RFS to Lisbon is it good value?

[achoogirl]

Good morning. I’m due to fly to Lisbon next month. On the face of it 40k Avios plus £1 taxes and charges looks good value but is it? Should I pay a bit more and save the Avios? Also one of the flight options from LHR is via Madrid with a 10 hour stopover again has anyone done this and used the time to stroll around Madrid. Finally any recommendations for hotels (I like the Edition brand ie modern rather than rustic)

Thank you

[harley]

I assume this is return and in club? Usually paying a slightly higher cash amount and less avios works out the best value per avios are you able to give us the 4 other options it shows?

[NorthernLass]

I think Rob did an analysis once of the value of the different payment options – usually the standard RFS is the best. If you’ve got an option to stop over in Madrid that’s probably going to involve Iberia or another carrier at some point so the surcharges might be different.

[achoogirl]

harley wrote:

I assume this is return and in club? Usually paying a slightly higher cash amount and less avios works out the best value per avios are you able to give us the 4 other options it shows?

Thanks:

38500 Avios + £ 9.00
30000 Avios + £ 35.00
27000 Avios + £ 50.00
20000 Avios + £ 115.00
16000 Avios + £ 145.00

[achoogirl]

harley wrote:

I assume this is return and in club? Usually paying a slightly higher cash amount and less avios works out the best value per avios are you able to give us the 4 other options it shows?

Thanks:

38500 Avios + £ 9.00
30000 Avios + £ 35.00
27000 Avios + £ 50.00
20000 Avios + £ 115.00
16000 Avios + £ 145.00

NorthernLass wrote:

I think Rob did an analysis once of the value of the different payment options – usually the standard RFS is the best. If you’ve got an option to stop over in Madrid that’s probably going to involve Iberia or another carrier at some point so the surcharges might be different.

NorthernLass wrote:

I think Rob did an analysis once of the value of the different payment options – usually the standard RFS is the best. If you’ve got an option to stop over in Madrid that’s probably going to involve Iberia or another carrier at some point so the surcharges might be different.

Thanks I think he did but for the life of me can’t find it. I’ll grab a coffee and have another look!

[AJA]

When exactly are you travelling?

If you value Avios at 1p then that works out to be £401 including the taxes.

Looking at Google flights BA is charging between £526 and £554 return to fly between 17 and 22 May so 40k Avios +£1 is quite a saving.

I suspect that paying more cash and fewer Avios is a better option. Try to go for the option where taxes are around £50, Avios should drop to below 30k which would be around £350 in total.

Edit I see you posted the options and indeed the £50 + 27k Avios works out at £320. That said the highest cash and lowest Avios is strangely best value.

But if you’ve got lots of Avios earned for free through flying on business then you may be happy to burn 40k

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .

[achoogirl]

AJA wrote:

When exactly are you travelling?

If you value Avios at 1p then that works out to be £401 including the taxes.

Looking at Google flights BA is charging between £526 and £554 return to fly between 17 and 22 May so 40k Avios +£1 is quite a saving.

I suspect that paying more cash and fewer Avios is a better option. Try to go for the option where taxes are around £50, Avios should drop to below 30k which would be around £350 in total.

Edit I see you posted the options and indeed the £50 + 27k Avios works out at £320. That said the highest cash and lowest Avios is strangely best value.

But if you’ve got lots of Avios earned for free through flying on business then you may be happy to burn 40k

Thanks. That’s amazing. I’ll go for the £50 option. I do have ‘free miles’ but with business travel still off for my org at the moment keen for keep as many back for transatlantic!!

[marks7389]

If it was me, I’d apply a 1p/Avios valuation and go for 16,000+£145 as the best value option at an effective total cost of £305. But that’s because we do still find value in using them for long haul CW with a 2for1 voucher and short haul.

That said there’s, assuming you don’t go for the very low cash options, there’s not a lot in it. As AJA says, the £50 option works out at £320 on that basis. If you apply a 0.8p/Avios floor (i.e. what you’d get for turning them into Nectar points) the £50 option works out marginally better at £266 total cost as against £273 total cost for the £145 option.

In general the very low cash options are best avoided – they may look attractive but you’d better off turning the extra Avios into Nectar points assuming you would shop anywhere that takes them.

[The only advantage in their favour is that if you think you may end up cancelling is that I believe the cancellation fee (normally £35) is capped at the value of the cash element.]

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .