Why there is no official upgrade chart

Almost nobody publishes one. British Airways, Qatar and Iberia all let you upgrade with Avios, but none of them prints a table saying "Economy to Business on this route costs X". The price is derived: you pay the difference between the reward price of the cabin you hold and the cabin you want.

That is what the calculator above computes, using the same reward engine as our Avios value calculator. It is an indicative figure rather than a quotation, because whether you can upgrade at all depends on the fare class you booked, not just the cabin.

The question that actually matters

Most people asking about upgrades are really asking something else: should I buy a cheap Economy ticket and upgrade, or just book the Business reward flight?

The upgrade route almost always uses fewer Avios, because you are only paying the gap between cabins rather than the whole Business price. The trade is that you pay a cash fare on top. Whether that is worth it depends on how much you value the Avios you keep — add your cash fare above and the tool shows both totals side by side.

There is a second advantage people miss. Booking a fresh reward flight re-charges the taxes and carrier surcharges from scratch. Upgrading an existing paid ticket does not — you have already paid them. On routes with heavy surcharges, that alone can decide it.

Where it works best

Qatar Airways is the most searched for this, and with reason: Qsuite is worth reaching, and Privilege Club moved to dynamic Avios pricing in 2024, so the full reward price swings with the cash fare while the upgrade gap moves less predictably. Price both. Our Qatar Avios and Qpoints calculator covers earning on the same route.

British Airways upgrades are the most straightforward, and worth checking against the peak and off-peak calendar — an off-peak date lowers both reward prices, and therefore the gap between them.