BAPP and 241 – What is the Point now?

[Paul]

I have had the BAPP card since inception and with 2 kids was able to leverage the most fantastic value in the noughties and early 2010’s Frequently I managed 4 F seats to PHX, LAX, SFO, SEA using 241 vouchers. It was very US centric travel, but I felt content that I was getting value especially around school holidays.

Pre Pandemic things headed south and it became more and more difficult to get any seats, let alone 4, and year after year I found myself using one of the 241 for a weekend away in Europe. I also choose to book cash ex EU flights as BA fees, the service charges and taxes became increasingly mad.

Last year I lost my free BAPP card and through an error on my part and bad advice from Amex, I ended up paying for a further year. I then got the barclaycard and as of today have 3 x 241 plus 2 Barclay card upgrade vouchers.

Having just got back from a trip I am looking at next year and now its just my wife and I. South America is on the cards and remarkably 2 seats in club were available on BA. Coming back however was a different matter and involved a change of country and the upmost flexibility.

Having done that and using a 241 the costs was an eye watering 192,500 avios plus £1,553.12.I also have the other flights to pay for.

Thank you years of being told about IB I tried to book their flights via the BA site. This led to some big reductions in fees, charges and taxes but not in miles. I then headed to the IB site where the first thing you note is the astounding level of availability. Their network is very focused and so I was able to book a more convenient set of flights and will get to visit 3 cities.

I did have to book 2 one way flights but the return service is to LHR allowing me to transit MAD in just 55 minutes ( yes I know that is hugely optimistic but IB allowed it and we are on our way home)

And the cost for business class?

MAD SCL 102,000 plus US$235
MVD MAD LHR 132,000 plus US$396

So can anyone please explain the benefit now of BAPP?

[Luca M]

I agree with you but wait until you realise how to justify the “benefit” of the Barclays/Barclaycard Upgrade voucher….

[Paul]

Luca M wrote:

I agree with you but wait until you realise how to justify the “benefit” of the Barclays/Barclaycard Upgrade voucher….

I can’t. The outrageous gauging on fees makes the barclay card up grade voucher almost worthless
It was fine for getting 25,000 bonus and the trick now will be to use Avios either via the IB site or QR, though the latter has seen any sensible availability evaporate since the link up.

[JDB]

@Paul nobody is making you earn BAPP 241 vouchers, but we earn two every year for long haul F or J trips and find them incredibly useful/valuable. We earn the Avios relatively easily, so even with the new c. £900 per person charges (unless you start from say Dublin) having a fairly flexible F or J ticket, plus the Avios still adds up to a great deal. We aren’t travelling on the most popular routes like DXB, MLE or MIA, but we have since last Nov used old 241s F to MEX and J to EZE and CPT without any problem and have the same three routes all booked again in the next nine months.