Flight upgrades with Avios

Most cash bookings can be upgraded with Avios either at the time of booking or later on, depending on availability. Only the lowest economy (World Traveller) fares (Q, O and G) cannot be upgraded with Avios at any time. There must be reward flight availability in the next cabin for you to be able to upgrade to it using Avios. You won’t be able to upgrade with Avios at the airport or on board.

There are several ways to check availability:

• if you have an existing booking – log in to Manage My Booking, select your flight and choose “Upgrade this flight with Avios” to see if your flight can be upgraded
• if you’re just making plans – use our ‘book and upgrade’ form to search for specific flights and dates to see if you can upgrade as you book or use our reward availability tools to search for inspiration and availability

An Avios upgrade is always to the next cabin, which can vary depending on the route and airline. For example:

• on a short haul flight, you could upgrade from economy (Euro Traveller) to business (Club Europe)
• on a long haul flight, you could upgrade from economy (World Traveller) to premium economy (World Traveller Plus), premium economy (World Traveller Plus) to business (Club World), or business (Club World) to first class

Upgrade an existing booking

Log in to Manage My Booking, select your flight and choose “Upgrade this flight with Avios” to see if your flight can be upgraded.

Upgrade a new flight as you book

Use our ‘book and upgrade’ form to search for availability and make your booking. Select the class of travel you wish to upgrade from when searching.

An upgrade with Avios consists of:

• a cash amount for the flights
• an Avios amount for the upgrade
• taxes, fees and carrier charges

The Avios amount required for the upgrade is based on the Avios costs for reward flights in the cabins you are upgrading from and to and will depend on whether your flight is scheduled on a peak or off-peak date.

The formula is:

        Avios for the cabin you wish to upgrade to - Avios for the cabin you make your booking in = Avios required to upgrade one way

Here's an example for a peak one-way upgrade from London to New York, upgrading from premium economy (World Traveller Plus) to business (Club World):

        Club World: 60,000 Avios - World Traveller Plus: 40,000 Avios = 20,000 Avios to upgrade

If you don't have enough Avios to upgrade, or would like to save some for your next reward, you can reduce the Avios cost by paying an additional cash amount. The fewer Avios used, the more you make up in money.

Purchasing, transferring and sharing Avios

There are even more ways to top up your Avios to reach your next reward:

• boost your Avios balance by purchasing some
• ask a friend or family member to transfer some of their Avios to you
• pool your Avios with other Executive Club Members in your household

Bookings made through your travel agent can now be upgraded on ba.com or through your local Executive Club service centre. The flights you would like to upgrade must be booked and ticketed in eligible booking classes, however Bulk Tour (BT) and Inclusive Tour (IT) fare types are not eligible.

Please contact your travel agent to check if you have an eligible booking before visiting Manage My Booking to upgrade your flight.

If you need to change the date or time of your flight, please contact your local Executive Club service centre.

Contact Executive Club

Some changes have associated costs. See our booking and service fees for details.

Booking and service fees