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Quite possibly.
It may end up with us all having Amex cashback cards.
But where’s the fun in that?
Quite possibly.
It may end up with us all having Amex cashback cards.
But where’s the fun in that?
This. Even if I’m the same off in cash and points the fact I COULD get outsized value made it fun and worthwhile.
I really do hope that if BA are going for dynamic pricing they keep some element of guaranteed availability like now. This is the most frustrating part of Virgin. I used to use their points all the time and actually 3 out of my last 4 redemptions have been through Virgin. But the lack of guarantee of saver availability in addition to the RANGE of saver pricing rather than one price makes it more of a ‘nice to have’ redemption if I can make it work. Not one I can aim for and plan!
I guess this is what they want right
But where’s the fun in that?
That’s exactly the problem with revenue-based status too. The whole programme is just boring now, except in the unlikely event that BA introduces new ways to game things.
Come on team, let’s be positive. IHG went to revenue based and there are still deals to be had there. How bad could it possibly be, oh, wait, BA, IT, customer feedback, race to the bottom…………
I’ve said it before, but if dynamic pricing is BA simply opening every seat on a plane up for redemption in addition to RFS, then as long as the non-RFS pricing isn’t completely insane I think it would genuinely be a good move, particularly on routes like Tokyo where there’s huge Avios demand.
Obviously I’m looking at this from a customer, not a business perspective, but if BA did the following:
Kept RFS availability as is (maybe simplifying it so there is just one RFS price for seats)
Continue with the Avios-only flights where every seat is available for RFS price
Copy Flying Blue and have monthly promos where the RFS price is discounted
Open up every other seat not currently sold via RFS to Avios redemption, with dynamic pricing. Could they dynamically price the ‘least cash, most Avios’ option so their promotional material for the change highlights that every (economy) seat on short haul is £1 return?I’ve said it before, but if dynamic pricing is BA simply opening every seat on a plane up for redemption in addition to RFS, then as long as the non-RFS pricing isn’t completely insane I think it would genuinely be a good move, particularly on routes like Tokyo where there’s huge Avios demand.
You can already book any available ticket for a dynamic amount of avios (and £1): https://www.britishairways.com/content/executive-club/avios/spending-avios/part-payment
I agree that it would be a good idea to surface this opportunity when searching for redemptions (especially instead of showing nothing available). I suspect more likely that availability will just be used as a smokescreen for devaluation.
This is why I don’t generally buy or boost avios. The threat of devaluation is ever present, so if there was a sudden change to dynamic pricing I would obviously be very annoyed if I’d spent £00s on avios which then lost a large amount of their value.
I’ve got nearly 500k in the HHA, but am lucky enough to be flexible these days and hopefully get decent value from them whatever happens, as with the recent VS changes.
Though on the other hand, are BA even that shameless that they’d massively devalue something they’ve been aggressively flogging to customers via subscription and boosting for the past couple of years?
I think they would quite happily do this, despite the big push with subscription and boost over the last 18 months, maybe even because of it.
I’ve been enjoying both the collecting and the spending over the last 18 months. I don’t think I would like it as much under the new system which is being touted.
If they are going to do something draconian, I just wish they would get on with it so that we all know where we stand, can’t stand all the Chinese whispering stuff. Still 4 CE flights booked for 2025, 2026 in the laps of the Avios Gods.
This is why I don’t generally buy or boost avios. The threat of devaluation is ever present, so if there was a sudden change to dynamic pricing I would obviously be very annoyed if I’d spent £00s on avios which then lost a large amount of their value.
I’ve got nearly 500k in the HHA, but am lucky enough to be flexible these days and hopefully get decent value from them whatever happens, as with the recent VS changes.
Though on the other hand, are BA even that shameless that they’d massively devalue something they’ve been aggressively flogging to customers via subscription and boosting for the past couple of years?
I think they would quite happily do this, despite the big push with subscription and boost over the last 18 months, maybe even because of it.
I’ve been enjoying both the collecting and the spending over the last 18 months. I don’t think I would like it as much under the new system which is being touted.
If they are going to do something draconian, I just wish they would get on with it so that we all know where we stand, can’t stand all the Chinese whispering stuff. Still 4 CE flights booked for 2025, 2026 in the laps of the Avios Gods.
Yes – I prefer if all the bad news were to come in one go – and then you can plan and deal with it. People plan holidays 1 year in advance so not knowing what the ‘environment’ will be in that time, puts people of booking.
This is why I don’t generally buy or boost avios. The threat of devaluation is ever present, so if there was a sudden change to dynamic pricing I would obviously be very annoyed if I’d spent £00s on avios which then lost a large amount of their value.
I’ve got nearly 500k in the HHA, but am lucky enough to be flexible these days and hopefully get decent value from them whatever happens, as with the recent VS changes.
Though on the other hand, are BA even that shameless that they’d massively devalue something they’ve been aggressively flogging to customers via subscription and boosting for the past couple of years?
If BA can tighten the elite status with very little notice, they can devalue similarly.
But I don’t agree that’s a reason to not buy or boost avios. Avios is more flexible than ever before with QR and AY adopting it.
Unless you think all Avios airlines will devalue at the same time or QR and AY routes are useless to you, I think Avios will still have some value.
For me the constraints with using avios on QR / AY is the low availability for more than 2 seats and the inability to use the voucher.
Why am I not getting interest on my Avios??? 😂 I recently bought CE tickets with cash, even though there was Avios availability – it was the same price, so if I’m not using a 241 or upgrade voucher it’s all the same to me.
The amount of Avios earned has already been reduced. If you then also de-value it, there comes a point when it becomes an aside and not a reason to collect/fly with BA. Flying mostly from LHR, there’s no shortage of alternatives. If they want to “stiff” me on my 1.3m Avios – well I might be spending my kids’ inheritance with another airline…
Looks like a maintenance window tonight for BA – is this the rollout of dynpricing ? I hope not – it will be the nail in the coffin.
Someone who sounded techy posted yesterday that it’ll take until 2026 to make the necessary IT adjustments, so it could just be the usual BA wobbliness!
Looks like a maintenance window tonight for BA – is this the rollout of dynpricing ? I hope not – it will be the nail in the coffin.
No it’s not.
TBH speculation like this is just silly.
Someone who sounded techy posted yesterday that it’ll take until 2026 to make the necessary IT adjustments, so it could just be the usual BA wobbliness!
Indeed.
BAs myriad of systems do require and get regular updates and many updates don’t even directly involve the passenger facing side even though they get closed off for short periods.
And of course maintenance is also required on the hardware which also requires the software side to be shut down.
But these days everything has to be a conspiracy theory and at times it’s getting rather silly.
Avios Boost lasts until Monday evening, which you would think would finish before a big announcement.
Looks like a maintenance window tonight for BA – is this the rollout of dynpricing ? I hope not – it will be the nail in the coffin.
No it’s not.
TBH speculation like this is just silly.
Why ‘silly’? Other threads mentioned the ‘intent’ by BA was to deliver it in January? I would think just after people have loaded up on 400% cash bought avios boosts would be the ideal time for BA to drop the next clanger. This seems to be their modus operandi and approach to customers
Someone who sounded techy posted yesterday that it’ll take until 2026 to make the necessary IT adjustments, so it could just be the usual BA wobbliness!
That all depends.Redemption pricing as a variable sent out into the website for display then moved into your basket, might be easily tweaked by a parameter somewhere that adjusts the sell price using arbitrary rules initially, then they phase in super dynamic rules later on. We did this a lot when I worked at a well known ecommerce travel dotcom. I think the main thing that way hold this up is agreeing rules and fitting in with IAG/Avios world generally. Hoping you are right tho – and 2026 would at least give some space between big changes.
@desh36000 – it’s silly because the same old people have been saying that devaluation was imminent for years, always based on ‘good’ authority or just obviously it must happen because BA has launched another discounted sale of Avios. Others have been erroneously talking about devaluation for ten plus years. It’s all idle/lazy speculation with zero factual basis, thus silly and pointless. Maybe they will be right one day on the stopped clock principle rather than any insight. If there were any move to dynamic pricing it’s silly to speculate without knowing exactly how it will work.
Why ‘silly’? Other threads mentioned the ‘intent’ by BA was to deliver it in January? I would think just after people have loaded up on 400% cash bought avios boosts would be the ideal time for BA to drop the next clanger. This seems to be their modus operandi and approach to customers
It silly because you are just causing anxiety to those who may feel rushed into making bad decisions due to random speculation about when dynamic pricing is coming.
Why should people believe you with approx 20 posts that TODAY IS THE DAY when @Rob himself said in a comment in an article over the weekend it would be 2026?
I know who I believe.
Is dynamic pricing going to happen? Yes very likely but saying it happening now just because the BA website is down is the height of silliness.
But then after all this thread is basically five pages of comments on a subject that no one here actually ‘knows’ anything about!
I agree with JDB and BA flyer.
It’s getting silly and pointless.Same in the other thread on the elite status rules tightening. People venting out their frustration that they’ll lose the status and blaming consultants. Hilarious that they’ll finish their rant saying the lounges were crap anyway.
Looks like a maintenance window tonight for BA – is this the rollout of dynpricing ? I hope not – it will be the nail in the coffin.
No it’s not.
TBH speculation like this is just silly.
Why ‘silly’? Other threads mentioned the ‘intent’ by BA was to deliver it in January? I would think just after people have loaded up on 400% cash bought avios boosts would be the ideal time for BA to drop the next clanger. This seems to be their modus operandi and approach to customers
It’s silly because I doubt we’ll all wake up one morning to discover that Avios redemptions are now dynamic.
Why ‘silly’? Other threads mentioned the ‘intent’ by BA was to deliver it in January? I would think just after people have loaded up on 400% cash bought avios boosts would be the ideal time for BA to drop the next clanger. This seems to be their modus operandi and approach to customers
It silly because you are just causing anxiety to those who may feel rushed into making bad decisions due to random speculation about when dynamic pricing is coming.
Why should people believe you with approx 20 posts that TODAY IS THE DAY when @Rob himself said in a comment in an article over the weekend it would be 2026?
I know who I believe.
Is dynamic pricing going to happen? Yes very likely but saying it happening now just because the BA website is down is the height of silliness.
To be fair – Wasnt saying today was the day. Was asking if this might be the start of the process, thats all – which is what I thought this thread was all about. Havent seen Rob’s article or probably the other 1000 comments around on similar topics as havent traversed the forums in depth like others – but will take a look around. I agree that what i asked gives the wrong impression tho, so I’ve got the message on that front. No worries.
To be fair – Wasnt saying today was the day.
The thread started in December saying it was definitely early January. It wasn’t. Thread close, please!
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