Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

Forums Daily chat thread Click here for today’s chat thread Chat thread – Tuesday 21st January

  • Aston100 1,739 posts

    About to cancel Tokyo > London on BA8 at the end of the Easter Holidays.
    This was the outbound element of a companion voucher.
    The inbound element is London to Kuala Lumpur a bit later in the year.

    If I go ahead and cancel the HND > LHR journey, this won’t automatically cancel the companion voucher and therefore the LHR > KUL journey, right?

    If the companion voucher and the KUL flight are unaffected as I suspect, I guess I’d be reliant on BAEC phone agents to book a new ‘outbound’ journey to London (from somewhere near East / South East Asia) which must complete before the KUL journey begins – is that right?

    Also I guess I will have no way to find additional reward seats (for a new ‘outbound’ since ‘half’ of my companion voucher will still be in play due to the KUL journey?

    Ideally, I’d like to cancel both, regain my companion voucher and plan a new trip to Kuala Lumpur, with the outbound originating from London this time. But I suppose that would cost £140 in cancellation fees (2 journeys * 2 people) and I can’t imagine BA would have the ability to shift my ‘inbound’ KUL > LHR to become the ‘outbound’ (dates and itinerary unchanged).

    Any thoughts please?

    Michael C 887 posts

    Loganair homepage now says they’re accepting Amex. It’s a shame their seats are so expensive

    London has always been price, but BHX has also gone insane: 180+ this week (LGW Easyjet: 24), and nothing under 100 for the next 3 weeks. All o/w.

    NorthernLass 10,518 posts

    @Aston100 – If you’ve made 2 separate bookings, the one you don’t cancel will be unaffected. I’ve cancelled a separate inbound leg and re-booked from a different city, it’s quite straightforward. The system “knows” you’ve had half the avios back, so you will the other half refunded, plus applicable cash portion.

    Yes, you would be charged £140 for cancelling both legs – I strongly suspect BA would say that it’s a cancel and rebook scenario.

    Aston100 1,739 posts

    Thanks Northern Lass.
    Rang BA.
    Got through in 3 minutes.
    Spoke to a very knowledgeable agent.
    She consulted with her senior agents.
    Outcome is that they can change the HND > LHR to become KUL > LHR and apply the companion voucher to that (so flip the journeys around).
    I would then need to find availability somewhere within that part of the world back to London and they will add that as the inbound.
    Total cost would be 2 * £35 as both legs are regarded as one journey or something.
    She left extensive notes for the next agent as I just know there will be denials when I call back.

    The only problem (and it is a big problem) is finding availability from somewhere in Asia back to London in middle of August.
    Currently nothing from KUL / SIN / HKG (BKK doesn’t operate in August).

    Return2sender 3 posts

    There’s avios availability in August DPS -DOH -LHR. At least a couple of dates I looked at on ba.com with the dps-doh leg on QF and DOH -LHR on BA. You might be able to get the BA leg added as part of your return and book the dps -DOH bit separately.Just an idea….

    Return2sender 3 posts

    Doh! Meant to say QR not QF. But anyway this prob won’t work if your other leg is shorter distance than KUL to DOH. Oh well. I can recommend DPS often a good one way option back to the UK on avios with QR if all else fails.

    AndyGWP 298 posts

    Haven’t seen this mentioned — looks interesting

    https://thewineflyer.co.uk/the-wine-flyer-avios-experience-fly-to-san-sebastian-with-avios-only-flight

    I’m interested in this, but cannot find any detail on actual flight times 🙁

    Looking at Google Flights, this flight is specially commissioned too, so no data based on any other dates to go off either 🙁

    edit: Ahhhh… in the T&C’s!

    Itinerary
    Friday 16th May
    09:00 AM: Meet at LCY Airport to take our exclusive flight to San Sebastian
    Afternoon spent at your own leisure in San Sebastian
    7:00 PM: Welcome dinner – Venue to be announced in 2025

    Saturday 17th May
    8:00 AM: Guests to Meet-up at agreed meting point in San Sebastian (meeting point to be announced in 2025)
    Travel to Rioja region for vineyards visit – Transport is provided
    Rest of the day spend visiting 2 vineyards where food and drinks will be provided
    9:00 PM Return to San Sebastian meeting point – Transport is provided

    Sunday 18th May
    Morning spent at your own leisure
    2:00 PM meeting at San Sebastian airport for departure on our exclusive flights back to London City Airport

    AndyGWP 298 posts

    … although Rioja region appears to be two hours drive away from San Sebastian

    Is that right?

    BA Flyer IHG Stayer 3,103 posts

    Evening from the LHR T4 CP

    Yet another upgrade to a king bed premium^ club room (shown in app this morning) including lounge access and breakfast (so I didn’t have to use my lounge pass or maybe they already took this into account?) so I took a drink as my diamond welcome amenity (and will probably get the points too)

    Last time I was in 6001 so yards from the club. This time I’m almost as far as way from the club as it’s possible to be. Do they think I need the exercise?

    ^ premium rooms have a bath as well as a shower.

    John C 1 post

    I’ve just tried to make BA bookings to Europe. On both attempts, to two different destination, on different dates I was asked to purchaser seats from £25 to £30++. As a BA GFL I thought seats were always free at the point of reservation. Is this a BA website error? Or a change I have missed? Has anyone else seen this today, ever?

    davefl 2,006 posts

    … although Rioja region appears to be two hours drive away from San Sebastian

    Is that right?

    Yep, that’s why it’s a 13 hour day to visit 2 wineries. You’ll have at least 6 hours on a coach.

    AndrewT 564 posts

    Yet another upgrade to a king bed premium^ club room (shown in app this morning) including lounge access and breakfast (so I didn’t have to use my lounge pass or maybe they already took this into account?)

    I suspect your question may be correct. In December they upgraded me to the same room type, also shown in advance, but when I politely enquired if that included breakfast I was asked if I had a lounge pass (which I didn’t).

    Managed to blag my way in to the lounge in the evening anyway, breakfasted at T5.

    AndrewT 564 posts

    I’ve just tried to make BA bookings to Europe. On both attempts, to two different destination, on different dates I was asked to purchaser seats from £25 to £30++. As a BA GFL I thought seats were always free at the point of reservation. Is this a BA website error? Or a change I have missed? Has anyone else seen this today, ever?

    Standard ‘feature’ of the new website. It may remove the charge when you come to the payment page, if not just select seats afterwards via MMB.

    xefo 60 posts

    Hope someone can opine on this:

    Am awaiting to be charged for some damage to the hire car during our last trip, unfortunately the car hire company are dragging their feet issuing the final bill. We’ve got two Plats and I was planning to close down Card 1(which was used to pay for the hire and where rental damage will be charged). I am a supp on Card 2 and was at the time of the trip so in theory should be covered. Any issues if I go ahead and cancel Card 1?

    Thanks

    JDB 6,255 posts

    @xefo – I think you risk causing yourself unnecessary complications and as Amex refunds pro-rata on a daily basis (£1.78/day), I would hold off cancelling. In principle you should be covered on card 2 but it’s going to take some explaining and as far as card 1 is concerned, you need to have the cover in place at the time of claim, not incident.

    xefo 60 posts

    @xefo – I think you risk causing yourself unnecessary complications and as Amex refunds pro-rata on a daily basis (£1.78/day), I would hold off cancelling. In principle you should be covered on card 2 but it’s going to take some explaining and as far as card 1 is concerned, you need to have the cover in place at the time of claim, not incident.

    Thanks and makes sense, will chase the hire company again.

    Erico1875 163 posts

    Can’t get quote to work

    Re San Sebastian Wine Flyer offer.

    So 100K Avios + £50 for 2. A pretty full itinerary tbh. Not a lot of time to experience the pintxos and cider that San Sebastian is famous for.

    I would assume these are economy flights too.

    I would hope the meals/wine etc to be pretty spectacular to justify the extra Avios involved

    The flight prices for 2, doing your own trip (subject to very limited economy availability)

    Total Price
    (Including all taxes, fees, and carrier charges)

    38000 Avios + £ 2.00
    More pricing options
    More pricing options
    You can select when paying
    35000 Avios + £ 18.00
    30000 Avios + £ 36.00
    20000 Avios + £ 70.00
    15500 Avios + £ 140.00
    12400 Avios + £ 180.00

    So

    Michael C 887 posts

    … although Rioja region appears to be two hours drive away from San Sebastian

    Is that right?

    90 mins., but yes, a bit of a trek.
    Bilbao is actually closer, but they’re obviously
    promoting the LCY departure and sexy SanSe stay!

    Erico1875 163 posts

    Ryanair from STN or easyJet from LGW to Biarritz, which is just over the border, for under a £100 RTN is another option.

    I’d be really surprised if this was a good use of Avios

    CJD 188 posts

    Going to whatever Wine Flyer’s idea of a good dinner is when there’s such a great food scene in San Sebastian is not my idea of a good time.

    AviosNovice 10 posts

    What’s gonna be the impact of the Trump presidency to the UK traveller?
    More security at the border – longer queues?
    Tariffs on consumer goods – increased prices in shops etc?
    Strengthening dollar – increased costs everywhere?
    Law and order issues – more lunatics on the streets?
    Overall any positives – clear US Customs in Greenland perhaps? 😉

    I’m not a particularly political person, but it was Biden who left us locked out the US for a year longer than our covid numbers were lower than their own, so he was no fan of ours. Not to mention his anti-British, pro-IRA leanings.
    And given Trump’s heritage, and Scotland-based business interests, I wouldn’t imagine we’d be high on his list of targets.

    Also, anyone who is a frequent flyer to the US should be signed up for Global Entry/TSA Pre-check anyway. It would be reckless not to be.

    In terms of lunatics on the streets, you just have to take your chances in the US on that front. They’re everywhere.
    But the Republican party is supposedly the ‘law & order party (and the cities of Seattle and Minneapolis don’t give a great advertisement for Democrat crime policy) so, in theory, it should be better.
    But look at our own country now, too many people to police, no deterrents, and no money to change it.
    So just take your chances and don’t think about it.

    The prices will be dreadful until such time as the Pound goes back up. And that doesn’t look likely right now.

    CJD 188 posts

    But the Republican party is supposedly the ‘law & order party (and the cities of Seattle and Minneapolis don’t give a great advertisement for Democrat crime policy) so, in theory, it should be better.

    Ah yes, the law and order party who have just pardoned thousands of criminals who assaulted law enforcement.

    webloid 11 posts

    Ah yes, just like the anti semitic party of the far left over here, who released hundreds of crims a few months ago.

    AndyGWP 298 posts

    Ah yes, just like the anti semitic party of the far left over here, who released hundreds of crims a few months ago.

    Yet Alex Chalk claimed he was going to do similar if the tory’s hadn’t lost the election – he also released prisoners earlier than planned during his tenure to deal with capacity issues.

    To my knowledge, there was nothing done to improve justice (including increasing prison capacity) during the tories 14 years in power. I don’t think a party in power for less then a month had much choice did they? What would you have done? Why target one particular political party for it?

    Re: the general comparison however, in the USA they are pardoning people (basically Trump has undermined the whole justice system in America by saying these people aren’t guilty) where-as here, we cut sentences short and released people into the auspices of probation, earlier than intiailly planned. I don’t see the similarities?

    Kraut 23 posts

    pro-IRA leanings.

    How embarrassing for you

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