Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

Forums Daily chat thread Click here for today’s chat thread Chat thread – Tuesday 28th January Reply To: Chat thread – Tuesday 28th January

HampshireHog 284 posts

What a roller coaster!

Started off the day pricing up a LHR-MAD one way on both BA and IB site, and found the prices to be about £50 cheaper on Iberia… with the bonus of A350 business class seat on the short haul flight.

Went to transfer Avios to Iberia on the IB site, confidently having met the requirements (account over 90 days old, and earned more than 1 avios).

IB site said… Nope, you don’t meet the terms and conditions to combine Avios. (I do).

Updated all personal info in IB to ensure an exact match to BA… Nope.

In an attempt at reactivation – transferred 1k Amex MR to IB… Hasn’t landed after 10hrs (and I’m impatient).

In my impatience, I discovered the *BA* combine my Avios page does work – so sent the full amount over to IB (I can always send the 1k extra back to BA once they do land).

Success! I can move to the IB booking page… Where the price suddenly jumps up £50 at checkout! … It now matches BA.

Confused I hit back to confirm my eyes were not deceiving me… And IB did that ‘thing’ it does where if you go ‘back’ after the checkout screen… you can no longer see those seats again!

So off I head to BA to buy the same IB tickets on there after all, for the same price… Just like I could have done all along, with no Avios transfers 😄

All’s well that ends well. Got the seats.

… Just got to get the Avios and MR exchanged Avios back over to BA.

… And use the IB site not the BA site to reserve seats.

… And if I want to add RJ status use the RAM site.

… And when P2’s name changes post wedding, send the marriage cert to BA, as you can only use the current name in the drop-down for BA Avios redemptions (whereas IB I could put the name as it will be).

… And check an e-ticket number appears in good time before departure.

These miles flights are a doddle 😁

I also had the same experience on Sunday of being unable to transfer avios from BA to IB using either airlines tool. Then BAEC site worked for me.

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