What is a one-way award?

How is a one-way award priced?

An award price is the number of miles a programme charges for a particular journey, and a one-way award applies that price to travel in a single direction. The programmes below publish award pricing in different ways, and each sets out the factors that move its own prices.

Emirates Skywards lets members pay the full cost of a ticket with Miles, excluding taxes, through Classic Rewards, with a choice of Saver and Flex Plus fares and prices starting from just 5,000 Miles [4]. The programme states that round-trip and one-way rewards are available [4].

The British Airways Club describes a Reward Flight as an Avios amount plus a fixed cash amount covering taxes, fees and carrier charges, though on flights with Iberia, American Airlines and other oneworld partners the cash amount is variable rather than fixed [2]. The Avios and cash price depends on the date, destination and class of travel, and the chosen date decides whether a peak or off-peak Avios amount applies; a booking can use all peak dates, all off-peak dates or a mixture of the two [2]. British Airways quotes the following Reward Flight examples, all correct as of May 2026 [2].

The number of Avios required for partner flights may vary from British Airways' own prices depending on route and distance travelled [2]. Members short of Avios can lower the Avios cost by paying more cash, since British Airways shows a range of Avios & Money payment options at checkout where available, and part payment can start with as little as 1,000 Avios [2].

What counts as one-way travel in programme rules?

Whether a journey counts as one-way travel depends on how a programme defines a flight, and those definitions also decide where one one-way ticket ends and another begins.

Qantas Frequent Flyer, in terms effective 27 August 2026, defines a Flight as one-way travel without a stopover on a scheduled air service with a single flight number, even if the travel includes a change of aircraft; where travel includes a change of flight number, each change is a new Flight [3]. A Classic Flight Reward is a ticket and reservation for one or more Flights with a Qantas, oneworld member airline or airline partner flight number [3].

Qantas also defines the break points between journeys. On itineraries other than Australian domestic ones, a Stopover is when a passenger arrives at an intermediate point and is not scheduled to depart within 24 hours of arrival, while a Transfer is when departure is scheduled within 24 hours of arrival [3]. A Trip is a series of one or more consecutive Flight Segments that does not include a Stopover, or a Flight Segment whose arrival city is the same as the departure city of any other Flight Segment in that series (in which case the Trip is broken at the farthest point from the departure city for that series), that does not exceed the maximum permitted miles in the applicable Qantas, Jetstar or Partner Classic Flight Reward table, and that is not broken by a change to or from an airline in the Partner Classic Flight Reward table [3]. The definition therefore limits a Trip by a maximum permitted mileage taken from the applicable reward table, as well as by the stopover, repeated-city and airline-change conditions [3].

For the specific Avios-only flights listed in its terms and conditions, The British Airways Club says one-way tickets may be booked or combined with other flight numbers [2].

Can you mix cabins and dates on one booking?

For Avios-only flights, which British Airways describes as flights operated by British Airways and its subsidiary Euro Flyer that are only available to book as Reward Flights, a return or a one-way journey can be booked [2]. On those bookings cabins can be mixed, peak and off-peak dates can be mixed, and a traveller can book one leg on an Avios-only flight and the other leg on another Reward Flight [2].

Reward Flights are subject to availability, but on British Airways flights to and from London Heathrow and London Gatwick the programme guarantees at least eight reward seats in economy (Euro Traveller and World Traveller), two in premium economy (World Traveller Plus) and four in business (Club Europe and Club World); on flights to and from London City it guarantees two reward seats in business and two in economy [2].

Exceptions and limits

• Mixing an award with a paid ticket. British Airways says an Avios-only flight, or any other Reward Flight, cannot be combined with a commercial flight on the same booking [2].
• Changing dates. Some British Airways changes must be made through the contact centre, including moving a Reward Flight from an off-peak date to a peak date, moving from peak to off-peak when an immediate Avios refund is needed, bookings that contain a connecting flight, and bookings that used a voucher or were upgraded with Avios [2]. Changes may require additional Avios; going from peak to off-peak refunds the Avios difference, but for Avios part payment bookings the money portion difference is not refunded [2].
• Cancelling. British Airways cancellations must be made at least 24 hours before the first flight in the itinerary to be eligible for a refund, and Avios-only flights can be cancelled up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund minus a £35 service fee [2]. American says award tickets carry no change fees, though a difference may be payable, and that miles plus eligible taxes and fees are refunded at no charge when a trip is cancelled before the first flight departs, up to one year from the date the ticket was purchased [1].
• What American does not refund. Sale-imposed nonrefundable taxes, taxes payable whether or not the passenger travels, and taxes on a trip that has already started fall outside the refund [1]. Reinstating miles on a trip that involves travel on partner airlines requires contacting Reservations [1].
• Tickets outliving miles. Emirates says Skywards Miles must be redeemed before they expire, but the reward ticket itself can be valid for up to 12 months [4]. Miles due to expire within the next three months can be extended for a payment for another 12 months beyond the original expiry date [4].

Frequently asked questions

Can you book a one-way award instead of a return?

Yes, in programmes that publish one-way awards. Emirates Skywards lists round-trip and one-way rewards as available [4]. For Avios-only flights, British Airways says a return or a one-way journey can be booked [2].

Is a one-way award half the price of a return?

British Airways says the Avios and cash price of a Reward Flight depends on date, destination and class of travel, and that the Avios required for partner flights may vary by route and distance [2], while Emirates offers a choice of Saver and Flex Plus fares from 5,000 Miles [4]. The miles needed therefore depend on the trip rather than on a published one-way/return ratio.

Can you mix cabins on a one-way award?

On Avios-only flights, British Airways says cabins can be combined within a booking, for example economy (Euro Traveller) on the outbound and business (Club Europe) on the inbound, depending on availability [2].

What happens if plans change after a one-way award is ticketed?

American charges no change fees for award tickets, though a fare difference may apply, and reinstates miles at no charge if the ticket is cancelled before the first flight departs, up to one year from purchase [1]. British Airways requires at least 24 hours' notice before the first flight for a refund, with a £35 service fee on cancelled Avios-only flights [2].

Do miles have to be valid when a one-way award is booked?

At Emirates, Skywards Miles must be redeemed before they expire, but the reward ticket can remain valid for up to 12 months [4].

Related pages

Plan the booking with the award search workflow and how to redeem miles. Background terms: award availability, mixed-cabin award and award routing rules. Browse all glossary terms.

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. It covers one-way award rules published by American Airlines AAdvantage, The British Airways Club, Qantas Frequent Flyer and Emirates Skywards. Other programmes, including United MileagePlus, Delta SkyMiles, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Air Canada Aeroplan, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and Lufthansa Miles & More, are not covered here; see the glossary for related terms.

1. American Airlines AAdvantage: Using miles for travel, checked 18 October 2026
2. The British Airways Club: Reward Flights, checked 18 October 2026
3. Qantas Frequent Flyer terms and conditions, effective 27 August 2026, checked 18 October 2026
4. Emirates Skywards: Spend Miles, checked 18 October 2026