank account.
Select JMB Partner Airlines Award Ticket Reservation.
Select British Airways under Partner Airlines.
Select first class, your travel dates, and the departure and destination airports.
Select your flights and hit Next.
Confirm the Mileage Bank miles and taxes/fees required.
If your booking involves a connection with another partner of Japan Airlines such as American Airlines, you will have to call to complete the booking.

Japan Airlines allows stopovers, so you can see multiple destinations on your trip for the same price as if you only had short layovers.

Hot Tip: For other ways to earn Japan Airlines miles, read our guide on the best ways to earn JAL miles. If you need some other ways to use your Mileage Bank miles, check out our best ways to redeem Japan Airlines miles.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

Another great way to book British Airways first class is through Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. British Airways flights between North America and either Europe, Africa, or the Middle East are bookable on the Alaska Airlines website.

Flying between North America and Europe will cost 70,000 Alaska miles each way, while flying between North America and Africa or the Middle East will cost 80,000 miles each way. Fuel surcharges from British Airways are collected when booking with Alaska miles as well.

To book, go to Alaska’s website and follow these simple steps:

Go to the Alaska Airlines website.
Sign in to your account.
Search for your desired route (make sure you select Use Miles).
Select your desired flight and click Add To Cart.
Pay the necessary taxes/fees and complete your booking.

Not only are Alaska’s award prices often better than BA’s, but you can also book a stopover on your award redemption.

American Airlines AAdvantage

We like American Airlines’ AAdvantage program in this scenario primarily because of its reasonable award rates to Europe in first class. You will be able to fly for 85,000 miles each way. Unfortunately, you will be on the hook for all fuel surcharges, as AA passes them on for BA flights.

Your best bet for finding award availability is through BA.com rather than AA.com. American is known for hiding partner availability, especially for routes that it operates its own flights on.

Here’s the best way to search for award availability:

Go to the British Airways website.
Log in to your account (in the upper right corner).
In the top-left, hover your mouse over the Book tab.
Click Book a flight with Avios.
Enter your origin and destination airports, dates, and select first class.
Click on Get Flights. Write down the desired flights, dates, and times.
Call American Airlines at 800-882-8880. If transferring points, you’re allowed to hold your reservation for 5 days.
Confirm your flight details and make your payment.

AA does not allow complimentary stopovers, so you will need to pay for each segment if you want to plan a stop in London before heading to another destination.

Hot Tip: For other ways to earn American Airlines miles, read our guide on the best ways to earn AA miles. If you need other ways to use your AA miles, check out the best ways to redeem American Airlines miles.

Other Options for Booking British Airways Flights

Since British Airways is a member of the Oneworld alliance, you can use miles from any of the member programs to book awards.

Cathay Pacific’s Asia Miles, for example, also uses a distance-based award chart that has some great sweet spot redemptions. Asia Miles is a complex program with many different award charts depending on which partners you are flying with, but if you’re only looking for British Airways flights, then they are bookable online. The program does impose fuel surcharges on awards.

Other Oneworld partners tend to be less competitive in their award charts, but are worth checking out if you find yourself with a large stockpile of miles in a specific program.

Great British Airways First Class Redemptions

Image Credit: Oneworld Alliance

Now that you know how to book your British Airways first class flights, let’s take a look at a few of the best routing options.

North America to Europe

This ticket will cost 65,000 Japan Airlines miles or 70,000 Alaska Airlines miles. Compared to 80,000 United miles or 85,000 American Airlines miles for a partner award, this is one of the best options from the U.S. to Europe.

North America to Dubai

You can book this route for just 80,000 Alaska Airlines miles. Compared to 115,000 American Airlines miles or 140,000 United miles for a partner award, this is a great deal for long-haul first class travel.

London to Hawaii

For 70,000 Alaska Airlines miles, combine a British Airways first class flight from London to the U.S. West Coast with an Alaska Airlines first class flight from there to Honolulu. Out of the cheapest options for redemption on this route, you probably have the best chance of finding first class availability with British Airways and Alaska Airlines.

How To Earn Enough Avios for British Airways First Class

If you need more Avios to complete a first class booking with British Airways, you have plenty of options to earn more.

British Airways Avios can be earned directly with the British Airways Visa Signature^® Card. BA Avios can also be transferred from American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, or Chase Ultimate Rewards at a rate of 1:1 or Marriott Bonvoy at a transfer rate of 3:1. When you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, you’ll receive a 5,000-point bonus, meaning you’ll receive 25,000 Avios for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred.

You can also earn American Airlines miles directly with Citi and Barclays co-branded credit cards.

Hot Tip: Another great way to earn British Airways Avios is to convert them from Iberia Plus Avios, Aer Lingus AerClub Avios, or Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios. Just keep in mind that for Iberia, both accounts need to have been open for at least 90 days for this to work.

Amex Membership Rewards

British Airways is an Amex transfer partner.

Recommended American Express Cards (Personal)

Business Owner? Check out our article on the best Amex business cards that earn Membership Rewards.

Capital One Miles

British Airways is a Capital One transfer partner.

Recommended Capital One Miles Cards

Chase Ultimate Rewards

British Airways is a Chase transfer partner.

Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)

Business Owner? Read our article on the best Chase business cards that earn Ultimate Rewards.

Marriott Bonvoy

British Airways is a Marriott transfer partner.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

When Should You Search for Award Space?

Between the U.S. and Europe, British Airways is generally only bookable for more than 1 person if you plan very far in advance.

In the past, if you were flexible with your departure city and timing, you could fly from New York (JFK), Philadelphia (PHL), or Washington, D.C. (IAD) multiple days per month throughout the whole schedule. Since the pandemic, first class award space has dried up significantly.

If you want more than 2 seats or need to fly on a specific day, it may make sense to search closer to when the schedule is released or try to plan as far out in advance as possible.

What Makes This a Great Redemption?

If you’re able to find award space, you’ll have a very solid first class experience with British Airways, despite the high taxes and fees.

No More Lines

First class passengers have dedicated check-in desks at most airports. In addition, passengers can access Fast Track security at London-Heathrow (LHR), London-Gatwick (LGW), and New York (JFK), as well as Fast Track arrivals at Heathrow for non-EU passport holders.

Priority boarding is available for all flights. The First Wing at LHR streamlines the check-in process with a private check-in area, dedicated security lines, and a walkway that leads directly to the Galleries First Lounge and Concorde Room.

All the Bags You Need

When traveling in first class, British Airways allows you to bring 1 full-sized carry-on, 1 laptop or handbag, and up to 3 additional checked bags per person. That is plenty for an extended family vacation (or maybe a few extra souvenirs to bring home).

Travel Together Ticket

One of the more interesting offerings from British Airways Executive Club is the Travel Together Ticket. You’ll receive this perk each year after spending at least $30,000 on your British Airways Visa card.

The ticket is good for 2 years, and it gives you the ability to book a complimentary second ticket for a companion when you book an award flight on British Airways. The companion must be booked into the same class of service and on the same flight as your ticket.

Also, the award flights must originate and return to the U.S. You do still have to pay the taxes and fees on the second ticket, which can easily top $1,500 to $2,000 for premium cabin travel (especially if your return is from London). However, without having to use any additional Avios, this is still a pretty good price to pay for a round-trip first-class flight on British Airways!

787 Dreamliner

British Airways first class on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Image Credit: Alex Miller

First class on BA’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners is a step above the airline’s other first class products. Larger inflight entertainment screens, touchscreen handsets, and just 8 seats in the cabin make this a more exclusive experience.

First Class Service

Impeccable service, elegant surroundings, and fine dining — when you fly first class, British Airways wants to give you the absolute best experience possible.

First Class Suite

Each suite can be transformed into a lie-flat bed that measures 78 inches long. Quilted mattresses, cotton duvets, and soft pajamas mean even taller passengers will be able to rest comfortably while they fly.

Onboard Entertainment

A 15-inch personal screen, noise-canceling headphones, and more entertainment options than you could ever need (including films, documentaries, television, music, audiobooks, and games) mean you’ll never be bored during your flight. And each suite features numerous power outlets, ensuring you can keep your various devices charged up.

Inflight Dining

British Airways has worked with top chefs to design breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, as well as the quintessential afternoon tea. Passengers can also dine on their own schedule with an à la carte menu and a selection of lighter options.

Fine Champagnes, wines, spirits, beers, and a variety of non-alcoholic drinks round out the dining experience.

Galleries First Lounge

Flying British Airways first class means you can expect a top-notch ground experience, too. The Galleries First Lounge features luxurious furniture, excellent service, delicious food options, and great wines and Champagnes.

For those who need to use their time to work, complimentary internet, printers, copiers, and fax machines will make it seem like you’re still at the office.

Finally, if you’re departing from Heathrow after 8 p.m. or from Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Philadelphia (PHL), Toronto (YYZ), or Washington, D.C. (IAD) after 6 p.m., you can enjoy a sit-down dinner with waiter service in the lounge.

The Concorde Room

At New York (JFK) and Heathrow’s Terminal 5, first class passengers can experience the epitome of excellence in the exclusive Concorde Room.

Inspired by 5-star boutique hotels, the Concorde Room is designed to be your home away from home. Fine art, luxury furniture, and exquisite chandeliers create an area of calm and comfort. Private cabanas with a day bed and en-suite bath are available at London-Heathrow (LHR).

Before your flight, you can enjoy intimate booths for private dining with full waiter service. If you need to do some work before you fly, take advantage of the state-of-the-art business suite. Either way, you’ll be able to relax in comfort until it’s time to board your flight.

Arrivals Lounges

In both Terminals 3 and 5 at London-Heathrow (LHR), passengers can visit the Arrivals Lounge when they disembark from their flights. This is an excellent option when arriving early morning on a red-eye from the U.S.

Showers are available to refresh after a long flight. For those who need to head straight to a meeting, the pressing services are a must. There are, of course, a variety of dining options as well.

Final Thoughts

British Airways makes it a goal to provide luxurious service to first class passengers from they arrive at their departure airport.

It is a great option to fly, but when booking awards in BA first class you need to watch out for high taxes and fees. By paying attention to the airports you are flying between and weighing the value of what you’re getting for the miles and fees you’re paying, it is quite possible to fly British Airways first class with miles for pennies on the dollar.

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Featured Image Credit: Alex Miller

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are booking British Airways first class, consider Japan Airlines Mileage Bank and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.

Japan Airlines has a distance-based award chart that has some sweet spot redemptions, while Alaska Airlines has a region-based award chart that also provides some great options.

Additionally, using American Airlines AAdvantage miles may be a good option, depending on your route.

Prior to your first class flight, you can relax in one of British Airways’ Galleries First Lounges. If you’re in Terminal 5 at London Heathrow or you’re flying out of New York (JFK), you will have access to the Concorde Room, which is the flagship lounge.

Additionally, you will have access to Oneworld first class lounges provided by BA’s partner airlines.

Inflight, you can expect a lie-flat seat, direct aisle access, a great meal, and friendly service.

If you arrive at London Heathrow (LHR) in Terminal 3 or Terminal 5, you can visit the fantastic Arrivals Lounge.

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About Jeff Brownson

Since discovering miles and points in 2010, Jeff has traveled to over 35 countries, flying in first class, business class, and sometimes even in coach. Whether he’s staying in a hostel dorm, or in a luxury suite at a 5 star hotel, Jeff is constantly looking for the best deal to make travel as close to free as possible.

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5 comments

Virginia

April 16, 2021

Since late March 2021 BA has not released any first class Avios seats on its New York City metro to London Heathrow route for travel from mid-March 2022 forward. This is a blatant abuse of the loyalty of Executive Club members who have exchanged credit card points for Avios or purchased Avios outright in the expectation that obtaining first class travel would at least be possible although not guaranteed on any particular flight.

My household has over 800,000 Avios. If I were to book World Club business seats rather than first class seats I would still have to pay the same exorbitant fuel surcharges. This is truly bad form on BA’s part. And it has ensured that this household will never exchange credit card points for Avios or purchase Avios from BA in the future.

First to the left

September 06, 2021

Yes this sucks. But they have retired all the 747 and a380 still not back if ever. The amount of first class seats available has been reduced considerably. Across all airlines. So they’re selling them instead of “giving them away”.
On the bright side, they have doubled the number of biz class reward seats. Also, First has never been guaranteed, like biz and coach for rewards.
This is not likely to improve, but I will hold out hope as we have a million+ Avios and two companion vouchers, and was hoping to use them in first. Maybe Flying ba biz until these run out.
Certainly not transferring any more points to Avios, even though the 40% bonus from Amex is tempting.

Jeff

November 25, 2021

Until new Club seating configuration comes in on BA long haul flights the Business class sucks. Forward and rear facing seats just awful. Food not great. No first class award availability is not just to London but from London worldwide. Yes first class seats fewer but BA was never giving these away. Fees exorbitant on top of points. but for first class it was acceptable trade off. BA is a shadow of its former self until it fixes this first class availability issue. Unavailability is universal. Daily. 350 days out. Boston used to be the exception but no more

HR

February 21, 2022

I signed up for a chase British Airways card b/c I want to fly first class again on British Airways. I am now wondering if I should have signed up for an American Airlines MasterCard. 1. Plenty of Economy tickets, having a hard time finding a First class ticket w/avios miles! 2. Understand how the mile cost for the same flight on BA could be different between BA vs. AA but taxes/fees should be the same when sitting on a BA flight no matter which airline miles sells you the seat!

Nick

January 27, 2023

I have not seen BA first class available on the Alaska Airlines website for quite some time. Yeesh. Does anyone have any tips or tricks to get around this?

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