Bad News: British Airways Devalues Avios Partner Awards (on 15 December 2025)

It was bound to happen eventually, though we certainly could have done without the festive surprise. Effective 15 December 2025, British Airways has somewhat quietly devalued its partner award chart, raising redemption rates for oneworld partners including Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, Japan Airlines, and Qatar Airways. As is typical with British Airways Executive Club devaluations, there was virtually little to no advance notice. We simply woke up yesterday to find that the sweet spots we have come to rely on for short-haul travel within Asia have become a little less sweet.

Photo Credit: British Airways

While British Airways does not publish an official partner award chart, the pricing has historically been distance-based. By running searches on key routes, we can see that redemption rates have increased significantly across most zones. This devaluation affects all partner airlines as well as British Airways' own metal (e.g. SIN-LHR).

For those based in Singapore, the real damage here is for regional travel within Asia, where Avios has traditionally been a fantastic alternative to KrisFlyer due to lower mileage requirements. The most popular use of Avios for Singaporeans is for short-haul flights on Malaysia Airlines (to Kuala Lumpur) and Cathay Pacific (to Hong Kong and beyond). Here is a look at the Old vs New redemption rates (one-way) for these common routes.

Photo Credit: Malaysia Airlines

Zone 1 (0 – 650 miles)

Example: Singapore (SIN) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) on Malaysia Airlines

Cabin Class	Old Rate	New Rate	Increase
Economy	6,000 Avios	6,500 Avios	+8.3%
Business	12,500 Avios	14,000 Avios	+12%

This is one of the steepest percentage increases. While 500 Avios might not sound like a dealbreaker, it effectively lowers the floor value of an Avios point. However, at 6,500 Avios, it is still competitively priced against KrisFlyer, which charges 8,500 miles for the same sector.

Photo Credit: Cathay Pacific

Zone 3 (1,151 – 2,000 miles)

Example: Singapore (SIN) to Hong Kong (HKG) on Cathay Pacific

Cabin Class	Old Rate	New Rate	Increase
Economy	14,300 Avios	16,000 Avios	+11.9%
Prem. Economy	23,400 Avios	26,000 Avios	+11.1%
Business	32,500 Avios	36,000 Avios	+10.8%

Correction: An earlier version of this article referenced the Qatar Airways Privilege Club pricing for the Singapore-Hong Kong route; please note that the correct pre-devaluation rates (effective immediately prior to 15 December 2025) were 14,300 Avios for Economy, 23,400 Avios for Premium Economy and 32,500 Avios for Business Class.

A one-way Business Class ticket to Hong Kong now costs 36,000 Avios (+10.8% more than what it used to cost) which is insane. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer charges 34,000 miles for this same route so I will probably redeem SQ from SIN-HKG and redeem CX from HKG-SIN (probably on Asia Miles) to enjoy the much more superior airport lounges out of Hong Kong International Airport. As a quick reminder, you can see redeem SIN-HKG and HKG-SIN using Qatar Airways Privilege Club for just 22,000 Avios in Business Class.

Photo Credit: Japan Airlines

Zone 4/5 (Long Haul)

Example: Singapore (SIN) to Tokyo (HND/NRT) on Japan Airlines

Cabin Class	Old Rate	New Rate	Increase
Economy	20,750 Avios	No Availability	?
Business	38,750 Avios	No Availability	?

For some reason, I can’t seem to find any availability for SIN-TYO at the time of writing but I will update this once information becomes available.

Photo Credit: British Airways

Example: Singapore (SIN) to Sydney (SYD) on British Airways

Cabin Class	Old Rate	New Rate	Increase
Economy	25,000 Avios	27,500 Avios	+10.0%
Prem. Economy	42,500 Avios	46,750 Avios	+10.0%
Business	80,000 Avios	88,000 Avios	+10.0%

A closer look at the Off-Peak redemption rates for British Airways-operated flights confirms a uniform devaluation. On the Singapore to Sydney sector (BA15/16), the number of Avios required has risen by exactly 10% across all three cabin classes, confirming that BA's own metal has not been spared from the inflation (albeit at a much lower rate).

If you have an existing stash of Avios, there is no need to panic - your points are certainly not worthless, but the value proposition has shifted. You should now make it a habit to compare the cost of redemption across various frequent flyer programmes before committing. As always, the golden rule applies: only convert your credit card points into a frequent flyer programme when you are ready to book. Do not make speculative conversions hoping for a future redemption. Miles will inevitably be devalued from time to time, so the best strategy remains to earn and burn rather than hoarding them for a rainy day.