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Book British Airways Award Flights Like a Pro: Part 11 – The Best Domestic Awards Using British Airways Avios Points

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    Update: Beginning February 2, 2016, British Airways will no longer offer 1-way, short-haul (under 650 miles) coach award tickets on partner airlines in North America for 4,500 British Airways Avios points.  Instead these flights will cost 7,500 British Airways Avios points.

    I get a lot of questions on British Airways Avios points, and started a series on how to use British Airways Avios points 2 years ago and finally finished writing it.

    The best domestic awards using British Airways Avios points are ones that cost fewer British Airways Avios points than other airline’s miles.

    For example, you can fly round-trip in coach to Hawaii from the West Coast for 25,000 British Airways Avios points.

    25,000 British Airways Avios Points Gets You a Round-Trip Coach Ticket From the West Coast to Honolulu

    Keep reading to find out other great uses of British Airways Avios points for flights in the US.

    Book British Airways Award Flights Like a Pro:

    The Best Domestic Awards Using British Airways Avios Points

    Link:   British Airways Avios Calculator

    Link:   Book flights with British Airways Avios points (sign-in required)

    Link:   Wandering Aramean Avios Tool

    British Airways Avios is a distance-based program, so short flights cost fewer points than in region-based programs such as American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines.  

    Region-based programs (for the most part) charge you the same number of miles when you fly within 1 region, such as North America.  Even if it’s a very short or inexpensive flight.

    When you use British Airways Avios points, any coach flight under 650 flown miles is only 4,500 points 1-way!  The same flight using United Airlines miles might cost you more than double that!

    And remember, Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to both United Airlines and British Airways at a 1:1 ratio.

    So when you want short, direct flights, check the Wandering Aramean Avios Tool or British Airways Avios Calculator to see if using British Airways Avios points makes sense for you!

    You Can Fly 1-Way in Coach From New York to Boston for 4,500 British Airways Avios Points
    And you:

    I looked for a coach ticket just a few days in advance, from Chicago to Los Angeles.  The cost was $403.

    1-Way Last Minute Coach Ticket From Chicago to Los Angeles for $403

    Or you could pay 12,500 British Airways Avios points.

    I’d Rather Use 12,500 British Airways Avios Points to Fly 1-Way at the Last-Minute Than Pay ~$250 Over the Regularly-Priced Cost of a Ticket!

    Here are some of examples of the best ways to use British Airways Avios points for domestic tickets.

    Note:   British Airways has made changes to its Executive Club award program, which start on April 28, 2015. 1.   East Coast Trips, Such as New York to Washington, DC

    A 1-way flight from New York to Washington, DC costs:

    4,500 British Airways Avios Gets You 1-Way in Coach from New York to Washington, DC

    So spending 9,000 British Airways Avios points for a round-trip coach ticket between New York and Washington, DC, is a great deal.  That’s because on US airlines like American Airlines, you’d pay 25,000 miles!

    Using American Airlines Miles to Fly Round-Trip Coach From New York to Washington, DC, Costs Almost 3X as Much British Airways Avios Points

    2.   Flights to Sin City, Such as Los Angeles to Las Vegas

    Flying from Los Angeles or Phoenix to Las Vegas, you’d pay:

    And coach flights from Dallas, Portland, and Seattle, are just 7,500 British Airways Avios points each way.

    Using 4,500 Avios Points to Fly 1-Way From Los Angeles to Las Vegas Means You Have More Gambling Money

    3.   West Coast to the Aloha State, Such as Los Angeles to Honolulu

    One of the best uses of British Airways Avios points for domestic coach award tickets is to fly from the West Coast to Hawaii.  Although Emily and I usually use American Airlines miles because of the large sign-up bonuses.

    You can fly to Honolulu from Anchorage, Los Angeles, Oakland, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Jose, and Seattle for:

    12,500 British Airways Avios Points Gets You a 1-Way Coach Ticket From Los Angeles to Honolulu

    So you’d pay 25,000 British Airways Avios points for a round-trip coach ticket from Los Angeles to Honolulu instead of 45,000 American Airlines miles.

    Using British Airways Avios Points to Fly From Los Angeles to Honolulu Is About Half the Cost of Using American Airlines Miles

    4.   Flights to the Sunshine State, Such as Houston to Miami

    From a long list of cities that includes Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, Memphis, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Washington, DC,  you’d pay:

    Folks looking for flights to Florida destinations such as Key West, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa can get good deals using British Airways Avios points!  Note:  You’ll notice in my Trip Reports to Florida that I tend to use Southwest points instead.  For me, nothing beats the Companion Pass!
    Florida Is Only 7,500 British Airways Avios Points Away…

    Using the Wandering Aramean Avios Tool you can quickly see the number of British Airways Avios points per 1-way coach ticket.

    Folks in the Northeast, Midwest, and South Can Get Good Deals Using British Airways Avios Points for Their Florida Vacation
    These are a only a few of the best ways I think you can use British Airways Avios points domestically.  However, your best personal use of British Airways Avios points might be to see your family in Tulsa!
    Use British Airways Avios Points for Family Reunions

    Bottom Line

    You can use British Airways Avios points to fly domestically using fewer British Airways Avios points than US airline’s miles.

    Because British Airways Avios is a distance based program, you get the best value from short nonstop domestic flights like from New York to Philadelphia.

    That’s because these flights can be pricey, especially when you book only a few days in advance!

    And you can fly from the West Coast to Hawaii for 25,000 British Airways Avios points round-trip in coach.

    You will NOT pay fuel surcharges on domestic flights nor last minute booking fees.  That’s why British Airways Avios points are great for last-minute expensive tickets!

    What’s your favorite use of British Airways Avios points on domestic flights?

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)