Flying to London on Points: What It Costs

Here are two award fares available as of 18 September 2026, for November departures. They show what the route has cost, not fares you can book now.

New York to London

45,000 points through Alaska Atmos, transferred from Bilt, on a British Airways flight departing 23 November. Nonstop, seven hours, and nine fares were showing.

Los Angeles to London

70,000 points through the same airline program, departing 9 November. Nonstop, ten and a half hours.

The longer Los Angeles route cost more points in this comparison.

Both fares include a substantial surcharge

Each fare carried a four-figure surcharge. These are carrier-imposed charges paid in cash in addition to the points, rather than ordinary taxes alone.

That cash requirement materially changes the total cost. The 45,000-point New York fare looked inexpensive at first, but it still required the surcharge at booking.

What London has cost since September

In recorded finds from September to November 2026, London drew 544 finds from US departures, almost all into Heathrow. A recorded find is the cheapest award fare one PointsGPT search returned in the cabin asked for, for one traveler, one way.

• Economy (130 finds): half were at or below 22,500 points, and the middle half ran from 19,100 to 24,300. The most common price was 24,300 points (16 finds).
• Premium economy (48 finds): half were at or below 40,000 points, which was also the most common price (11 finds).
• Business (345 finds): half were at or below 77,250 points, and a quarter at or below 57,500, the most common price (49 finds). Just over half, 181 of 345, were nonstop.

Your departure city matters. The middle business find from New York was 60,000 points (82 finds), and from Los Angeles 77,250 (56 finds). In economy, the New York middle value was 20,600 points (39 finds).

Four New York business finds came in at 29,000 points, all through Virgin Atlantic, and each carried a three-figure cash part.

Which programs priced London

Of the 544 London finds, the cheapest fare most often came through Flying Blue (79), American Airlines AAdvantage (78), Qatar Airways (68), and Virgin Atlantic (54). In business, Qatar Airways led (56 of 345), then AAdvantage (53), Qantas (50), Flying Blue (40), Air Canada Aeroplan (39), and Alaska Atmos (33).

These are the card points that reach each one, from the transfer grid PointsGPT uses, all at 1:1:

• Flying Blue: Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, and Citi.
• Aeroplan: Amex, Bilt, Capital One, and Chase.
• Virgin Atlantic: Amex, Bilt, Chase, and Citi.
• Qatar Airways: Amex, Bilt, Capital One, and Citi.
• Qantas: Amex, Capital One, and Citi.
• AAdvantage: Citi.
• Alaska Atmos: Bilt.

Partner lists change, so check your card's current list before you move points. A transfer cannot be undone.

The cash part depends on the program

The two Alaska Atmos fares at the top were not unusual. In recorded London business finds, 27 of 33 Alaska Atmos finds carried a four-figure cash part, and so did 46 of 50 Qantas finds. Most AAdvantage business finds carried three figures (49 of 53). United MileagePlus stayed lower: 30 of 32 finds carried a single- or two-figure cash part. The cash part was not recorded on Qatar Airways finds, so check it on the program's own site.

In economy, all 10 Delta SkyMiles finds carried a single-figure cash part, while all 24 Virgin Atlantic finds carried three figures.

Compare the award fare with other ways to book

An award fare can still make sense on a long, expensive route. Before choosing one, compare its points and cash costs with the cash fare and with any airline programs that may impose lower surcharges.

The Los Angeles-to-Paris example in how many points you need to fly to Paris carried almost no surcharge, illustrating how much the cash portion can vary by fare. For the wider picture across the continent, see award flights to Europe.

Review the total before transferring points

Check both the points price and the surcharge, then see whether another airline program offers the same flight with lower charges. The airline programs PointsGPT searches are listed in Help. If your first search is empty, why an award search may show nothing explains what to try next.

Both fares were available on 18 September 2026 and may not be now. Start a search with your own dates for current prices.