New member saying Hello!

[thegreatruralnorth]

Hi all. Long time lurker and first time poster, looking for some advice really.

I’ve been looking at the Barclaycard Avios for some time now (almost made the leap in November for the 100k points bonus with Premier Banking, but held back) and just want to be sure I’m on the right path before committing.

I’m looking to travel quite a bit more as a solo traveller in 2023 and this will be long haul. Trip to the USA about to be booked for next month. If I commit to the “plus” credit card and secure a voucher after £10k spend, then could that perhaps be used for a better cabin on say a London to Sydney route?

Despite trawling the forums, I don’t see many real life examples of where folk have used the vouchers, and what benefit they bring.

All advice gratefully received, and I promise not to leave it so long before posting again! 🙂

[iamlost]

If eligible, you’re better off applying to the BAPP with 70k SUB being offered.

[meta]

You haven’t been paying attention clearly. This is 80% of what is discussed here really. Availability and use of vouchers.

There’s no point in using vouchers for economy unless the cash tickets are so high on your desired dates. And as said many times here London-Sydney route is one of the most difficult ones to get any ticket on Avios let alone the voucher though with new style Amex BA Premium Plus card (aka BAPP) you do have access to some extra availability.

You should also check the HfP guides.

For example this one:

https://www.headforpoints.com/2023/01/16/how-do-british-airways-american-express-2-4-1-vouchers-work/

[RK228]

iamlost wrote:

If eligible, you’re better off applying to the BAPP with 70k SUB being offered.

This.

[Super Secret Stuff]

Firstly, welcome.

iamlost wrote:

If eligible, you’re better off applying to the BAPP with 70k SUB being offered.

Secondly, this is the most lucrative offer at the moment. And a 2 for 1 voucher can be used for 50% off as a solo traveler. However you would loose the ability to get a gold bonus later (I think?)

If you’re worried about the cost of cards etc., gold is the best first card as its free for a year. There are currently 30k points referal offers around, albeit less than there once was due to amex being more picky. This would also help build up an avios pile for free. Not sure how many you already have?

[NorthernLass]

Re the Barclays upgrade voucher, there are threads about it on here if you look in that section. It’s definitely inferior to the BAPP companion/50% off voucher, but it you’re happy about holding both cards and have a use for both vouchers, it can have value. I’ve earned 2 so far; I’ve used to upgrade 2 people to CW to DXB in December, and the 2nd one on a return in CE to AGP in October. Cash prices are extremely high on both dates, so it was worth using for me, even with the restriction on the cash/avios combination it suffers from.

As SSS says, you could get the gold Amex first and have it free for a year and still get the BAPP SUB, but not the other way around.

[thegreatruralnorth]

Really appreciate the comments, thank you
Apologies as it’s obvious that I haven’t lurked and read as much as I’d thought!

[AJA]

@thegreatruralnorth , welcome to the HfP community. We all started in the same position as you, so there’s no need to apologise for asking questions and definitely no need to apologise that you haven’t read as much as you thought.

Re your question there is of course the option to apply for the Barclays Avios Plus card and be in the current draw to win 1 million Avios which is pretty generous.

I’d apply for it myself if Barclays allowed me to but as I hold their no longer offered to new customers Hilton card I’m ineligible.

It’s not guaranteed, unlike the 70k Sign Up Bonus on the Amex BAPP card (assuming you can meet the spend required).

The other thing to consider is that Amex BAPP voucher allows you as a solo traveller to get a 50% discount on Avios for reward flights so that may work better than the Barclays voucher.

I’d definitely choose thee paid cards on either Amex or Barclays over tge free versions simply because they are more flexible in not being restricted to economy class

[thegreatruralnorth]

AJA wrote:

@thegreatruralnorth , welcome to the HfP community. We all started in the same position as you, so there’s no need to apologise for asking questions and definitely no need to apologise that you haven’t read as much as you thought.

Re your question there is of course the option to apply for the Barclays Avios Plus card and be in the current draw to win 1 million Avios which is pretty generous.

I’d apply for it myself if Barclays allowed me to but as I hold their no longer offered to new customers Hilton card I’m ineligible.

It’s not guaranteed, unlike the 70k Sign Up Bonus on the Amex BAPP card (assuming you can meet the spend required).

The other thing to consider is that Amex BAPP voucher allows you as a solo traveller to get a 50% discount on Avios for reward flights so that may work better than the Barclays voucher.

I’d definitely choose thee paid cards on either Amex or Barclays over tge free versions simply because they are more flexible in not being restricted to economy class

Appreciate this AJA – thank you. I’ll come to a definite decision in the next day or two.