Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

Forum Replies Created

  • in reply to: 2nd Companion Voucher in the same year
    Dollar 19 posts

    Similar tracker appeared for me last year when I downgraded from BAPP to the free one after spending 10k and getting the 241 voucher in my BA account. The tracker was for 12k as that’s the spend target for the free one. So I spaced out my spending and after using the 241 voucher, I resumed spending on this card to hit 12k hoping for another voucher.

    Nothing happened after I hit 12k. So I contacted support. They said it is just 1 voucher per year and that it has already been issued and that I need to try after the Anniversary.

    Dollar 19 posts

    A big thank you to everyone for your tips.

    I just completed my booking paying 210000 Avios + 900£ + 110£ to buy the additional 12k avios using 3x boost.

    Saved a grand compared to my original plan with minor modification!

    Looking forward to our first Club World experience.

    Dollar 19 posts

    Hopefully my last question.

    If I am buying an open jaw ticket over phone with a BA agent and I am short of Avios, can I buy it over the call by means of 3x boost or I need to do this in advance before I get on the call?

    Dollar 19 posts

    Based on all your input, I have checked this off peak combination.
    Onward BA Business from London to Toronto and return economy from Montreal to London direct.

    When I check separately, it is showing
    80000 Avios + £350 for 1 Adult and 1 child using a 241 voucher x 2 for onward
    25000 Avios + £100 for 1 Adult and 1 child using a 241 voucher x 2 for return

    So 210000 Avios + 900£ +100£ to buy the additional 10k avios. Looks much better than my initial option!

    However, the economy for return is not showing how many seats left. Does that mean there more than 4 seats there ?

    Well that sounds better already – saved a grand! And your adventure can now take in two cities and enjoy a journey (however fast or slow you do it) between the two.

    The Toronto flights are on an A350, so you’ll get the club suites (given this is a special experience for you all, I’m glad you’re not booking onto the old seats). The A350 is (IMHO) the nicest widebody flying at the moment, so you’ve picked well, but BA have apparently made it a bit of a nightmare for cabin crew so do be extra nice to them as they are likely to be having a trickier than normal flight.

    Thanks. Will book tonight.

    Is there a chance our class gets downgraded to economy once booked?

    Dollar 19 posts

    https://www.headforpoints.com/2024/03/11/how-to-use-ba-amex-241-voucher/
    https://www.headforpoints.com/2022/12/07/big-news-use-your-ba-amex-2-4-1-companion-vouchers-on-iberia-and-aer-lingus/

    Have you read these and the other articles Rob has done? You need to read up on booking the return leg, open jaw, and using the voucher on airlines other than BA.

    I had read the first article but not the second one. Thanks for pointing me to that.

    So if I am booking via Iberia or Aer Lingus, do I still use the BA site for booking?

    Dollar 19 posts

    Based on all your input, I have checked this off peak combination.
    Onward BA Business from London to Toronto and return economy from Montreal to London direct.

    When I check separately, it is showing
    80000 Avios + £350 for 1 Adult and 1 child using a 241 voucher x 2 for onward
    25000 Avios + £100 for 1 Adult and 1 child using a 241 voucher x 2 for return

    So 210000 Avios + 900£ +100£ to buy the additional 10k avios. Looks much better than my initial option!

    However, the economy for return is not showing how many seats left. Does that mean there more than 4 seats there ?

    Dollar 19 posts

    These are very short flights on the return sector and I’m not sure CW is worth it. Note that there is an 8 am flight from New York (or 7 am from Boston) which would be perfectly doable in PE or Y and you arrive home in the evening feeling much better than if you’d taken a red eye!

    Thanks for your reply.

    Return from NY might also work. I will check the availability.

    Dollar 19 posts

    I agree with the other comments about booking a return in business from somewhere else. New York or Boston often have good availability. Choosing a higher cash, fewer avios option could make business both ways work with your avios balance (e.g., 50k avios + £850 for 2 people one way instead of 80k + £350).

    Thanks for your reply.

    Are you suggesting I book both ways business or just the return leg from NY ?

    Also, 50k avios + £850 is for just one leg right ?
    Making it 3400£ + avios for just the flights. Correct?

    Dollar 19 posts

    On BA, it doesn’t make a difference for the cash element whether you book 2 singles, or 1 return – the total for 4 for CW out and WT back should be £900 (CW at £175pp and WT at £50pp), when using the max number of avios. I think the issue is that adding Aer Lingus is skewing the surcharges as they don’t offer RFS.

    I don’t think it’s worth paying over the odds; as mentioned, could you return from another airport with BA availability? Otherwise can you wait and do the trip at a later date? You’ve left it very late to book 4 avios seats for the summer holidays, if you leave it till next year, for example, and book further out, you’ll have more choice of seats and be able to earn more avios.

    Thanks for your reply.

    We just earned the second 241 voucher. So we are thinking of booking now for the next foreseeable trip.

    I am open to returning from a different airport with BA availability. So I should be looking at a multi city?
    Can this be done online or through the call center?

    Dollar 19 posts

    My immediate reaction is why you are flying out (daytime) in business and back (night) in economy… I’d do that the other way round if possible. I guess you’ll have more awake time to experience club world, but I’d personally trade that for the much better night on the way home. Your call though.

    You’re driving about 2.6p per avios so on paper that’s a reasonable efficiency (given a 1.1p approximate valuation). The economy leg is going to be hurting that efficiency though.

    The surcharges on the inbound leg look high too, probably because you’re looking at two singles, one of which starts in North America. You may find the cash element reduces significantly if you can book a return on BA instead of a separate redemption. (Perhaps the saving can offset the cost of buying avios to fly premium economy instead… Although finding 4 PE seats is probably unlikely, given by default only 2 are released)

    Thanks for your reply.

    Yes, looking for more awake time to experience club world and no late evening BA flights departing.
    Also, availablity in Business is not that great on the return leg direct BA.

    Dollar 19 posts

    What are your dates? Are you willing to do a two city trip? E.g. fly out of Montreal? The eco leg doesn’t look particularly attractive from a cost stand point.

    Alternatively you could pay cash and fly direct with air transat from £235 (date dependent).

    Thanks for your reply.

    I am very flexible with dates. Between July 26th and August 31st for around two weeks + or – two days.

    I am also willing to do two city trip. Is flying out of Montreal cheaper than my current return leg or I get more options?

    I checked the one-way BA and return on a low-cost airline. To align with the availability of my onward BA Business class availability, the return leg on a low cost airlines is working out between 350-400£ per person + extra for check-in bags. I saw West jet, Play, and Air Transat.

    Dollar 19 posts

    Given you can use 241 on Aer Lingus and Iberia too, you you fly out or return to Dublin or Madrid on the voucher and do a self transfer to a positioning fight from there? (Obviously leaving generous contingency time, especially if positioning for the outbound)

    Thanks for your reply. Why are you suggesting Aer Lingus/ Iberia?
    Is it cheaper or they take fewer Avios compared to BA.

    Dollar 19 posts

    Where are you looking to go?

    Mostly Asia. We have a direct BA flight or can take Qatar Airways with a stopover in Dubai.
    During school holidays, it can easily be 1000£ per adult or 3500£ for a family of four when booked few months in advance.

    Pre COVID, it used to be half this and was manageable. Now it’s really hurting, so thinking of playing the points game!

    Dollar 19 posts

    With only 70k avios and four of you, the best value you’re probably going to get is a RFS trip in Club Europe. While these are generally not considered the best use of avios and 241 vouchers, they can be excellent value if cash prices are high, especially if your kids are at school and you need to travel in the holidays.

    Thanks. This might work as we need to travel during school holidays.
    But will I be able to use RFS, 241, and kids tickets in a single booking/ transaction ?

    Dollar 19 posts

    Thanks Toscin. I am also not sure about the Household account.
    I have created one with all the members of my family to ensure that I don’t loose my kids Avios.
    But will it be an issue while redeeming if one adult has say 70000 Avios and others have just couple of thousand Avios?

    Dollar 19 posts

    I meant Avios does not* cover Taxes, fees and carrier charges, which is the highest (more than the fare) in our case.

    in reply to: Heathrow drop off charge
    Dollar 19 posts

    Get in touch with their live chat and explain the situation. They will check if your number has been registered and penalty charge triggered.
    They are very helpful and will sort it for you.

    I contacted them last time I missed the 24/48 hour window to make the online payment. Since I contacted them, they just took the 5£ from me and asked me to contact them after I receive the PCN so that they can waive it off.

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