INSANE Avios availability to Sydney in Club World and First
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It is a truth universally accepted that finding Avios redemption availability in Club World or First on the British Airways flight to Sydney is virtually impossible.
With only two business class seats guaranteed per flight, and with competition from people who want the London to Singapore leg on its won, it is the sort of place people call up at midnight 355 days in advance for – and often still miss out.
That has just changed. British Airways has just opened the flood gates for Business and First Class Avios flights to Australia for the next four and a half months.
Take a look at this screenshot from SeatSpy which shows Avios points availability for two people in Club World (business class):
….. and here are the same dates for First Class, again based on two people travelling:
This is a virtually unprecedented amount of availability. If you are a solo traveller you are likely to find even more dates open.
The charts above show dates where there is availability straight through. If you are happy to spend a day or so in Singapore, you will have even more options.
British Airways operates a Boeing 777 to Sydney, so you should expect the legacy Club World seat, not Club Suite. It is well worth upgrading to First Class if you can as the taxes and fees portion of the fare will remain virtually the same and you will fly on a substantially better product.
As these are Avios tickets, you can cancel up to 24 hours before departure with a full refund of Avios and the taxes and fees with nothing more than a £35 penalty per person. That makes them extremely attractive and – if the Coronavirus situation deteriorates – you have a very flexible booking.
Do NOT pay for seat reservations in Club World. These are NOT refundable if you voluntarily cancel your booking later. Either wait until you are 100% certain to fly or simply don’t bother – your flight is likely to be pretty empty anyway. First Class reservations are free.
If you want to travel off-peak to save Avios, the 2021 calendar of peak and off-peak Avios points dates is here. You can see how the British Airways companion voucher works in this article.
To maximise your miles when paying, your best bet is the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card which earns double Avios (3 per £1) when you book at ba.com or via BA Holidays. You do not get double Avios if you book with the free British Airways American Express card.
Another option is American Express Preferred Rewards Gold which offers double points – 2 per £1 – when you book flight tickets directly with an airline.
These tickets are likely to go fast. You can book on the British Airways website here.
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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