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It makes things a lot more difficult if you’re not able to be flexible, but have you tried searching with one of your companion vouchers? As previously mentioned, these can open up more CW seats, and due to a quirk, even more if you can start at a regional airport. So, for example, if you search for EDI-LHR-SYD, you may see availability which isn’t there departing from LHR.
If you’re travelling solo, the companion voucher gives you 50% off the avios required. I know you’re avios rich but that doesn’t mean you don’t still appreciate a bargain!
‘Tis a wind-up.
This has to be a wind up. Absolutely no flexibility on dates, not even months in advance?
If I had 4m Avios, I’d have no problem spending them going West or East. Also, having that amount of points surely brings a different perspective to car hire points costs – obviously you can’t be care free, but points instead of cash when you have such a surplus would sway my value calcs a little I think.
Having BAPP companion vouchers, GFL and departing from regions makes this even easier.
As others have said, fly QR for double Avios to MEL, which is achievable on pretty much any day of your choosing.
‘Tis a wind-up.
10000% there’s been a few here. I was suspicious on a couple other posts but this one is a confirmed wind up
I don’t understand why bother saving them if you don’t know/want to know how to use them?
Just convert them to Nectar and be done, rather than dealing with miles and travel.Or give it as a gift to someone by adding them to your household.
I’d like to nominate myself for the first million 🙂
I went to Marriott event at Old Trafford 2 years ago, and when discussing the redemption with fellow attendees, one was telling me in a nonchalant way how he had over 4 million Bonvoy points and didn’t know what to do with them as work kept paying for his hotel stays.
Not the same as Avios but you would be surprised at how many points people can accumulate if they are constantly travelling for work. I don’t find it that outrageous.
Put me down for the 2nd million!
And of course with 4m the extended PPWA scheme will soon eat into them.
With that many I wouldn’t be worrying too much about how many hundredths of a penny of value I could get for them.
I went to Marriott event at Old Trafford 2 years ago, and when discussing the redemption with fellow attendees, one was telling me in a nonchalant way how he had over 4 million Bonvoy points and didn’t know what to do with them as work kept paying for his hotel stays.
Not the same as Avios but you would be surprised at how many points people can accumulate if they are constantly travelling for work. I don’t find it that outrageous.
It is not outrageous at all.
What is outrageous is to waste our time without doing one’s homework.I know someone who has a couple of million (maybe more now) – she and her late husband both had the Amex premium plus for quite a few years but a progressive debilitating illness meant that a lot of travel destinations were impossible – more so when he was in a wheelchair.
Now she is on her own she has a new puppy and doesn’t want to fly long haul on her own. She has 3 2-4-1 vouchers which she probably won’t use although I know she would love to return to Oz where she once lived.
Another friend who does use their Avios still has nearly 2m.
Put me down for the 2nd million!
And of course with 4m the extended PPWA scheme will soon eat into them.
With that many I wouldn’t be worrying too much about how many hundredths of a penny of value I could get for them.
Sure, without care and attention, I can see myself wasting 4m Avios with two or three overseas BA holidays with flights and hotels etc.
If I took my upcoming overseas family trip in Christmas time, and fly in first and stay in the same hotels with BA holidays, it is about a million Avios if you do Part Pay with Avios to cover as much as of the bill.
Not everyone is as – invested (🤷♀️) – as us.
One of my friends has been collecting VS points for about 10 years and doesn’t know how to use them! Every year she books cash tickets to the US because it’s easier to get her head around, apparently.
Similarly my in laws amassed a huge stash of avios but even though they know we fly in J and F every year, used them to part pay for PE cash flights.Sure, we all know such people.
My wealthy friend spends his summers (and springs apparently) in his boat in the Med. Doesn’t fly overseas (sails), doesn’t stay in the hotels (big boat).. Millions of MR in the account, just sitting.. Another friend is a producer, puts millions on Amex each year as work expenses when she hires a helicopter, and never even travels enough to churn. Odd. Really odd.I guess we are now creating a job opportunity for some to make expensive trip plans by maximizing some people’s big pot of miles.
How come we don’t have a “travel loyalty consultancy” for this gap in the market 🙂
‘Tis a wind-up.
10000% there’s been a few here. I was suspicious on a couple other posts but this one is a confirmed wind up
I’m not winding anyone up. Just asking for advice as I’m no points guru like folks in here. Not nice to be called a “confirmed” liar frankly. Confirmed! Good grief.
This has to be a wind up. Absolutely no flexibility on dates, not even months in advance?
Why does having no flexibility make it a wind up? I work. My wife works. We have 2 kids in school. There’s a million things that kill flexibility in busy lives.
You haven’t even looked or tried to look. I redeemed nearly 5 million Avios in the last ten years without a problem. In last four years or so, I rarely booked far in advance and always go where I want to go not where there is availability.
We have given you plenty of options. Qatar double Avios rewards which will give you 11 return trips in J for your 4 million avios at anytime. That’s a pretty good return for Avios you obtained for very little to no cost.
You haven’t even looked or tried to look.
Wrong. I’ve looked plenty. On BA at least.
And there’s your problem. You took out a credit card, signed up for Executive Club and earned Avios without even bothering to look on how the scheme works.
This has to be a wind up. Absolutely no flexibility on dates, not even months in advance?
Why does having no flexibility make it a wind up? I work. My wife works. We have 2 kids in school. There’s a million things that kill flexibility in busy lives.
Look at your children’s school holiday dates for Easter 2025, and then discuss with your wife possibilities for a break.
And there’s your problem. You took out a credit card, signed up for Executive Club and earned Avios without even bothering to look on how the scheme works.
More or less correct. I didn’t go out of my way to collect Avios. They just accumulated. When I was gold guest list I spent plenty as I seemed to have much better luck at getting the flights I wanted. Not anymore. I came onto this forum to ask some experts for advice. Not to get heckled. Yes, I don’t know all the cute ways to use to system. I am trying to learn and was hoping for some friendly advice.
Hi @Zappy-chops
I have just booked my next trip to Australia for Jan/Feb/Mar 2025, which is something I now do each year. I use my stack of Avios to fly on Qatar Airways via Doha in Business or First Class. Qatar has a good selection of destinations in Oz – MEL/SYD/PER/BNE/ADL and CBR is pending. First is only available on the A380 services to SYD and PER – I usually enter via Perth and returned a couple of weeks ago from SYD in First.
You can use Avios to connect between Australian cities on Qantas.
Flying from a European city will often show better availability to Doha than from London. This will also reduce the cash surcharges by £200 by avoiding the thieving UK APD tax.
I can highly recommend the seats in First and Business, but the non Q-Suite business seats are not good for me (I’m 6’5″ / 1.95m tall). The service onboard and in the lounges is excellent.
The whole experience beats BA Club World and the no of Avios required by Qatar is considerably less than BA, as are the cash surcharges (Business Avios 90,000, First 135,000). You shouldn’t have to use double Avios via the Qatar Privilege Club if you are flexible on dates.
IMPORTANT TIP: When searching for flights that require a change of aircraft en-route, such as Qatar, Malaysian, Cathay, do the search in two parts, ie LON-DOH and DOH-MEL/SYD. By searching for LON-DOH the system will show you the routings to DOH via European cities. Sometimes you will find the two flight sectors via DOH, but ba.com won’t join them together into a complete journey. In this case just call the BAEC to make the reservation. They shouldn’t charge you the £35 booking fee as ba.com is full of such bugs, shortcomings and holes!!
BTW you won’t find any QR First seats LON-DOH-LON, but even ba.com can do a mixed Business/First trip. BA also fly LON-DOH and you can mix BA/QR in a single booking, but the cost in Avios and cash shots up with any BA metal involved. Almost every day there are free seats on the two BA flights to/from DOH – quelle surprise!
Definitely book the trip as a single reservation to give you protection if the first flight is late or disrupted. Booking as two separate PNRs doesn’t give you such protection. Book the outbound and inbound trips as two separate PNRs to allow flexibility for changes.
Flying from a European city means allowing for your journey from the UK – don’t just allow for a couple of hours connection time. The £200 APD saving can cover the flight to Europe and an overnight hotel.
That’s about it for now, let me know if you have any questions or an unused 2-4-1 voucher that you want to share! 🙂@Zappy-chops what you are missing is that your questions are too broad and sounds like you didn’t do the Introductory readings for beginners on this blog. They are well organised and easy reads.
And a lot depends on details — even schools holidays depend on such details. Independent schools have different holiday dates for example.
And on taste: some destinations require very careful planning due to demand. And some don’t. You can’t have both.
If you want MEL and don’t want to plan much ahead, you’ll do QR and waste your Avios for a very low value.
It is a simple equation of supply and demand.
Whether you have 4m Avios or 10k, the rules and the availability are the same.
And there’s your problem. You took out a credit card, signed up for Executive Club and earned Avios without even bothering to look on how the scheme works.
More or less correct. I didn’t go out of my way to collect Avios. They just accumulated. When I was gold guest list I spent plenty as I seemed to have much better luck at getting the flights I wanted. Not anymore. I came onto this forum to ask some experts for advice. Not to get heckled. Yes, I don’t know all the cute ways to use to system. I am trying to learn and was hoping for some friendly advice.
Within about the first 5 posts on this very thread a link was provided to you to an article on this very site about spending avios.
Have you even bothered to read it (and the literally dozens of other articles such as maximising use of avios, using avios on partner aielines etc)?
Do that and then come back with better, specific queations and you’ll get better and specific advice but we aren’t your personal travel agents.
And there’s your problem. You took out a credit card, signed up for Executive Club and earned Avios without even bothering to look on how the scheme works.
More or less correct. I didn’t go out of my way to collect Avios. They just accumulated. When I was gold guest list I spent plenty as I seemed to have much better luck at getting the flights I wanted. Not anymore. I came onto this forum to ask some experts for advice. Not to get heckled. Yes, I don’t know all the cute ways to use to system. I am trying to learn and was hoping for some friendly advice.
I don’t think you have really been heckled at all. When someone makes out that it’s a terrible burden to have 4m Avios, it sounds utterly ridiculous and rather lazy. We have never had that quantum at any one time but that’s because we use them all the time and have done so for well over thirty years without difficulty, always travelling in First and Business to popular and unpopular destinations including, years back, during school holidays, and we have never booked at T-355. It’s just not the problem you claim. It would take minutes rather than hours to get to grips with the ‘problem’ and you don’t really need any ‘cute’ tricks; it’s hardly rocket science. If it continues to be a problem and you have children, offer use of your Avios to them – I’m sure they will crack this terrible conundrum quite quickly.
In all honesty, his *first* sentence is:
“ New user so please be gentle. ”If you book 354 days in advance at midnight / 1 am, you will find availability. As to not planning in advance, £35 pp per leg is the cancellation fee which is a small price to pay for “flexibility”.
You are right that it’s near impossible to find flights to where and when you need to go for a popular destination if you don’t do it just as they become available.
2 companion vouchers are fab, just check their expiry dates, that’s when you need to book outbound by. To book inbound, book online with full miles, then call exec club to link them and credit half.
And if you don’t know what to do with them, you can always donate them to me 😉
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