[MHARRI50]

I always consider the avios reward in something i need to buy. I generally find anything not tracked will get added if claiming the missing avios.

It does make a difference to our balance. 3500 per car insurance policy is not to be sniffed at for example.

As others have said use a dedicated browser for EStore and accept all cookies and i would say doing that 8 of 10 purchases track.

Worst offender for denying Avios for me were Black circles. Twice they cancelled my reward despite not buying “on offer” tires. There wont be third time as they have lost my custom forever as a result.

Most reliable hands down is Screwfix. Always tracks and always rewards within days. A good trick if you need to reset your 3 year activity calendar in a hurry

[MHARRI50]

If possible try a website booking while on the phone, you might beat the agent. If you have a partner one could try the phone method while the other goes web.

Practice a dummy booking on the app or computer upto the last screen before you actually book the flights.

The app has some annoying quirks like checking/unchecking the one way box when moving the departure date along.

Also have your AMEX saved as a payment method.(you have to use AMEX if booking companion voucher flights)

You also don’t say what your destination is. If it has multiple flights a day you will probably get on one. Sydney, Seychelles, Cape Town, Maldives and Tokyo seem to be the holy grail flights based on this forum

[MHARRI50]

Dispute it with missing avios query via E store. They should provide a reason why it was declined which you can challenge if incorrect.

If you used a discount code that can often void the Avios. Also check the T&C’s there might be a sneaky clause in there. Master of Malt have one where purchasing their own brand products wipes the avios redemption for example

[MHARRI50]

BA Flyer IHG Stayer wrote:

I’m afraid you may be out of luck

With no one with any status their earning points don’t do anything to the other accounts. What is needed is a redemption activity as that will reset the clock on all the accounts.

I suggest you keep track on the expiry date of all the members accounts to prevent this happening again and you losing even more avios.

Any activity counts not just a redemption. Even collecting one Avios point via the BA e store.

Screwfix used to be a good way to stop exipiry if time was short. The reward always came through within 2 days for me. Sadly screwfix no longer part of the E store. Would be good to know which other retailers do speedy rewards.

[MHARRI50]

Each individual account in a household account needs some activity in 3 years to stop points expiring. Say you had four accounts with activity in a five member account all part of a household account, the 5th inactive account will still lose their points after 3 years inactivity regardless of what the other four do.

[MHARRI50]

The best use of a voucher and/ or points is some where you actually want to go, not where the voucher will save you the most points and give the most value in my humble opinion.

Maldives, Thailand and such are highly coverted routes for reward seats so are short haul routes in school holidays. You are going to need seat spy

How about open jaw into turkey turquoise coast and out via Istanbul? Internal flight from Dalaman or Antalya to Istanbul are not expensive.

[MHARRI50]

I should have mentioned it booked the original flights as two
Seperate legs.

[MHARRI50]

NorthernLass wrote:

Or, if you can trigger 2 companion vouchers, you could use 1 as a 241 and 1 for 50% off.

If you’re short by a few thousand avios, consider flying to the east coast and getting a separate connection flight west from there.

That wont work with 2 companion vouchers under the same member.
If 2 members in the party have a companion voucher each that could be done, but under a separate booking for the 50% discount booking.

The owner of the companion voucher must fly. They cannot discount the fare by 50% for a third person with a 2nd voucher in their name.

[MHARRI50]

cc999 wrote:

Thank you everyone for your responses. They are very much appreciated!

I agree that we’re probably 95% good. She is a tall, well spoken, confident and polite 12 year old – and as much as I very much doubt we will have problems, that 5% is just too much of a niggle for us because it would be far worse for us to be split up as a group on the plane to any old available seat remaining than having the extra leg room seats (which really is only for me as I’m over 6ft).

So, in this case, will probably opt for booking standard seats so we all sit together and no fret of issues when we get there. It’s only a European flight of a few hours.

We are a family of three which makes 3×3 seat config very good for us.

Credit to BA they will try to sit you all together if you have children on the booking. Only once have not been in a row of three together. When my daughter was under 12 you got your seats allocated about 3 days before flight. We always got seated together.

Last year was the only time we got spilt up when checking in 24 hours before. Even then I was in the row behind my wife and daughter who were seated together.

[MHARRI50]

Yes they can.

Don’t sweat BA customer services it’s the crew that make this decision. They can move ANYONE from those seats if they deem them not capble to assist in emergency. Does not matter if you paid a pretty penny for the exit row either.

My daughter was 12 when on pre booked exit row seats a few years ago. You may find the crew might ask them if they feel able to carry out duties in an emergency. If they seem sensible, confident and able all should be fine.

Last year we were assigned exit row seats on online check in (fantasic luck) . When we arrived at the bag drop in Faro though the desk staff said he needed to do some checks with a supervisor with regards to my now 13 year old daughter sitting in exit row, before issuing our boarding passes and pulled us aside from the bag drop queue.

10 mins later he kindly called us over, said all was good and gave us our boarding passes.

Crew were super nice as well and we enjoyed the free upgrade

[MHARRI50]

This happened to me. I rang them after 4 weeks to get the ticket number and email sent.

Looks like it happened to this person as well and they missed their reward flight.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/british-airways-failed-booking-no-show/

Usually the ticket email lands within the hour of booking. I doubt it’s coming now, so call them up

[MHARRI50]

MHARRI50 wrote:

Thinking about an open jaw flight using 2-4-1 voucher and wondered what would be the best method.

Plan is outbound LHR – Dalaman booked online at T-355 Days online.

Return Istanbul- LHR.

Would I be able to book this online at T-355 and then call up and get the avios credited back for the 2-4-1.

Or would I need to call up to get booking with the return of the 2-4-1

Or would I have to wait for the return at T-355 days (and hope that outbound reward seats are still available) and call BA

BUMP. can anyone confirm ?

[MHARRI50]

Save the Avios and plan ahead. Next year will be our fifth family holiday using reward seats (would be No 7 had COVID not have happened).

If going in school holidays shorthaul redemptions to popular destinations can save you BIG.

But you need to start planning for next year around May the year before. We often book our accommodation in May for July the next year, as you will find more choice and better prices booking early. Just make sure the property has free cancellation in case you cannot bag the Reward flights.

Then know your -355 dates and be online to book them when they come online. I often have to book next year’s outbound flight while on holiday. Plenty of popular destinations have multiple flights.

Thing with holidays is your not going till you book the flights. Once you book the flights you are going.

[MHARRI50]

Thinking about an open jaw flight using 2-4-1 voucher and wondered what would be the best method.

Plan is outbound LHR – Dalaman booked online at T-355 Days online.

Return Istanbul- LHR.

Would I be able to book this online at T-355 and then call up and get the avios credited back for the 2-4-1.

Or would I need to call up to get booking with the return of the 2-4-1

Or would I have to wait for the return at T-355 days (and hope that outbound reward seats are still available) and call BA

[MHARRI50]

After a week no tickets, no Avios debit and no CC debit. Had to call BA up to get tickted and all sorted. but shows that if you have a booking reference your reward seat booking is safe

[MHARRI50]

Ty JDB

No ticket numbers yet in the app but since the flight is 355 days away I will chase up next week when back from Turkiye if no email by then.

[MHARRI50]

I have the similar question.

Flying to Dalaman from T5 at 0735 in WT in July. Already planning to do the overnight bag drop via the pods at Thistle but earliest lounge open I can find is Plaza Premium 05:30 am which I have pre booked with my free dragon passes.

but I am wondering how early to get to the airport security to make the lounge at 0530? What time does security in T5 actually open?

also wary that if flight departs from either gates in either 5B or 5C I am going have to leave the lounge at 06:50 which is isn’t a huge amount of time for breakfast and spot of shopping.

[MHARRI50]

Have you considered that amount of points will enable you as a family to have some very nice holidays in the future?

3 tickets are a lot more expensive than 2, and even more so in term time.

Looking forward to our 4th family holiday abroad in July school holidays thanks to short haul Avios redemptions.

Plus if you don’t plan on going till the new family member is a bit older you have time to boost that balance.

[MHARRI50]

I think it’s when they are old enough for a seat but don’t quote me. My daughter has been on the household account since she was 7, with own membership number.

Might be worth a call to BA.

[MHARRI50]

If you a worried about Finnair don’t be. This happened with our outbound reward flight to Faro last year. Finnair flight was totally fine.