Amex 241 voucher from outside the UK (MAD vs. LON)

[yonasl]

Looking for my options to use a 421 in the next couple of years. Is the voucher ONLY for BA metal flights or are there some exceptions when a codeshare is used (for instance routes to the US with AA or Latin America with IB)? (The reason I am asking this is that I can start my journey from LON or MAD)

[NorthernLass]

BA metal only, so if you start from MAD you’ll be doubling back to LHR and you’ll need to decide whether the cash saving is worth the extra hassle!

[yonasl]

Thank you @NorthernLass so basically just BA flights and only difference from abroad is the TAX component 👍

[Scott]

yonasl wrote:

Thank you @NorthernLass so basically just BA flights and only difference from abroad is the TAX component 👍

The tax component isn’t the only difference. Whilst you will save on APD by flying from outside UK, you’ll also find BA’s YQ surcharge magically vanishes.

If you’re wanting to get to Latin America or some USA destinations then you’re best forgetting about the 241 and booking an Iberia reward flight instead (c. 100k Avios + £200 per person for south America from MAD.)

[JDB]

@Scott this isn’t just a BA thing and obviously the YQ is essentially part of the fare. Fares from Continental Europe have been consistently lower than ones from London for at least the last 40 years to my certain knowledge and it was easier to exploit that in the 1980s. It is just a question of market prices.

[Ash]

Scott wrote:

yonasl wrote:

Thank you @NorthernLass so basically just BA flights and only difference from abroad is the TAX component 👍

The tax component isn’t the only difference. Whilst you will save on APD by flying from outside UK, you’ll also find BA’s YQ surcharge magically vanishes.

If you’re wanting to get to Latin America or some USA destinations then you’re best forgetting about the 241 and booking an Iberia reward flight instead (c. 100k Avios + £200 per person for south America from MAD.)

100k and £200 per person are Economy or Business fares?

[NorthernLass]

Business – this is the catch 22 with BA, you can only use the 241 on their flights by paying their huge surcharges. You can use avios to fly on Iberia to some of the same places, but not using the 241. Rob has done articles on the different options.

[JDB]

NorthernLass wrote:

Business – this is the catch 22 with BA, you can only use the 241 on their flights by paying their huge surcharges. You can use avios to fly on Iberia to some of the same places, but not using the 241. Rob has done articles on the different options.

You can largely avoid the surcharges (and APD if no stopover) by starting your journey outside the UK, still using the new 241.

[NorthernLass]

True, but you still have to transit LHR, so, for example, no direct departure from MAD which is what the OP was asking.

[JDB]

NorthernLass wrote:

True, but you still have to transit LHR, so, for example, no direct departure from MAD which is what the OP was asking.

I was responding to your statement “this is the catch 22 with BA, you can only use the 241 on their flights by paying their huge surcharges” which is incorrect and I did not wish anyone to be misled by it.

[NorthernLass]

It’s not misleading in the context of the original question which was whether the voucher can be used to fly direct from a non-UK airport. Any direct flight would incur the large surcharges, because it would be from LHR or LGW.

[drdan]

I’m in manchestwr catchment area.

For LA….I’m doing Man-Dub, overnight at the premier Inn DUB rather than T4 and then DUB-LHR-LAX and back, handbag only.

[yonasl]

Thank you all for the answers.

I did check a few options and indeed, because all flights have to be BA’s, you can find MAD-JFK (140,000 avios + £1,200 for two vs. 100,000 avios and £1,500 from LHR) but not MAD-MEX (I suppose because there aren’t that many options around to do MAD-LHR followed by LHR-MEX).

But in theory, even if not displayed on BA’s webiste, could one do MAD-LHR-MEX-LHR if there was avios availability and enough time for the changes? Is this something that would need to be done over the pone? (using MEX as an example, the idea is to leave from MAD to avoid the high fees and then return directly to LHR on the way back)

[TGLoyalty]

Perhaps we’ve all misunderstood Why are you starting in MAD? Live there?

If you don’t Spending 40k Avios to save £500 (plus the travel time and to cost of getting to MAD from U.K. is madness)

Try Dublin, AMS, CDG and you need less than 24hrs connection for lower APD.

If you’re starting in MAD anyway ignore me but those options might still give you MEX availability

[yonasl]

Well, this thread now needs to be updated 🙂