Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
GUIDE
How to check Avios peak and off-peak dates
Avios peak and off-peak dates are the two date-based price levels that The British Airways Club applies to a Reward Flight: the chosen date of travel dictates whether the member pays a peak or an off-peak Avios amount, and a single booking can use all peak dates, all off-peak dates or a mixture of the two. [3]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- The date of travel dictates whether a Reward Flight is priced at the peak or the off-peak Avios amount, and a booking can be all peak, all off-peak or a mixture of the two. [3]
- The Avios and the cash price of a Reward Flight also depend on destination and class of travel, so the travel date is one of three variables. [3]
- Changing a date of travel from off-peak to peak is an example of a change that may require additional Avios, while a change from a peak to an off-peak date means any difference in Avios price is refunded. [3]
- An Avios upgrade is worked out from the Reward Flight Avios costs of the two cabins involved, and that figure depends on whether the flight is scheduled on a peak or off-peak date. [1]
Which redemptions are priced by peak or off-peak date?
A Reward Flight is a flight booked with Avios plus a cash amount covering taxes, fees and carrier charges. [1] British Airways says the chosen date of travel will dictate whether the member pays a peak or an off-peak Avios amount, and that when booking Reward Flights a member can choose all peak dates, all off-peak dates or a mixture of the two. [3] The Avios and cash price paid for a Reward Flight is dependent on date, destination and class of travel. [3]
Avios-only flights are specific flights operated by British Airways and its subsidiary Euro Flyer that are available to book only as Reward Flights, for direct journeys and exclusively to members of The British Airways Club. [3] Those seats cost the standard Reward Flight price, which depends on whether the flight is operating at peak or off-peak times and on the flight distance. [3]
Upgrades paid for with Avios are calculated from the Reward Flight costs of the two cabins involved: Avios for the cabin being upgraded to, minus Avios for the cabin already booked, equals the Avios required to upgrade one way. [1] That calculation depends on whether the flight is scheduled on a peak or off-peak date. [1]
Reward Flights can also be taken with Iberia, American Airlines and oneworld partners, and on those airlines the cash amount covering taxes, fees and carrier charges is variable rather than fixed. [3] The Avios required for partner flights may vary from British Airways depending on route and distance travelled, and British Airways states that partner Reward Flight Avios prices, as with its own, are dependent on date, destination and class of travel. [3]
How do you check a travel date before booking?
Check the date actually intended for travel, because that date dictates whether the redemption is priced at the peak or the off-peak Avios amount. [3] British Airways points members to its Reward Flight Finder to search for available dates and flights [1], and to its interactive Flight Finder tool to see where a Reward Flight could take them. [3] A British Airways flight can be booked with Avios by logging in with the membership number and using that Flight Finder. [1]
The Avios and the cash price paid for a Reward Flight are dependent on the date, the destination and the class of travel together. [3] Avios-only flights are booked through the normal Reward Flight booking journey or by contacting the contact centre. [3]
What happens if you change between peak and off-peak dates?
Some changes may require additional Avios, and British Airways gives changing a date of travel from off-peak to peak as an example. [3] All changes will be shown in Manage My Booking, or explained over the phone before they are made. [3] When a booking is changed from a peak to an off-peak date, British Airways refunds any difference in Avios price. [3]
| Change | Effect on Avios | Where it is handled |
|---|---|---|
| Off-peak date to peak date | Additional Avios may be required. [3] | Contact centre. [3] |
| Peak date to off-peak date | Any difference in Avios price is refunded. [3] | Online in Manage My Booking for many simple changes; contact centre if an immediate refund of Avios is required. [3] |
| Avios part payment booking changed from a peak to an off-peak date | Any difference in Avios price is refunded, but the difference in the money portion of the price cannot be refunded. [3] | British Airways says the original flights can be cancelled for a full refund and a new booking made instead. [3] |
Many changes to simple Reward Flights can be made online in Manage My Booking, but British Airways asks members to call its contact centre to change a British Airways Reward Flight from an off-peak date to a peak date, or from a peak date to an off-peak date when an immediate refund of Avios is required. [3]
Frequently asked questions
Can a single Reward Flight mix peak and off-peak dates?
Yes. British Airways says members booking Reward Flights can choose all peak dates, all off-peak dates or a mixture of the two, and its terms for Avios-only flights repeat that peak and off-peak dates can be mixed. [3]
Does changing from an off-peak date to a peak date cost more Avios?
It may. British Airways lists an off-peak to peak date change as an example of a change that may require additional Avios, and that change is handled by the contact centre. [3]
Do Avios upgrades depend on peak and off-peak dates?
Yes. The Avios required for an upgrade is worked out from the Reward Flight costs of the cabin being upgraded to and the cabin booked, and it depends on whether the flight is scheduled on a peak or off-peak date. [1]
Are the Avios amounts British Airways publishes peak or off-peak figures?
The prices shown in British Airways' terms for Avios-only flights are Reward Flight redemptions based on peak fares for Euro Traveller (economy) and Club Europe, and the airline notes that all Avios amounts quoted in that piece were correct on the date of publication. [3]
Exceptions and limits
- For Avios part payment bookings, the money portion of the price is not refunded when a change moves the booking from a peak to an off-peak date; British Airways says the original flights can be cancelled for a full refund and a new booking made instead. [3]
- Some date changes cannot be completed online. British Airways asks members to call its contact centre when the booking was made using any type of voucher, such as a Companion Voucher or Travel Together Ticket, when it contains a connecting flight, or when it has been upgraded using Avios. [3]
- On Reward Flights with Iberia, American Airlines and oneworld partners, the cash amount for taxes, fees and carrier charges is variable rather than fixed, unlike the fixed cash amount on British Airways Reward Flights. [3]
- The peak and off-peak rule described on this page is the one British Airways sets out for Reward Flights booked with The British Airways Club. Avios can also be transferred between a British Airways Club account and Iberia Club, AerClub, Loganair Loyalty, Vueling Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club or Finnair Plus accounts [4], but how those separate programmes price their own awards is not covered here.
Sources
Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. The pricing rule described here is the British Airways one; Iberia Club, AerClub, Loganair Loyalty, Vueling Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Finnair Plus are separate Avios accounts, listed by British Airways as accounts Avios can be transferred to and from [4], and their own pricing is not covered on this page.
- The British Airways Club: Spending Avios, checked 18 October 2026
- The British Airways Club: Reward Flights, checked 18 October 2026
- The British Airways Club: Transfer your Avios, checked 18 October 2026