Genuine improvements when booking with Avios on ba.com
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The BA Executive Club representative over at Flyertalk announced some genuine ‘enhancements’ to ba.com functionality this week.
To give BA credit, their online booking system for reward flights is getting pretty darn good now. It isn’t perfect – anything requiring more than one connection generally throws it – but it beats a heck of a lot of the competition. Lufthansa, for instance, doesn’t let you book any rewards online unless they are on Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian or LOT.
One of the more glaring omissions, though, was the failure to book mixed class redemptions. Just a fortnight ago I had to call to book a Club World out / First back ticket – luckily they waived the telephone booking fee for me.
This has now been fixed, although oddly the system can only handle three booking classes! Search for First or Club World and you don’t see Economy results, only World Traveller Plus, Club World and First. Search for Economy (World Traveller) or World Traveller Plus and you don’t see First!
Here is a typical screenshot with the new look:
avios.com, of course, has had this functionality for ages. However, that was no use if you were booking with a 2-4-1 voucher or booking a BA partner airline. (avios.com still allows you to see seats in all four booking classes at once, rather than just three!)
There are also some other little tweaks on ba.com, to quote:
Improved RFS (Reward Flight Saver) signposting and new icon to distinguish from standard redemptions
A ‘change flights’ button on the fare quote page to make it easier for you to change selected flights
A new ‘back’ button on the fare quote page to allow enable easier navigation between pages
So, thumbs up to BA for this one. What we REALLY need – although this is unlikely to happen – is for BA to dedicate an special fare class to reward seats in the Global Distribution Systems.
This would allow you to use a 3rd party service such as ExpertFlyer to list flights you wanted to fly on and then to receive an email if Avios seats opened up. You can already do this for a lot of airlines.
How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!
In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
25,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.
Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa
Huge 30,000 points bonus until 12th May 2024 Read our full review
You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.
British Airways Accelerating Business American Express
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.
American Express Business Platinum
40,000 points sign-up bonus and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
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