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Hey everyone, and welcome back to Smart With Points! I'm Jack, and today we're talking about British Airways hitting a pretty significant milestone in their Avios-Only programme. They've just announced their fiftieth Avios-Only flight, and spoiler alert, it involves Madrid and a rather lovely spot on the French Riviera. But before you rush to empty your Avios balance, we need to have a proper chat about whether these are actually good value or just conveniently available. Let's dive in.
So, British Airways has just launched two new Avios-Only routes from London City Airport, and they're both proper summer destinations. The first is Madrid over the late May bank holiday weekend, and the second is Toulon Saint-Tropez for a week-long break in mid-June. This marks the fiftieth Avios-Only service since the programme kicked off back in two thousand and twenty-three, which is quite a milestone when you think about it.
Booking opens tomorrow, that's the twelfth of February two thousand and twenty-six, and if past performance is anything to go by, these seats won't hang around for long. But let's not get swept up in the excitement just yet. We need to break down the actual numbers and see what we're dealing with.
First up, Madrid. The flights operate over the late May bank holiday weekend. You're looking at departing London City on the twenty-second of May two thousand and twenty-six at eleven in the morning on flight BA three two seven two, and returning on the twenty-fifth of May at fifteen ten on BA three two seven three. In Euro Traveller, that's two pounds plus twenty-eight thousand Avios return. If you fancy Club Europe, it's thirty pounds plus forty-nine thousand Avios return.
Then there's Toulon Saint-Tropez, which is the one I'm personally more interested in. This runs as a week-long break. Outbound on the thirteenth of June two thousand and twenty-six, BA eight seven four seven, departing at seven in the morning, and return on the twentieth of June at ten forty-five, BA eight seven four eight. Euro Traveller costs two pounds plus twenty-one thousand five hundred Avios return, and Club Europe is thirty pounds plus thirty-six thousand Avios return.
Both prices include twenty-three kilograms of checked baggage, which is nice, and here's something important: you can use your British Airways American Express Companion Voucher on these flights. Your companion just pays the taxes, which means they'd be flying for two pounds in economy or thirty pounds in Club Europe. That's potentially brilliant if you've got a voucher sitting there.
Now, let's talk value, because this is where it gets interesting. When I saw these prices, my first instinct was to compare them to standard award pricing. Madrid from London typically costs around eleven thousand seven hundred and fifty to twelve thousand seven hundred and fifty Avios one-way, depending on peak or off-peak, and after December's devaluation, we're now looking at roughly thirteen thousand Avios one-way, or about twenty-six to twenty-eight thousand return.
So the Madrid Avios-Only flight at twenty-eight thousand Avios return is essentially at peak pricing. It's not a bargain, but it's not a rip-off either. You're paying standard rates for guaranteed availability.
Toulon is slightly more interesting. This is a relatively new destination for BA. They only launched it in December two thousand and twenty-five with cash fares starting from one hundred and twenty-seven pounds each way. There's no historical award pricing to compare, but similar French Riviera destinations like Nice typically cost around nine thousand two hundred and fifty to nine thousand seven hundred and fifty Avios one-way pre-devaluation, which would now be around ten to eleven thousand Avios. So you'd expect twenty to twenty-two thousand return. The Avios-Only pricing of twenty-one thousand five hundred return sits right in the middle of that range, which seems fairly reasonable.
From a cash comparison perspective, cash fares for these routes start at one hundred and twenty-seven pounds each way, so two hundred and fifty-four pounds return. That means the Madrid Avios-Only rate gives you about zero point nine pence per Avios, whilst Toulon works out to about one point one eight pence per Avios.
Neither represents exceptional value, if I'm being honest. I typically aim for at least one pence per Avios on short-haul, and ideally closer to one point five pence or more. Toulon just about hits that minimum threshold, whilst Madrid falls slightly short.
But here's the thing, and this is really important: value isn't just about raw pennies per point. The genius of Avios-Only flights is that every single seat on these planes is available for redemption. No more refreshing the BA website at midnight hoping for award space. No competing with thousands of other Avios collectors for the four reward seats that London City flights typically offer.
If you want to go to Madrid over the late May bank holiday or spend a week in Toulon in mid-June, and you have the Avios, you're guaranteed to be able to book, at least until the flights sell out entirely. That convenience and certainty has real value, particularly during peak travel periods.
I've personally experienced the frustration of trying to book half-term or bank holiday flights with points, only to find absolutely zero availability at standard rates. It's maddening. So whilst you might not be getting the best rate, you are getting something that's often impossible to obtain otherwise: a proper holiday during school holidays or bank holidays using points.
One aspect I genuinely appreciate is the use of London City Airport. For those of us based in or near London, London City is by far the most convenient airport. You can get there from central London in twenty-two minutes, it's a single terminal, and you can realistically arrive just forty-five minutes before your flight. Compare that to the Heathrow or Gatwick experience, especially during summer, and there's genuine value in the time saved and stress avoided.
Plus, if you have BA Gold status, you'll get lounge access at London City, though admittedly it's not BA's finest lounge offering. Still, it's better than standing around in the terminal. These are also the first London City Airport Avios-Only flights, which I think is a smart move from BA. The airport's business-focused schedule means there's often less leisure availability, so offering entire flights for points makes genuine sense here.
Now, let me talk about Toulon specifically, because I'm quite excited about this as a destination. Whilst everyone flocks to Nice, Toulon sits just thirty miles from Saint-Tropez and offers a gateway to the French Riviera without the Nice Airport crowds. The Hyères Islands nearby are stunning, and the area has that authentic Provençal charm that's becoming harder to find along the coast.
The June dates work brilliantly as well. They're early enough to avoid peak summer prices and crowds, but still warm enough for proper beach weather. If you're looking to use Avios for a summer break and these dates work, Toulon might be the better value of the two options.
Let's talk about this fiftieth flight milestone for a moment. Since launching in two thousand and twenty-three, BA has now operated forty-eight Avios-Only flights to sixteen destinations, covering Europe, the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East. The return flight from Madrid will mark their fiftieth such service. This programme has evolved considerably. Early Avios-Only flights were often one-way only, just the outbound, or to destinations with decent standard award availability anyway.
Now we're seeing full return flights during genuinely peak periods to desirable destinations. I think BA has found a formula that works: offer flights during school holidays or bank holidays when availability is typically dire, choose leisure destinations people actually want to visit, and price them at roughly standard award rates, perhaps slightly higher for peak dates.
So, should you book these flights? Well, it really depends on your circumstances. You should definitely book if these exact dates work perfectly for you, if you've been struggling to find standard award availability for summer travel, if you have a Companion Voucher that you need to use, if you value the convenience of London City Airport, or if you have Avios to burn and want certainty.
On the other hand, you might want to skip these if the dates don't work, obviously, if you're counting every Avios and want maximum value, if you're flexible with travel dates and can hunt for off-peak standard awards, or if you'd rather save your Avios for long-haul business class.
Personally, I think the Toulon flight represents slightly better value, particularly if you're looking for somewhere a bit different on the French Riviera. Madrid over a bank holiday weekend is convenient, sure, but you're not getting exceptional value at twenty-eight thousand Avios.
If you do decide to book, remember that these typically sell out quickly, especially premium cabins. People book fast and think later because you have twenty-four hours to cancel for free, so seats do sometimes reappear the following day if you check back.
So, final thoughts. Avios-Only flights have become a regular feature of the BA award landscape, and I think that's a positive development. Whilst they're not typically the best value redemptions, they solve a real problem: the complete lack of availability during peak periods. These latest offerings are competently priced, if not cheap, they operate from a convenient airport, and they include one genuinely new and interesting destination in Toulon. The fiftieth flight milestone suggests the programme is here to stay.
Just remember: convenience and certainty come at a price. In this case, that price is roughly standard, or slightly above, award rates rather than the sweet-spot deals we all dream of finding. If you're short on Avios and want to top up your balance before booking, check out our guides on the best Avios-earning credit cards on our website, smartwithpoints.co.uk.
That's it for today's episode. Thanks so much for listening to Smart With Points. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also subscribe on our website at smartwithpoints.co.uk. Safe travels, and I'll catch you in the next episode.
Looking for the best award flights? Use AwardTravelFinder.com to search availability across Qatar Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and more. Try it for free with our link in the shownotes.