Help – can it really make sense to let my companion voucher expire??

[mrt32]

Hi all,

Brand new to the forums. But I have a dilemma. Last year I took out the standard BA Amex. I’ve now earned my first companion voucher, and was super excited to redeem it.

However. I don’t earn any Avios from actual flying. It’s all from the card. And frankly, I don’t have many points, yet. Just over 17,000.

So I can’t really go far. Continental Europe, really. And low cost airlines are much cheaper.

Meaning my current thinking is, is it worth using up my measly points and voucher to fly my wife and I to Europe, when I could just go Ryanair for much less, OR, should I let the Avios build for another year, forgo the companion voucher, and take us to somewhere a bit more exciting next year, when I earn the voucher again??

Any tips on the best way to make use of the points and voucher much appreciated.

Best,

MRT

[Rob]

It makes sense to let a voucher go rather than use the Avios for a poor value redemption – although with the 241 you should be close to 1p per Avios which is our target.

The Ryanair comparison makes little sense though. Either you live near Heathrow (in which case you are nowhere near a Ryanair base) or you live near a Ryanair base (in which case why are you picking up Avios you can only use from Heathrow or Gatwick?). You’re also probably not factoring in free suitcases and the lack of need to pay for seat selection on BA (BA won’t separate you if you don’t pay).

[jj]

The voucher earned on the standard BA AMEX must be used in economy, and long-haul economy flights are typically offer poor value redemptions unless you are travelling at peak times when economy fares are sky-high. So Europe is your best best, and, as Rob says, the price difference between RyanAir and BA is much less than it seems once you add baggage.

Off-peak flights to Greece would be a great use of your voucher at 18,500 Avios plus £70 for two. You’d be doing well to get RyanAir flights to Athens with baggage and reserved seats for less than £300, so you’d see a strong return on your Avios with that option.

I’d also suggest that you look at other Avios earning opportunities. The BA Shopping Portal is an easy way to top up your Avios, as many mainstream retailers are listed there. I earn thousands of Avios a year through that route. Or maybe your wife could also take out a BA AMex and earn a welcome bonus to top-up your points.

This site has dozens of useful articles. Look at the Beginners Guides that you can access through the menu at the top of the page.