Originally Posted by TheFlyingGeek

Sorry to change the subject a bit - but this seemed the most appropriate thread to ask in...

I'm trying to figure out the most cost efficient way to use a Lloyds voucher - basically I'm after doing a standard ex LON long haul return flight, using the voucher to book into CW but only pay WTP avios.

However, I don't particularly want to pay the nearly £600 in "taxes" that comes along with doing a booking along those lines, if I don't have to - and I'm flexible with my timings.

I noticed that doing an ex-DUB return on the Avios website increases the avios hit, but reduces the tax drastically down by 1/3rd. However, I can't get any consistent information out of Avios on the phone or via the web chat about:

a) Whether I can do an ex-DUB but pick my Dublin - London flight separately from the long haul flight (the website defaults to a randomly selected DUB-LON connection which you can't change!)
b) Whether I can do an open jaw starting in Dublin, but ending in London (so DUB - LON - Destination - LON)
c) Whether I can use the Lloyds voucher in conjunction with a) and b) to upgrade the two long haul sectors (I don't much care about whether Dublin to London flight is economy or business).

I've had all kinds of different responses - one person claimed I could only use the Lloyds voucher for a flight starting in the UK (can't see that in the T&Cs anywhere...) which precluded starting in Dublin, some people say an open jaw is fine, others say you can't use the voucher with one, some say you have to have the open jaw at the "destination" end rather than the origin, others don't seem to know.

Does anyone have any reports of success regarding any of the above, so I know what is at least possible?? If I have to pay the £600 taxes and do a straight return out of London then so be it, but I'd like to at least know that this is my only option with some level of confidence!

Thanks!