British Airways launches Toronto and Las Vegas from Gatwick – wide-open for Avios

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• Barry cutters says:

  31 Aug31 August 08:21

  OT. My gf has a blue ba card. Is there any bonus for upgrading to the premium plus card? Or is she best to cancel and apply again in a few months …she also needs to accumulate some points fast so I’m thinking – platinum Amex referred by raffles (35k), or maybe gold(22k) then upgrade (20k), then refer me for platinum (18k). Might do this Irish newspaper thing too, maybe she could do that for ba and then for avios . That should do it as she needs 90k to go with 50k she already has

  • Genghis says:

    31 Aug31 August 08:29

    No bonus for upgrading BA Blue to BAPP I’m afraid. If she’s not using it, I suggest cancelling and starting the cycle. Amex Gold and then upgrade works and yields more than straight to Plat but you run the risk of the upgrade offer being withdrawn any moment and it’s a longer process (with £3k vs 2k spend straight to Plat) so it depends how fast.

    Can I ask what the purpose of this is? Is it to make an avios.com redemption? Set up a temporary HHA and she then uses some of your stash?

    • Barry cutters says:

      31 Aug31 August 09:17

      Thanks for the info. Will cancel the blue card and wait a couple months before getting the black . the spend would happen very quickly so maybe upgrade route is worth the risk. Although she wants as less complicated as possible so maybe straight plat is best option. Yes it’s for an avios redemption . But can’t add her to my household account – my wife would go mental .

      • Genghis says:

        31 Aug31 August 09:20

        ah… 🙂 Let’s hope Mrs C doesn’t read HfP comments…

        • barry cutters says:

          31 Aug31 August 09:55

          I’m joking . Barry cutters isn’t married.
          I just don’t want to tell her about the HHA & have her raiding all my points for a girls trip to NYC with her sister, would rather get her started in the ‘hobby’ . -with an average expenses bill of £3000 a month she has good potential.
          long term plan is both of us altinating 6 months each on the plat amex so we have all benefits plus get bonus maximum amount of times that’s 18k+35k every six months . the additional points for the upgrade is pushing it a bit with extra workload I feel. we will do the same with BA premium to get 2 x 241s a year and the 25k bonus.

      • Ben says:

        1 Sep1 September 01:10

        Hahaha. Very good Barry. Gave me a good laugh with the wife comment.

    • Tilly says:

      31 Aug31 August 09:22

      Sorry for stupid question but can you upgrade Amex gold to platinum and get more bonus points?

      • Genghis says:

        31 Aug31 August 09:28

        Yes https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/content/platinum-charge/upgrade/

        • Tilly says:

          31 Aug31 August 09:54

          Oh wow. Thanks. So I’d only then have to spend £1k to get 20k points and then can downgrade back to gold again so as not to pay the rest of the membership year fee?

        • Genghis says:

          31 Aug31 August 09:56

          If you upgrade you will get a further 20k MR points for £1k spend. You’ll also be charged the £450 fee (refundable on a prorata basis). However, should you then downgrade to Gold, the £140 Gold fee becomes chargeable (i.e. not free) (but is also refundable prorata).

        • Tilly says:

          31 Aug31 August 10:08

          Brilliant. Thanks!

        • JP says:

          31 Aug31 August 16:56

          Is it possible to go Gold (20K) -> Plat (another 20K) then downgrade to Gold (no points) and back to Platinum after a period of time (for another 20K) again without cancelling? I can’t see anything that excludes you from doing this in the terms.

        • Lap1 says:

          31 Aug31 August 22:05

          How long has this been around for? Last month I called Amex and asked about this offer, they said it had expired? I’ve since upgraded without the extra points!

        • Rob says:

          31 Aug31 August 22:47

          It comes and goes – and isn’t meant to be publicly shared anyway.

      • Tilly says:

        31 Aug31 August 23:15

        So chances are I can’t do this anyway?

        Have just got the hubby to apply for the gold on my referral. Approved and I’ve put myself down for the supplementary card. He should get the 22k bonus on £2k spend shouldn’t he? Even though he’s got supplementary card on my account?

        • JP says:

          1 Sep1 September 15:06

          That is fine

• Jack says:

  31 Aug31 August 08:48

  What is J like on the 777 fleet that operates LGW flights, am I likely to have a knackered old screen or wobbly seat, or is everything reasonably OK? My only J experiences so far have been 789 and A380, so I know it won’t be spanking new, but would be good to get an idea.

  • @mkcol says:

    31 Aug31 August 09:14

    If you can wait ~5 weeks I’ll tell you as I’m off to MCO & back from FLL…..but I reckon someone will be along shortly to advise that yes, it’s crap.

  • john says:

    31 Aug31 August 09:43

    In October 2015 i did this on a 4-class 777 to UVF from LGW. Back then it wasn’t any more knackered than the J on 747 I had experienced before.. but not experienced it on the newer birds

  • George J says:

    31 Aug31 August 12:19

    I use the 777 fleet flying J down to Cancun a couple of times a year and they are fine and certainly better than the clapped out 747’s that fly LHR to Mexico city.

• Dave says:

  31 Aug31 August 09:25

  Completely OT: Going to Melbourne next August with 2 kids. Ideas for stop off on way back. Thinking Singapore? Ideas welcome.

  • Genghis says:

    31 Aug31 August 09:32

    I really like Singapore but I’m sure there are others that think it’s a bit clinical (in places anyway…). Food is fantastic at all levels from fine dining to hawker stands, depending on their ages the kids will love Singapore Zoo. I’m a big kid and I loved it anyway. Breakfast with orang utans is worth it.

    • Andrew says:

      31 Aug31 August 09:58

      +1 on all Genghis says – really like Singapore but also recognise the potential downside.

      Could do an off-shoot from SIN to PEN or LGK – both really nice: check the rainy season though as I can’t remember when it is on the western side of peninsular Malaysia.

    • Michael Jennings says:

      31 Aug31 August 14:23

      Go to the Jurong Bird Park as well as the Zoo. It’s really great – particularly the feeding of all the most spectacular birds of prey from all over the world.

  • Alan says:

    31 Aug31 August 09:35

    Enjoy Melbourne – fantastic place!! I like Singapore a lot, Gardens by the Bay also an excellent visit which I’m sure the kids would enjoy.

  • Leo says:

    31 Aug31 August 11:32

    Yes I’d recommend Singapore too especially if you are looking for cleanliness and safety.

• Jean Paul says:

  31 Aug31 August 09:28

  OT: just want to say a big thanks to Rob and the community here for all the help over the last few months. Spent two nights in the Conrad Tokyo via free night certs, enjoyed perks of hilton gold, and got a lot of use out of airline lounges on our trip to Japan. Thanks to everyone!

  • Nick says:

    1 Sep1 September 00:32

    Good work! I hope you had a great trip.once you start it becomes addictive – start planning the next trip and think about what points you need to make it awesome!

• Ian says:

  31 Aug31 August 10:04

  OT: I’ve just upgraded my BA to BAPP and all the offers (including Amazon not yet redeemed) I had saved on the free card are now NOT displaying online. They have all vanished. Do you know if this is a temporary thing or do I need to contact Amex to bring it back?

  Thanks.

  • Alan says:

    31 Aug31 August 11:52

    I’d imagine they were gone as the new BAPP is a different card. Not sure how much luck you’d have getting Amex to add them, the reps seem to be variable in how willing they are.

    • Jorge says:

      31 Aug31 August 12:31

      I had the same once and they were back after I activated the new card.

• Bill says:

  31 Aug31 August 10:29

  Looking to book my 1st ever 241 BAPP for Sept 2018 to Vegas. I’m looking to fly out 1st class from LHR and back by CW also from LHR.

  Are there any advantages of flying back in CW with the 777 into LGW over a 747 to LHR? I guess the disadvantage is that there is no chance of an upgrade to 1st as it doesn’t exit.

  Is it possible to book the outbound from LHR and inbound into LGW using the 241?

  It will be my first trip to Vegas, looking at 8 days with 2 of those at the Grand Canyon

  • Genghis says:

    31 Aug31 August 10:34

    Different strokes for different folks. I like the 744 UD. Open jaw flights (ie into and out of different airports and/or leaving and returning to different airports) can be done with the 241 but must be done over the phone.

    • Alan says:

      31 Aug31 August 11:01

      Agree, still love 64K on UD 🙂

    • Ade says:

      31 Aug31 August 11:40

      Is it still possible to add the return leg at a later date over the phone? I seem to recall someone saying an agent had refused this a while back. I might have imagined this though!

  • Rob says:

    31 Aug31 August 11:21

    Yes, you can mix and match London airports – this can even be done at ba.com, no need to call.

  • Leo says:

    31 Aug31 August 11:34

    Another vote for UD on the 747.

  • Tom says:

    31 Aug31 August 15:33

    Can I ask what the avios points requirement is for that booking (just out of personal interest as I’m not far off collecting my first ever 241 on the BAPP in the next month or two.

• Clive says:

  31 Aug31 August 11:18

  OT: received email offering 10,000 IHG points if joining Intercontinental Ambassador – is this particularly good or a typical offer…?

  • Rob says:

    31 Aug31 August 11:20

    Is that on top of the usual 5,000 points you get in the welcome kit, or extra? It is a no-brainer (even without the 10k) if you use the ‘2 nights for the price of 1’ weekend voucher or if you value a guaranteed 4pm check out.

    • Clive says:

      31 Aug31 August 12:13

      It says a one-time bonus of 10,000 points when you join the programme.

      • Alan says:

        31 Aug31 August 12:16

        Nice, wish I’d had that on offer before – I was willing to consider joining when I had a few nights at an IC but unfortunately nothing was available then.

    • New Card says:

      31 Aug31 August 14:42

      I couldn’t find any reference to 5k on joining on the Ambassador website – am I missing it?

      • Genghis says:

        31 Aug31 August 14:55

        You get it

  • Genghis says:

    31 Aug31 August 11:21

    I got 5k as part of Accelerate for renewing so 10k is pretty decent. As to whether it’s worth it all depends on how you would use the free night voucher and how often you stay at Intercons.

    • Ammar says:

      31 Aug31 August 16:36

      I have it on my accelerate for the next quarter, but just wondering does that still work if i pay with points for my renewal? It seems pretty cheap if you pay 14k for it (net) for 1 year ambassador membership?

  • Leo says:

    31 Aug31 August 11:38

    I got this offer when renewing. I was ecstatic. Jumped on it obviously. That said I haven’t received my Spire choice of benefits yet even though I sailed through the 75K points earned this month. My Spire had already renewed till the end of 2018 on renewing Ambassador. Anyone else had this issue with the Spire benefits?

    • Genghis says:

      31 Aug31 August 11:44

      Maybe a silly question but has the option appeared on your IHG portal and have you made your election (25k points or gifting Plat membership)? In my experience the option appears almost straight away after going past 75k points and then when you select the 25k points they post instantly.

      • Rob says:

        31 Aug31 August 12:29

        Agreed. It was there for me the same day I went over 75,000.

      • Leo says:

        31 Aug31 August 23:38

        Nope it’s not appeared. I’ve been hunting for it!

  • CV3V says:

    31 Aug31 August 14:07

    Yeah good deal, you will also get the 5000 points for joining Ambassador. I assume.

    • New Card says:

      31 Aug31 August 14:47

      Can join Ambassador for 32k points instead of cash, so effectively that would reduce the cost down to 17k (or 22k if not in addition to “usual” 5k). No brainer given the free night voucher.

      • Genghis says:

        31 Aug31 August 14:53

        AMB isn’t necessarily a no brainer. You need to work out whether it is worth it for you. Eg. Your only IC stay for the next year is Amstel. Either pay 100k points for two nights (value c.£400) or buy AMB and then an inflated first night cost (which will work out much more than £400). Likely no upgrade with former though

        • New Card says:

          31 Aug31 August 15:04

          Agreed!

        • Rob says:

          31 Aug31 August 15:04

          AMB pricing is rarely inflated. The rooms I had at Paris LeG in July was at the ‘normal’ Best Flex price. That said, I tried to use one at Park Lane last year and they had loaded some silly rates which were well above Best Flex.

          Because you’re booking Best Flex you are paying the premium over a non-refundable rate of course.

          The key benefit of the AMB certificate is that you can usually book ANY room. Club, junior suite, suite …. more often than not they are all available. We did 2 x Harbour View Junior Suites at IC HK this year on AMB vouchers.

        • Genghis says:

          31 Aug31 August 15:07

          And a points booking in this example is also refundable

        • New Card says:

          31 Aug31 August 15:24

          Does the guaranteed upgrade apply on top of the free night? So can pay cash (albeit at best flex rate or higher) for one night, but end up with two nights in a better room as a result of the voucher + upgrade?

        • Rob says:

          31 Aug31 August 15:49

          Yes, plus the guaranteed 4pm check-out.

          This is why Ambassador works really well for a weekend away. Arrive on Friday, check-out 4pm Sunday for a late flight home, only pay for one of the nights.

• Stephan says:

  31 Aug31 August 11:28

  If you book a long haul rewards flight and cancel it will it reappear on the BA website? Just booked a flight for two and my other half can’t make it. If I cancel it will i be able to re-book with avios for myself?

  • Anna says:

    31 Aug31 August 14:58

    As I understand it, you can cancel for a fee of £35 pp, but there’s no guarantee the reward seats will be released again. Not sure if it’s possible to just cancel your partner’s flight or did you use a 2 4 1?

    • Stephan says:

      31 Aug31 August 22:52

      We used the 241. Think I read somewhere you had cancel both which would make sense but a bit new to this companion ticket.

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