Status: checked against official sources; automated independent review
FREQUENT FLYER GLOSSARY
What is peak season?
Peak season is a date category used in The British Airways Club's Avios upgrade rules: the Avios required to upgrade a flight depends on whether that flight is scheduled on a peak or off-peak date. [1]
Facts checked: 18 October 2026
Key takeaways
- British Airways prices an Avios upgrade according to whether the flight is scheduled on a peak or off-peak date. [1]
- British Airways Reward Flights are quoted as a fixed Avios amount plus a fixed cash amount for taxes, fees and carrier charges, and the figures depend on travel date, destination and travel class. [1]
- Marriott Bonvoy Free Night Awards carry varying point values across properties, and PointSavers rates offer up to 20% off at participating hotels. [5]
What does peak season mean for fares and award prices?
Peak and off-peak are labels attached to particular flight dates in the British Airways upgrade rules. The airline says the Avios needed for an upgrade is based on the Avios costs for Reward Flights in the cabins being upgraded from and to, and depends on whether the flight is scheduled on a peak or off-peak date. [1] The formula is: Avios for the cabin you wish to upgrade to minus Avios for the cabin you booked in equals Avios required to upgrade one way. [1]
The amount therefore follows the date on which the flight is scheduled, as well as the cabins involved. [1]
How do peak dates affect British Airways Reward Flight prices?
British Airways Reward Flights are flights booked with Avios to any worldwide destination where there is availability, on British Airways and oneworld partner flights. The member pays Avios plus a cash amount for taxes, fees and carrier charges. [1] The airline describes Reward Flights as offering a fixed Avios amount and a fixed cash amount, and says the figures depend on the date of travel, the destination and the travel class. [1] Its published starting examples are shown below.
| Example | Avios and cash |
|---|---|
| Reward Flight, each way, from | 10,000 Avios + £1 |
| Business (Club World) return, from | 154,000 Avios + £250 |
The airline states that these examples were correct as of December 2025 and directs members to its Reward Flight Finder to search available dates and flights. [1] Separately, Avios part payment reduces the price of a regular flight or holiday package, starting from as little as 1,000 Avios. [1]
How do peak and off-peak dates price an Avios upgrade?
Avios can also be used to move a cash booking up to the next cabin on selected fares with British Airways, Iberia and American Airlines, where there is availability. [1] The amount required is built from the Reward Flight prices of the two cabins: the Avios for the cabin being upgraded to, minus the Avios for the cabin already booked, gives the Avios needed to upgrade one way. [1] Because those underlying prices depend on whether the flight is scheduled on a peak or off-peak date, the upgrade price follows the same date-based logic. [1]
Do hotel award nights vary like this?
In Marriott Bonvoy, Free Night Awards are redeemable at thousands of properties worldwide with varying point values, and members apply awards during booking. [5] Redemptions start at 12,000 points a night. [5]
The same page describes ways to adjust a points stay. PointSavers offers up to 20% off with exclusive rates at participating hotels: a member selects "Use Points/Awards" in a hotel search and looks for hotels displaying PointSavers rates. [5] Cash + Points lets a member combine money and points at participating hotels that display available cash + points rates. [5] Room upgrades can be traded for points or cash at select hotels and resorts, and Nightly Upgrade Awards are available to Gold Elite members and above. [5] The page presents PointSavers and Cash + Points as rates shown in a hotel search, room upgrades as awards applied during booking, and Nightly Upgrade Awards as requested after booking. [5]
Exceptions and limits
- The British Airways examples are starting figures, stated to be correct as of December 2025, and the airline says the amount varies with date of travel, destination and travel class. [1]
- A Reward Flight is not Avios alone: taxes, fees and carrier charges are paid in cash on top of the Avios. [1]
- Upgrades with Avios apply to selected fares with British Airways, Iberia and American Airlines only, and are subject to availability. [1]
- Marriott Bonvoy's programme rules allow redemption levels, award availability and the structure for earning and redeeming awards to change with or without notice, even where a change affects the value of points. [3]
- Bonvoy points and awards have no cash value and may not be sold, bartered or transferred except as the programme rules expressly permit. [3]
- PointSavers, Cash + Points and room upgrade awards are offered only at participating or select hotels. [5]
Frequently asked questions
Do British Airways peak dates apply to every flight?
The airline applies peak or off-peak pricing flight by flight: the Avios needed for an upgrade depends on whether the particular flight is scheduled on a peak or off-peak date. [1]
How do I find out what my British Airways award will cost?
Reward Flight amounts depend on date of travel, destination and travel class, and British Airways provides a Reward Flight Finder for searching available dates and flights. [1]
Can I reduce the cash price of a flight with Avios?
Yes. Avios part payment reduces the price of a regular flight or holiday package, with as little as 1,000 Avios. [1]
Are hotel award nights cheaper at some properties than others?
In Marriott Bonvoy, Free Night Awards carry varying point values across thousands of participating properties and redemptions start at 12,000 points a night, while PointSavers offers up to 20% off at participating hotels. [5]
Sources
Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. It covers The British Airways Club and Marriott Bonvoy; other airlines and hotel programmes are not covered here.
- British Airways, Spending Avios, checked 18 October 2026
- Marriott Bonvoy, Discover Marriott Bonvoy, checked 18 October 2026
- Marriott Bonvoy Loyalty Program Terms & Conditions, checked 18 October 2026
- Marriott Bonvoy, How to Transfer Points to Miles, checked 18 October 2026
- Marriott Bonvoy, Redeem Points, checked 18 October 2026