British Airways frequent flyer program much less than expected

How it began

I signed up for a British Airways credit card to receive the 100,000 bonus miles (after $2,000 purchase). Then I started using it for all purchases, since I was getting 1.25 miles for each dollar spent. Then, I tried to redeem some miles.

The shocker

I found that British Airways charges you the fuel surcharge and taxes and fees, a minimum of $100+ for transatlantic flights each way for the surcharge alone.  A search concluded that for a May round-trip flight to Madrid and back, I’d use 60,000 of my miles and pay $300 or more total.

My tried and true frequent flyer program

Redeeming American Airlines miles is much more rewarding. I’ve paid from $44 to $80 in taxes for round-trip flights to the same European location. And if I flew between October 16 and May 15, it would only take 40,000 miles.

The consolation prize

Thankfully, redeeming domestic U.S. flights via British Airways is useful. $5 in total taxes for a round-trip from Austin to LAX.

Why American Airlines is terrific

I’ve gone back to spending on my American Airlines credit card for another reason. All British Airways transatlantic flights stop-over in London, which sometimes means another stopover for me, which I don’t like at all. Through American, if I book far enough ahead, sometimes I just have one stopover for a flight from the small city of Austin! And another thing. In the last year, American has upgraded its mileage reservations system. It’s easy to see one month at a time what days still have rewards seats available in each category. British Airways’ search is much more shot in the dark and tells you NO more often than not.