The Thrifty Traveler Podcast · Thursday, October 22, 2026
Kyle notes that while booking British Airways through its own program carries high fees, booking the same seats via Japan Airlines Mileage Bank lowers the mileage and cash requirements significantly.
“The rub is that most people look at British Airways, booking British Airways an award ticket using British Airways Avios. And that's pretty gross because it's at least 88,000 Avios each way and about $400 in taxes and fees.”
“So the way that you book this is with Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, which you can transfer from Citi, Built, and Capital One. And it's as low as 42,000 miles each way”