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It’s enough to make the bottom lip start to quiver but I’m contemplating using cash as the points option seems impossible. The scene is as follows – I’ve 2 x 2-4-1’s and 2 x Barclays upgrade vouchers, plenty of Avios, a wonderful wife and 2 x princesses for grown up daughters. I haven’t paid cash for a flight for over 10 years so have zero tier points and always travel Club. The T355 fastest finger and military style advance planning is second nature.
However, and quite understandably, nabbing all 4 Club seats on a mega popular long distance route on a particular date is almost certainly beyond me. I may be able to secure a couple using one of the 2-4-1’s but that’s probably the most I could hope to achieve.
Consequently I’m contemplating finding a pair of trousers with deep pockets and shelling out £20k+ on 4 x Club seats. The route is a 160 tier point earner so I think that would get me to Silver and so would my wife if she booked for herself and 1 x princess. Or have I immediately misunderstood how it works – does booking for A N Other count as an eligibe flight if I’m paying for it as well as my own?
Even if it does, the whole Tier thing feels pretty underwhelming in my circumstances. Getting Silver and not paying for seats is ok but not earth shattering, and as we always fly Club lounge access is a given anyway. Am I missing something?
If I did find the right size trousers, and aside from obviously paying with an Avios generating card (and in the process trying not to trigger a voucher too early!) are their any booking options better than just going direct to the BA site?
Any tips very welcome and greatly appreciated. As an aside we’ve just done the LHR-BGI trip in the new “Club Suite” and what an improvement over the old set up!
£5k each in cash is just daft IMHO.
Consequently I’m contemplating finding a pair of trousers with deep pockets and shelling out £20k+ on 4 x Club seats. The route is a 160 tier point earner so I think that would get me to Silver and so would my wife if she booked for herself and 1 x princess. Or have I immediately misunderstood how it works – does booking for A N Other count as an eligibe flight if I’m paying for it as well as my own?
The TP will get allocated to each passenger who travels on the ticket, you wont get them for tickets you buy for someone else (they will get them)
Consequently I’m contemplating finding a pair of trousers with deep pockets and shelling out £20k+ on 4 x Club seats. The route is a 160 tier point earner so I think that would get me to Silver and so would my wife if she booked for herself and 1 x princess. Or have I immediately misunderstood how it works – does booking for A N Other count as an eligibe flight if I’m paying for it as well as my own?
The TP will get allocated to each passenger who travels on the ticket, you wont get them for tickets you buy for someone else (they will get them)
Thank you for the clarification, I had a feeling that might be the case.
Where are you going that costs £5k for Club per passenger???
Tell us when and where and I’m sure we’ll come up with ideas to make it cheaper
Where are you going that costs £5k for Club per passenger???
Tell us when and where and I’m sure we’ll come up with ideas to make it cheaper
Tokyo for next Spring is the plan. The itinerary is being put together by Audley Travel who obviously can include the flights.
Where are you going that there is no way to get the price below £5k? I took a random 2 weeks next year. New Zealand is about as far as you can fly, and that’s £4k; under £3.5k if you try. You can also fly to Honolulu, Male and most other normally expensive places for a lot less than 5k. Are you only looking at BA, or have tickets only just gone on sale or something?
Never mind tier points and BA. If you’re paying cash, the starting point is google flights for all half decent carriers from every starting airport reasonably near you; and probably booking 6-9 months out, not at T-355.
EDIT: crossed posts – see it’s Tokyo. The point still stands. My random two weeks has sub £2.5k tickets to Tokyo from London with Air France, KLM and Turkish…
Are you fixed on your timing? If you are good at the T355 game and have 2* 2-4-1 almost any route should be fine for you even if you want 4 club seat.
Where are you going that costs £5k for Club per passenger???
Tell us when and where and I’m sure we’ll come up with ideas to make it cheaper
Tokyo for next Spring is the plan. The itinerary is being put together by Audley Travel who obviously can include the flights.
So it’s flight + hotel? Probbaly best if you said that at the begining!
If you just after flight + hotel then try BA holidays. You’ll all also get double tier points as well
Paying cash for long haul business class is perfectly reasonable, and often better value than using Avios, but £5k per person sounds insane. You can fly on a better airline than BA for much cheaper than that. I usually fly to Japan in business class and have always paid less than £2k. If you’re wanting to go direct, then at least consider JAL or ANA instead of BA for a better experience.
Paying cash for long haul business class is perfectly reasonable, and often better value than using Avios, but £5k per person sounds insane. You can fly on a better airline than BA for much cheaper than that. I usually fly to Japan in business class and have always paid less than £2k. If you’re wanting to go direct, then at least consider JAL or ANA instead of BA for a better experience.
Definitely this, if you’re not able to use the 241 simply don’t limit yourself to BA flights. As Avios collectors we too have ended up doing years and years of pretty much BA exclusive flying, but there is a whole other world out there for cash flights, with service that more often than not puts BA to shame.
Where are you going that there is no way to get the price below £5k? I took a random 2 weeks next year. New Zealand is about as far as you can fly, and that’s £4k; under £3.5k if you try. You can also fly to Honolulu, Male and most other normally expensive places for a lot less than 5k. Are you only looking at BA, or have tickets only just gone on sale or something?
Never mind tier points and BA. If you’re paying cash, the starting point is google flights for all half decent carriers from every starting airport reasonably near you; and probably booking 6-9 months out, not at T-355.
EDIT: crossed posts – see it’s Tokyo. The point still stands. My random two weeks has sub £2.5k tickets to Tokyo from London with Air France, KLM and Turkish…
I hadn’t extended my research beyond BA & JAL for the route and date combo, using both March ’25 and April ’24 pricing. It’s £2.5k give or take I will extend the search and whilst the price is obviously a key point the quality of the carrier and likely customer experience is a major consideration too.
Where are you going that costs £5k for Club per passenger???
Tell us when and where and I’m sure we’ll come up with ideas to make it cheaper
Tokyo for next Spring is the plan. The itinerary is being put together by Audley Travel who obviously can include the flights.
So it’s flight + hotel? Probbaly best if you said that at the begining!
If you just after flight + hotel then try BA holidays. You’ll all also get double tier points as well
No, it’s flight only – Audley are putting together the land part which is a multi city tour with fixed dates.
You could also keep costs down by booking award flights for wife and daughter/s (you don’t say if any of the vouchers are hers, but you can use Barclays vouchers for other people), while booking yourself (or self plus one daughter) on a BA Holiday. Check out the double TP deal as that would get you to Silver in one trip if TYO is 160 TPs each way.
You definitely don’t have to spend £20k for this! If the princesses are past school age, then you have a better chance of getting award seats outside school holidays.
Paying cash for long haul business class is perfectly reasonable, and often better value than using Avios, but £5k per person sounds insane. You can fly on a better airline than BA for much cheaper than that. I usually fly to Japan in business class and have always paid less than £2k. If you’re wanting to go direct, then at least consider JAL or ANA instead of BA for a better experience.
Definitely this, if you’re not able to use the 241 simply don’t limit yourself to BA flights. As Avios collectors we too have ended up doing years and years of pretty much BA exclusive flying, but there is a whole other world out there for cash flights, with service that more often than not puts BA to shame.
I looked at JAL and their pricing was more than BA, but I haven’t as yet considered any others. I’m also Reward Flight conditioned to book as early as possible which when paying cash probably isn’t the best strategy. I’m definately not looking for the “cheapest” unless they also happen to be the best – which isn’t usually the case.
I think I’ll see how I get on with the fastest finger and if I have success in that direction much of the cost is mitigated.
*Note you also need 4 cash flights for BA status, but you can do a quick domestic trip for the other 2.
You could also keep costs down by booking award flights for wife and daughter/s (you don’t say if any of the vouchers are hers, but you can use Barclays vouchers for other people), while booking yourself (or self plus one daughter) on a BA Holiday. Check out the double TP deal as that would get you to Silver in one trip if TYO is 160 TPs each way.
You definitely don’t have to spend £20k for this!
We have 1 x 2-4-1 each and 1 x BA voucher each. I had a quick look at BA holiday and selected accommodation for part of the trip but the flight component was the same cost as just booking them in isolation. I could possibly use the 2-4-1 for myself and P2, and the “princesses” go PE both ways using the Barclays vouchers. That would make me unpopular though!
*Note you also need 4 cash flights for BA status, but you can do a quick domestic trip for the other 2.
TBH I don’t think BA status in my circumstances is worth much – we travel Club anyway so would only be the seat allocation cost I’d save (unless I’m missing something).
Since the pricesses are grown up, have you considered going two people on one day and other two on next day?
Since the pricesses are grown up, have you considered going two people on one day and other two on next day?
No I must admit I hadn’t but that might work, thanks. I have considered trying to find a couple of prince’s to take them off my hands but that might end up being even more expensive!
Like only booking Avios flights, it is also very limiting to only accept princes. In my experience, frogs are highly underrated but, before you ask, I’m taken.
More pertinently, your 241s might open up extra seats but this is more likely around nine months prior to departure. You may find it unnerving holding off this long though?
Certainly at the £5k per flight price I would be holding off although it does sound like you are after peak Cherry blossom (very nice Cherry blossom in Edinburgh currently by the way if you don’t mind the hail storms).
I would suggest setting up a Google flight search for your dates where it emails you if the prices drop. Coincidentally this is the best way to nab the extra Avios seats that the 241 opens up as a price drop invariably means a release of multiple I class seats which tends to be the trigger for this availability.
If you are travelling mid week you will have a much better shot at this but I have a feeling you’ll be going Saturday to Saturday for some reason!
So i’m confused.
At the start you say it’s £5k per ticket (crazy money) then shortly thereafter you say it’s £2.5k per ticket (slightly toppy but par for the course post COVID to Japan).
You don’t say where you’re based but the other point that might be worth noting (Froggee alludes to it) is you’ll potentially get better availability if you fly from somewhere else in the UK other than London using the 2-4-1s assuming they are BA AMEX 2-4-1s (the black card).
You don’t need to worry about the why here, but a night in Edinburgh at the start of the trip could be a game changer in terms of availability…
A BA holiday includes just taking a car and can make flights themselves cheaper so don’t discount it as an option, it can also be split over different dates and destinations as long as it’s 5 nights car hire before you land back in UK.
Google Flights is also your friend if you’re slightly flexible you can pick the cheapest routing. If you’re all grown consider flying from Dublin or AMS/CDG to save a fortune.
In my experience, frogs are highly underrated but, before you ask, I’m taken.
I quite like frogs, although the tree frog in Barbados has a helluva croak for such a little thing.
More pertinently, your 241s might open up extra seats but this is more likely around nine months prior to departure. You may find it unnerving holding off this long though?
It would certainly be abnormal behaviour for us and Mrs DJP31 does like certainty wherever possible. The Google search function sounds interesting, thanks for that.
When you price up a BA Holiday you don’t see the prices of the individual components – did you use the custom trip tool?
Silver could be useful if you needed to guest someone into a lounge – a princess flying in PE on a future trip, perhaps!
I’m holding out hope that my own little emperor will meet a princess who can keep him in the style he’s become accustomed to, (helped significantly by the avios and points game) 😂
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