Part of The British Airways Club hub
Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What is part pay with Avios?
Part pay with Avios is the option to spend Avios against the cash price of an ordinary flight or holiday booking rather than on a reward seat, so the traveller pays less money and uses some Avios. British Airways, which calls the feature Avios part payment, offers it from as little as 1,000 Avios, and the more Avios applied the lower the cash price. [1] [3]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- Part pay with Avios spends Avios against the cash price of an ordinary flight or holiday booking; a Reward Flight spends them on the seat, with cash covering taxes, fees and carrier charges. [1] [3]
- British Airways quotes 1,000 Avios as the entry point for part payment, and a larger Avios amount reduces the cash price further. [1] [3]
- Avios & Money at a Reward Flight checkout runs the other way: extra cash lowers the Avios needed. [3]
- On British Airways flights to and from London Heathrow and London Gatwick a minimum number of reward seats is guaranteed, which is the benchmark any part-payment discount has to beat. [3]
How does part pay with Avios differ from a reward flight or from buying Avios?
Using points against part of a cash price is a distinct way of spending a loyalty currency. The traveller buys a normal ticket and swaps some of the currency for a reduction in the money due, so the value obtained depends on how much cash a given number of points removes. It is different from an award booking, where the currency is the price of the seat and cash covers only the taxes and charges attached to it, and different again from buying points, which adds to a balance without buying anything on its own.
At British Airways the two spending routes sit side by side. Avios part payment is presented as a way to reduce the cash price of a flight with as little as 1,000 Avios, and it appears alongside Reward Flights, which are priced as a fixed Avios amount plus a fixed cash amount to cover taxes, fees and carrier charges. [1] [3]
| Question | Part pay with Avios | Reward Flight |
|---|---|---|
| What is being priced | A normal flight or holiday package booking [1] | A seat, priced for the date, destination and class of travel [3] |
| What Avios do | Reduce the cash price [1] [3] | Form the main price of the seat [3] |
| What cash does | Pays the rest of the fare [1] | Covers taxes, fees and carrier charges [1] [3] |
| Stated starting point | 1,000 Avios [1] [3] | Example: 10,000 Avios + £2.50 each-way to Europe, correct as of May 2026 [3] |
A second checkout mechanic is easy to confuse with part payment. On a Reward Flight, a member who does not hold enough Avios, or who would rather keep some for a later trip, is offered a range of Avios & Money options that cut the Avios required in return for a larger cash payment — the fewer Avios used, the more cash is paid. [3] Part payment moves the same two quantities in the opposite direction: Avios go up and cash comes down. Buying Avios, which British Airways lists among the ways to top up a balance for a reward, is a separate purchase. [3]
What is the Avios-to-cash rate for part payment?
British Airways quotes the feature by an entry point and a direction: it names 1,000 Avios as the minimum and says that the more Avios applied, the less cash is needed. [1] [3] For any individual booking the test is arithmetic — cash removed divided by Avios applied — and the dated pairs below show why a figure remembered from an earlier trip is a poor guide.
In its spending guide British Airways gave a Reward Flight from 10,000 Avios + £1 each-way to Europe and a business (Club World) seat from 154,000 Avios + £250 return, correct as of December 2025. [1] The reward-flight guide puts the same two starting points at 10,000 Avios + £2.50 each-way and 154,000 Avios + £350 return, correct as of May 2026. [3] The Avios amounts in those examples did not move; the cash side rose.
Part payment works on the same principle in the other direction, so the comparison worth making is between the cash reduction offered for the Avios on the booking being priced and the value those same Avios would have had on a reward seat. [1] [3]
When is part pay worse value than keeping Avios for a reward flight?
Holding Avios back only pays if a reward seat is a realistic use for them, and on British Airways' own network that is a stated commitment rather than a hope: the airline guarantees at least eight reward seats in economy, two in premium economy and four in business on all its flights to and from London Heathrow and London Gatwick, and at least two in business and two in economy on flights to and from London City. [3]
The cash side of a Reward Flight is fixed on British Airways flights. With Iberia, American Airlines and oneworld partners the cash needed for taxes, fees and carrier charges is variable rather than fixed, so a comparison between part payment and a partner award starts from a less predictable cash figure. [3]
Avios are also portable enough that spending them early is a choice rather than a necessity: members can pool Avios with family and friends to reach a reward more quickly. [2]
There is a flexibility cost as well. When a booking moves from a peak to an off-peak date, British Airways refunds any difference in the Avios price, but for Avios part payment bookings it cannot refund any difference in the money portion of the price; the alternative it offers is to cancel the original flights for a full refund and make a new booking. [3]
Exceptions and limits
- What can be part-paid. British Airways describes part payment against the price of a flight or of a holiday package, with holidays available where they are offered in the member's region. [1] Seats and baggage are a separate Avios option from the fare itself. [1]
- Minimum. The stated entry point is 1,000 Avios. [1] [3]
- Money already committed. Under the peak-to-off-peak rule, the cash portion of a part-payment booking is not returned when the travel date changes; cancelling for a full refund and rebooking is the route British Airways describes. [3]
- Where the Avios come from. Avios can be transferred between a British Airways Club account and Iberia Club, AerClub, Loganair Loyalty, Vueling Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club or Finnair Plus accounts as often as the member likes, and the value of the Avios stays the same. [4]
Frequently asked questions
Can you use part pay with Avios on a holiday package?
Yes. British Airways describes part payment as reducing the price of a flight or a holiday package, subject to holidays being available in the member's region. [1]
What is the minimum number of Avios for part payment?
1,000 Avios. British Airways gives that figure in its spending guide and again in its reward-flight guide, alongside the rule that more Avios means less cash. [1] [3]
Is Avios part payment the same as Avios & Money?
No. Part payment lowers the cash price of a normal booking using Avios. [1] Avios & Money is a checkout choice on a Reward Flight that lowers the Avios needed when the member pays more cash. [3]
What happens to a part-payment booking moved to an off-peak date?
The Avios difference is refunded, but British Airways cannot refund any difference in the money portion of an Avios part payment booking; it offers cancellation for a full refund and a new booking instead. [3]
Sources
Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Only The British Airways Club's part payment option is described here; the Avios-based accounts that Avios can be transferred to — Iberia Club, AerClub, Loganair Loyalty, Vueling Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Finnair Plus — are not covered. [4]
- Spending Avios, The British Airways Club, checked 18 October 2026
- The British Airways Club membership overview, checked 18 October 2026
- Reward Flights and Avios part payment, The British Airways Club, checked 18 October 2026
- Transfer your Avios, The British Airways Club, checked 18 October 2026