Upgrade voucher avios fees does not match “normal” off peak fee

[lesscleverandrew]

Hello,

I found a LHR-JNB return flight, off peak, with availability to upgrade (using Barclaycard upgrade voucher) to club world.

The cost is 95000 Avios + £ 450.

However, I was expecting the cost to be 32500 * 2 = 70000 + taxes and not 95000 + taxes because the off-peak WTP fare is 32500 each way.

Is this a quirk in how upgrade vouchers are priced?
I was aware that they are problematic for European flights as taxes price at £1 making the avios fee high.

But I wasn’t aware this affected non European flights.

Is there a way of pricing the flight at 70k avios?
Thanks
-Andrew

[Froggee]

Hi

In short, no.

BA charges the max Avios, lowest fees option for using the Barclays voucher.

If you price up WT+ you will see this is 47,500 Avios + £165 each way off-peak. But they then charge the fees from a J redemption which is £225 each way on the max Avios option.

Hence 47,500 Avios + £225 each way.

I agree this frustrating but it still offers a fair amount of value. Just not as much as the Amex voucher.

[memesweeper]

@lesscleverandrew

you could screenshot what you wanted to pay, the T&Cs, book at the rate you’re forced to, and lodge a formal complaint with Barclays. The voucher does not work as advertised. I was waiting to do the same but my voucher has expired unused.

[alig4th]

memesweeper wrote:

@lesscleverandrew

you could screenshot what you wanted to pay, the T&Cs, book at the rate you’re forced to, and lodge a formal complaint with Barclays. The voucher does not work as advertised. I was waiting to do the same but my voucher has expired unused.

Really interested if you could point to where in the T&C says that the voucher doesn’t work as advertised; I’m not a fan of this pricing structure myself, but my reading of the T&C doesn’t appear to say I can choose which Avios/RFS price I want to use… Unless I’ve missed something

[memesweeper]

I can’t be sure what it says now, as I’ve not checked lately: I did take a look at the advertising when it launched for the premier account holders and it clearly said “a range” of Avios and cash prices.

I’ll see if I kept it.

[memesweeper]

I didn’t

We have this

https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/executive-club/collecting-avios/personalbanking/barclays-avios-rewards

Which mentions RFS (which isn’t available) and a £9 fee (which isn’t an option) and that other pricing options are available (which they aren’t).

I’d say it’s misadvertised and misleading. But without the chance to use one I can’t complain. The complaints need to go to Barclays, not BA.