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My wife turns 40 next year and her bucket list destination is Japan. We have 3 kids (who will be aged 10, 7 & 7 at the point of travel – yes, twins). I’d love to try and take the whole family there, for as a cheap as possible, and in an ideal world, without missing too much school, and timing it to see the cherry blossom (yes, I’m asking a lot!). I’m based in the North of England.
During covid lockdowns I got into the points game, and have now accumulated almost 300,000 avios. In that time I’ve only flown once with my work, as our budget doesn’t really stretch to overseas holidays.
I currently have the BA AMEX (free one) card, with a companion voucher that expires in October this year. I’ll qualify for another from Oct 2024.
I feel like this is my one shot to get this right, so want to have thought this all of the options before I decide on a plan. I’ll share my thinking so far, but I’d love any analysis/critique/suggestions/ from more experienced points people. Even if you think this is a terrible plan and I’ve missed something obvious… Thanks in advance.
– The plan is based on the fact that I often see flights from LHR to HND for 300,000 avios + £400 (this is for all 5 of us, using the companion voucher). Flights for March/April 2025 are not released yet, but I’m hoping they’ll be in that ballpark.
– Frustratingly, I can’t secure the flight dates I want 355 days out, because I need to wait until Oct 2024 for my next companion voucher to come through. This is my biggest risk factor, I think.
– If nectar/avios transfer puts my floor value at 0.66p, then my avios would be worth ~£2000 if I cashed out. I can’t find any flights from UK to Japan for anything near £2400 (300k avios + £300), and those closest to this price involve long layovers in Shanghai or elsewhere.
– I know that a lot of people would say I’m wasting avios by not flying in business/first, but I only have the companion voucher that lets me have an economy ticket.
– I’ve read articles about flying Iberia from Madrid (with a cheap connecting flight from the UK) to lower fees, or even splitting the flight in two parts via Hong Kong, but I’m finding it really hard to find out how that all works with the companion voucher etc.Any help/advice is greatly appreciated.
I’d have a plan B.
There are a lot of moving parts in your plan and if you cannot score BA flights for the cherry blossom days or any other date, you may need to immediately switch to Iberia. You need to prep for this both in terms of pricing and availability. It may not be such a nuisance perhaps actually. Instead of flying from N England to LHR, perhaps you can just fly to Madrid?I don’t understand why you need to wait until Oct 24 for the second voucher? Is that your anniversary date? If not, you may try to put all your expenses to the card, including council tax and gift cards to pull it sooner. Even then, the availability will be your problem.
Someone should chip in, as I don’t remember, if BA provides additional availability for the voucher that comes with the free BA Amex card. I know it does for BAPP.
Much appreciation for the response.
I completely agree that we’ll need to have super flexible when it comes to booking this.
In terms of waiting until Oct 24 – that’s because it the anniversary of my voucher. Am I incorrect in believing that I can’t get another 241 companion voucher sooner than my anniversary date?
On your last question- you can book Iberia flights on ba.com and this is where you can use your 241 voucher not directly with Iberia. Just search Madrid-Narita on ba.com and it will show up. They are only restarting the route on 27 October 2024.
Regarding timing, not sure when the school holidays are next year, but Easter falls end of April and most cherry blossoms are gone by then unless you got to North of Japan and I don’t recommend it for the first visit.
Flights to Japan are very expensive these days and using points and miles to get there even in economy makes sense. Many people here travel a lot, so traveling in business for them makes sense. If you don’t fly much then you will probably endure economy just fine. So don’t feel bad about it. My first flight as a kid when I was ten years old was a long-haul to US in economy. It will be a great experience for the kids.
This is from the T&Cs…
Only one Companion Voucher can be earned in any 12-month period. If the Cardmember reaches their spend target within 12 months of their Card Account start date then further spend will not accumulate towards another Companion Voucher. Cardmembers can begin earning towards their next Companion Voucher after their 12-month Card anniversary date. When the Cardmember has reached their spend target an e-voucher (“Companion Voucher”) will be added to their British Airways Executive Club account. The Companion Voucher will be valid from the date on which it appears on the Cardmember’s Executive Club account and will be valid for:
British Airways American Express Credit Card – 12 Months
British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card – 24 MonthsI assumed that means I can’t get another one until my current one expires…
In economy its definitely doable.
-Worse case scenario, 2x go and the rest, cash?
-Seatspy will give you an idea of availability.
-The the BA Plus will open up inventory flying to Tokyo but from regionals like MAN, NCL
-Has your wife tried to get her own 241 to get 4x on and last sprog in cash?
-You may have to get these 355 days out (please read the long thread on the workings on this).
-Madrid is now flying Tokyo. 59,500 avios one way per person in business but finding more than two seats is unlikely.Much appreciation for the response.
I completely agree that we’ll need to have super flexible when it comes to booking this.
In terms of waiting until Oct 24 – that’s because it the anniversary of my voucher. Am I incorrect in believing that I can’t get another 241 companion voucher sooner than my anniversary date?
You will earn a companion voucher as soon as you reach the spend threshold. So if you have one from before October 2023 (your previous year), you can now spend £12k and get the second voucher immediately, but that voucher on the free card is only valid for 12 months. So you need to time it right.
Thanks re Iberia info – that’s helpful.
Our school holidays begin 5th April, so we’re hoping that an early April flight and a late bloom will coincide!
I’m fine flying economy, it’s all I’ve ever flown tbh!
On your last question- you can book Iberia flights on ba.com and this is where you can use your 241 voucher not directly with Iberia. Just search Madrid-Narita on ba.com and it will show up. They are only restarting the route on 27 October 2024.
Regarding timing, not sure when the school holidays are next year, but Easter falls end of April and most cherry blossoms are gone by then unless you got to North of Japan and I don’t recommend it for the first visit.
Flights to Japan are very expensive these days and using points and miles to get there even in economy makes sense. Many people here travel a lot, so traveling in business for them makes sense. If you don’t fly much then you will probably endure economy just fine. So don’t feel bad about it. My first flight as a kid when I was ten years old was a long-haul to US in economy. It will be a great experience for the kids.
This is from the T&Cs…
Only one Companion Voucher can be earned in any 12-month period. If the Cardmember reaches their spend target within 12 months of their Card Account start date then further spend will not accumulate towards another Companion Voucher. Cardmembers can begin earning towards their next Companion Voucher after their 12-month Card anniversary date. When the Cardmember has reached their spend target an e-voucher (“Companion Voucher”) will be added to their British Airways Executive Club account. The Companion Voucher will be valid from the date on which it appears on the Cardmember’s Executive Club account and will be valid for:
British Airways American Express Credit Card – 12 Months
British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card – 24 MonthsI assumed that means I can’t get another one until my current one expires…
Nope you earn one each year as soon as you spend £12k. So you can have more than one voucher in your account depending on how quickly you can spend.
In economy its definitely doable.
-Worse case scenario, 2x go and the rest, cash?
-Seatspy will give you an idea of availability.
-The the BA Plus will open up inventory flying to Tokyo but from regionals like MAN, NCL
-Has your wife tried to get her own 241 to get 4x on and last sprog in cash?
-You may have to get these 355 days out (please read the long thread on the workings on this).
-Madrid is now flying Tokyo. 59,500 avios one way per person in business but finding more than two seats is unlikely.Iberia is not yet flying to Tokyo. They start on 27 October this year. OP is fine flying economy. Madrid to Tokyo in economy has more availability. One-way off peak is 38.75k Avios pp
All of the above, and you need to have a valid voucher in your account when the award seats are released – if you check SeatSpy for this coming Easter break on BA you will note that there is no availability left in any cabin, so you need to pounce on them as soon as they appear. IB release fewer seats so you may have to do a combination of cash and avios seats if booking on IB. As suggested above, see the long thread and also Rob’s articles on using the 241.
How far away are you from earning this year’s voucher?
This is from the T&Cs…
Only one Companion Voucher can be earned in any 12-month period. If the Cardmember reaches their spend target within 12 months of their Card Account start date then further spend will not accumulate towards another Companion Voucher. Cardmembers can begin earning towards their next Companion Voucher after their 12-month Card anniversary date. When the Cardmember has reached their spend target an e-voucher (“Companion Voucher”) will be added to their British Airways Executive Club account. The Companion Voucher will be valid from the date on which it appears on the Cardmember’s Executive Club account and will be valid for:
British Airways American Express Credit Card – 12 Months
British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card – 24 MonthsI assumed that means I can’t get another one until my current one expires…
That’s correct. However, some people also create a household account and encourage their partner to get an Amex card to have a second voucher. Then you’ll have to pay miles for 2 people and one child.
That’d bring it down significantly and immediately would pay off the BAPP fee.I’d apply for BAPP for my second player, if possible.
For this trip though, OP would need to earn 1 x free voucher plus 1 x BAPP by April, which might not be feasible at such short notice.
@WoodyYork – don’t forget as well that you get a free domestic connection with long-haul avios flights so you could travel from MAN/EDI/etc for no extra charge.For this trip though, OP would need to earn 1 x free voucher plus 1 x BAPP by April, which might not be feasible at such short notice.
@WoodyYork – don’t forget as well that you get a free domestic connection with long-haul avios flights so you could travel from MAN/EDI/etc for no extra charge.Depends whether they have earned a voucher prior to their anniversary date in 2023 or after. From what I am reading they think they can only hold one voucher at the time in their account which is not correct.
@WoodyYork : Assuming you earned the existing voucher last year, You could check in the AMEX app how far you’re from the next voucher. That would give you an idea if you can get the next voucher now or not.
If the counter has started towards your next voucher, and depending how far you’re from the voucher, you can trigger the new voucher by making a refundable booking on Hotel . com
Once the voucher has landed in your account, you could cancel the booking. The counter would go back but voucher will stay in your BAEC account which you can use immediately.Thanks. I’ll take a look at seatspy.
We don’t spend enough to both have cards that would qualify us for the 2-4-1 vouchers, unfortunately. I switched to Octopus energy recently and can pay via Amex, which is great, but we just don’t earn/spend enough in a year.
In economy its definitely doable.
-Worse case scenario, 2x go and the rest, cash?
-Seatspy will give you an idea of availability.
-The the BA Plus will open up inventory flying to Tokyo but from regionals like MAN, NCL
-Has your wife tried to get her own 241 to get 4x on and last sprog in cash?
-You may have to get these 355 days out (please read the long thread on the workings on this).
-Madrid is now flying Tokyo. 59,500 avios one way per person in business but finding more than two seats is unlikely.@shub, I don’t think this is advisable as the OP would end up with a large deficit after any refund was posted, which would severely affect next year’s spend and collecting if he they intend to keep the card going forward.
@WoodyYork – have a look if you can pay your council tax by Amex or Paypal, bills should be landing in a couple of months!I’m still some way off the voucher this year, as I’d been spending on another AMEX with better avios return. I was (incorrectly, it would now seem!) assuming that I was just aiming to hit the £12k spend by October.
All of the above, and you need to have a valid voucher in your account when the award seats are released – if you check SeatSpy for this coming Easter break on BA you will note that there is no availability left in any cabin, so you need to pounce on them as soon as they appear. IB release fewer seats so you may have to do a combination of cash and avios seats if booking on IB. As suggested above, see the long thread and also Rob’s articles on using the 241.
How far away are you from earning this year’s voucher?
Unfortunately, we just don’t spend enough annually to hit voucher spend requirements each year.
This is from the T&Cs…
Only one Companion Voucher can be earned in any 12-month period. If the Cardmember reaches their spend target within 12 months of their Card Account start date then further spend will not accumulate towards another Companion Voucher. Cardmembers can begin earning towards their next Companion Voucher after their 12-month Card anniversary date. When the Cardmember has reached their spend target an e-voucher (“Companion Voucher”) will be added to their British Airways Executive Club account. The Companion Voucher will be valid from the date on which it appears on the Cardmember’s Executive Club account and will be valid for:
British Airways American Express Credit Card – 12 Months
British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card – 24 MonthsI assumed that means I can’t get another one until my current one expires…
That’s correct. However, some people also create a household account and encourage their partner to get an Amex card to have a second voucher. Then you’ll have to pay miles for 2 people and one child.
That’d bring it down significantly and immediately would pay off the BAPP fee.I’d apply for BAPP for my second player, if possible.
I’ll do my best, but not sure I’ll even hit the free voucher by April!
I’ve literally never heard about the free domestic connection. How is that possible?! Flying from MAN would be ideal.
For this trip though, OP would need to earn 1 x free voucher plus 1 x BAPP by April, which might not be feasible at such short notice.
@WoodyYork – don’t forget as well that you get a free domestic connection with long-haul avios flights so you could travel from MAN/EDI/etc for no extra charge.That is what I thought – so I’m glad that I asked!
For this trip though, OP would need to earn 1 x free voucher plus 1 x BAPP by April, which might not be feasible at such short notice.
@WoodyYork – don’t forget as well that you get a free domestic connection with long-haul avios flights so you could travel from MAN/EDI/etc for no extra charge.Depends whether they have earned a voucher prior to their anniversary date in 2023 or after. From what I am reading they think they can only hold one voucher at the time in their account which is not correct.
I’ve not tried the hotel.com booking/cancel hack before. Any stories of it going horribly wrong and people getting their voucher cancelled for doing it?
@WoodyYork : Assuming you earned the existing voucher last year, You could check in the AMEX app how far you’re from the next voucher. That would give you an idea if you can get the next voucher now or not.
If the counter has started towards your next voucher, and depending how far you’re from the voucher, you can trigger the new voucher by making a refundable booking on Hotel . com
Once the voucher has landed in your account, you could cancel the booking. The counter would go back but voucher will stay in your BAEC account which you can use immediately.Thanks. My local council don’t accept AMEX for CT, I’m afraid.
I’m not too fussed about another voucher next year, as it’ll be another few years before I have enough avios for another trip. So I might consider the hotels .com hack when I get a bit closer to the spend trigger.
@shub, I don’t think this is advisable as the OP would end up with a large deficit after any refund was posted, which would severely affect next year’s spend and collecting if he they intend to keep the card going forward.
@WoodyYork – have a look if you can pay your council tax by Amex or Paypal, bills should be landing in a couple of months!Really appreciative of all the responses, folks.
Putting all of your learning together in one place…
– I can trigger another 2-4-1 voucher when I hit £12k spend this year (and can track this in amex app)
– I’m best to aim to do this just over 1 year out from my intended trip date, to have the voucher to book tickets as soon as they are released (355 days from flight)
– I can add a domestic connection from MAN for no extra avios
– I *could* try and earn another voucher with a card in my wife’s name, but I won’t be able to hit the spend trigger in time, so won’t.
– I need to learn to use seatspy to my advantage
– It’s worth looking at madrid/Iberia as an option.
– The hotels .com booking/cancel might be useful if I need to hit the spending trigger when I get nearer to April.Is that about right?
Hang on to this thread as there is a lot of useful info in it for you! Do a few dummy bookings as well so you are familiar with the process. Also read all the articles and threads on the 241, especially relating to booking the outbound and inbound sectors separately, which you will probably need to do.
If you wait until October to trigger your voucher, you are very unlikely to find any seats to Japan, they will all be gone. If your current voucher expires in October, you can’t use it to book flights which depart after that date.
If you book MAN-LHR-TYO you will be charged the same amount of avios and cash as just for LHR-TYO. It’s a feature of avios flights, but not cash ones.
When you come to make the booking (or dummy booking), the system will ask you if you want a stopover. Select this. Make sure you leave several hours or even an overnight stop between the 2 outbound legs, in case of any delays. You can then pick all your sectors individually, and you can select Club Europe for no extra charge on your domestic connection. This gives you lounge access at the regional airport and better seating.
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