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From what I’ve read, the quickest way to book seats when released is online as they can disappear within a minute or so.
What time are they now released uk time following the clocks going back? And if I book and pay in full with Avios (and taxes) am I able to call and retrospectively apply the Barclays upgrade vouchers? I’m hoping like the companion voucher can be retrospectively used with Avios refunded, the same applies to Barclays. I could try booking with the vouchers but just wondering if it would add unnecessary extra time.
Midnight. If you’re prepared and work quickly, you should be able to book with the Barclay’s voucher, but if you think the seats are going to go that quickly, why don’t you call and have everything lined up to go as soon as they’re released? I don’t know if they can apply the upgrade voucher to a booking or whether it would be cancel and rebook.
The only people calling up at midnight are those that want to use a voucher AND want a popular route like Sydney or Tokyo especially for popular times of the year.
If you aren’t booking for those then there is no rush to book.
Thanks. It is Tokyo I’m after. There are other routes but a direct flight would be best. If calling to line things up, how long before midnight is best and which phone line is it? I can try a test booking online as the dates aren’t fixed so if I miss out I can try again.
if you think the seats are going to go that quickly, why don’t you call and have everything lined up to go as soon as they’re released?
I booked flights at midnight the other day with my Barclays voucher.
The speed at which this was completed, I have to wonder how much faster the phone agents need to work in order to secure them any quicker.
My experience with BA is that they take forever and ask a million questions and sometimes there is a need to repeat due to line quality or accents.I booked some flights to Maldives using my Barckays voucher recently. I called the USA number at 11:40pm, UK time, and it took 2 minutes to get through the options and connect. They said I was too early and to call back in about 10mins.
I then called again around 11:50, took same time to get through. Told the guy what I wanted and we discussed options all before midnight hit. At midnight he then reserved both in about 20 seconds then we went through t&Cs, passenger details, card details etc but everything was all reserved.
I used Skype to call from my phone for free, would recommend trying it hours before to make sure it all works OK.
Sorry maybe slightly more info there than you asked for but it’s what I learnt before trying my first avios phone booking.
The difference is the agents on the phone remove the availability as soon as they click on a flight, you only when the booking is completed. So the phone route is always more likely to get you seats. However, I have in the past not been able to get through just before midnight so it’s hit and miss.
You can also try booking from multiple devices as an alternative… if there are many flights per day for example or you are trying multiple ticket classes.
Similar to @Aston100, I just used my Barclays voucher online at midnight for the first time and found it very quick. I was done before 2mins past. Not sure if it was just beginner’s luck!
Selecting the voucher takes no more than a second or two, so think it unlikely that would be the thing that means you don’t get the seats. More important I think is to have all the passenger details and payment card saved on there.
I can’t see checking out online taking more than 45 seconds or so if you know what you’re doing. A simple greasemonkey script can cut that in half easily too.
Which number are you calling and how would you add the return leg?
A question on using the Barclays voucher…
If booking the outbound leg then the voucher can be used to upgrade two passengers one way. However, as id need to book the return leg separately when availability comes up, how would that work as Barclays vouchers can only be used on flights from the uk (or return flights booked in one booking?) can I just use Avios to book the return and then call BA to deduct the additional Avios and to use one of my vouchers? I have two vouchers to use.
You might need to have a look at the dedicated thread on the BC voucher – there are issues with where you can start your journey using the vouchers, so while some readers have been able to use 2 vouchers on separate legs of a trip, not all BA CS agents know the full Ts and Cs and may be unable/unwilling to help.
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