British Airways has launched its Black Friday 2025 sale, and there's genuinely quite a lot to digest. From cash fare discounts to Avios earning opportunities, holiday packages, and that all-important shopping portal bonus, I've gone through everything to work out what's actually worth your attention.
The sale runs until 2 December 2025, so you've got a week to take advantage. Let me break down each element so you can decide where to focus your efforts.
The Big Win: 50% Bonus Avios on Shopping
If there's one Black Friday offer from BA that deserves your immediate attention, it's this one. From now until 28 December 2025, The British Airways Club members can earn a 50% bonus on Avios earned through the Avios shopping portal.
This applies to over 1,000 participating retailers, and the maths is straightforward: if a retailer normally offers 2 Avios per £1, you'll now get 3 Avios per £1. Some of the highlighted rates during the promotion include up to 21 Avios per £1 at Harrods, 20 Avios per £1 at Ray-Ban, and 18 Avios per £1 at Ralph Lauren.
If you're doing any Christmas shopping anyway, clicking through the portal first is essentially free Avios. Stack this with an Avios-earning credit card and you're doubling up nicely.
Important caveat: Some categories are excluded from the bonus, including travel, utilities, telecoms, banking, and insurance. The John Lewis 50% bonus specifically only runs from 24 November to 7 December 2025, so time that purchase accordingly.
What About Avios Redemption Discounts?
Here's where I need to manage expectations. Unlike the July sale that offered up to 40-45% off Avios redemptions across numerous routes, this Black Friday doesn't appear to include a major Avios redemption sale at the time of writing.
In previous years, BA has run London City Airport-specific Avios deals during Black Friday week – typically 40% off Euro Traveller and 25% off Club Europe redemptions from LCY. However, these tend to be targeted offers that arrive via email, so check your inbox if you're based near London City.
If you're hunting for discounted Avios flights, your best bet is to keep checking the BA website daily through to Cyber Monday, as flash sales can drop with little notice. You can also use tools like Award Travel Finder to monitor availability across partner airlines if you're flexible on routing.
Cash Fare Deals: What's Actually Good?
The cash fare sale covers flights departing from London Heathrow and Gatwick to destinations in Europe, North America, and beyond. All fares must be booked by 2 December 2025.
North America Highlights: Return flights to the US start from around £403 to New York, £421 to Miami, and similar prices to other major cities. These are World Traveller (economy) fares and include a handbag plus cabin bag – something that's worth noting given budget carriers charge extra for even basic luggage.
Travel periods vary by destination, but generally cover January through October 2026 with some blackout dates around peak holiday periods. A Saturday night minimum stay applies to most routes.
European City Breaks: Short-haul deals include weekend getaways from £159 per person to destinations like Barcelona, Prague, Nice, and Stockholm. Business class (Club Europe) flights to Amsterdam and Geneva start from around £131 each way for those wanting a bit more comfort.
If you're flying from Gatwick to Europe, there's also an option to add checked luggage for just £1 – a nice touch that's been a Black Friday staple for BA in recent years.
Holiday Packages: Up to £300 Off
British Airways Holidays is running a tiered discount structure on flight + hotel packages:
£50 off when you spend £1,250+
£100 off when you spend £2,500+
£200 off when you spend £5,000+
£300 off when you spend £10,000+
These savings apply to bookings made by 2 December 2025 for travel completed between 1 January and 30 November 2026. The discount is per booking, not per person, so larger group bookings benefit most.
Some package examples from the sale include three-night New York breaks, seven-night Orlando holidays, and all-inclusive Cancun packages. Remember that booking through BA Holidays also earns you 5 Avios per £1 spent as standard, plus any bonus Avios from current promotions.
How to Maximise These Offers
Here's my suggested approach for getting the most value:
Shopping Portal First: If you're buying anything online this Black Friday, click through the Avios shopping portal first. The 50% bonus applies until 28 December, so this isn't limited to Black Friday itself.
Compare Cash vs Avios: Before booking any cash fare, check what the same route would cost in Avios. Use our how many Avios tool to see standard redemption rates. Sometimes the cash sale genuinely beats Avios value, especially on short-haul routes.
Stack Credit Card Earnings: Pay for cash bookings with an Avios-earning card. The Barclaycard Avios Plus earns 1.5 Avios per £1 on BA purchases, while American Express cards earn Membership Rewards that transfer 1:1 to Avios.
Consider Timing: Flights need to be booked by 2 December, but travel periods extend well into 2026. If you're flexible on dates, look at the shoulder season periods (January-March, September-October) where both availability and prices tend to be more favourable.
Don't Forget Other Black Friday Travel Deals
While BA is the focus here, it's worth noting some complementary offers running this Black Friday:
Qatar Airways has up to 20% off business and economy fares (book by 28 November). Emirates is offering up to 20% off selected routes. Radisson Rewards has up to 35% off plus 3,000 bonus points with code BLCK25 (check out our Radisson VIP guide). Hilton has points purchase promotions and hotel deals. And The Wine Flyer is offering 4x Avios on purchases until 1 December – great for stocking up on Christmas wine while earning Avios.
My Take
Honestly? This isn't the most exciting Black Friday from BA in terms of Avios redemption discounts. The real value this year is in the shopping portal bonus – 50% extra Avios on purchases you were probably going to make anyway is genuinely worthwhile.
The cash fares are decent but not spectacular. If you're planning a trip anyway and the dates work, they're worth considering. Just do the comparison against Avios redemptions first – sometimes paying cash and earning Avios on the transaction ends up being better value than spending Avios, particularly for short-haul European flights.
For holiday packages, the tiered discount structure means you need to be spending £2,500+ before the savings become meaningful. If you're booking a big family trip or premium cabin holiday, then it's worth factoring in.
As always with these sales, the best deals go quickly. If you see dates and destinations that work for you, book sooner rather than later.
Happy deal hunting!
Jack