Originally Posted by
FionaClaire
We have enough frequent flyer miles for the family (2 adults and 3 children) for return economy flights from Dublin to Tokyo via London.
Sorry: I did not read that bit... I'm guessing 58,500 Avios plus circa £400 in taxes each, equals a budget of just short of 300,000 Avios total plus circa £2000 in taxes?
I'd probably suggest cash rather than points (although only if you have another use for 300,000 points). I'd value the above at £1,000 per head (in cash and points). Alternatively:
Helsinki to Tokyo is 25,000 Avios plus £124 with Finnair. Japan Airlines (Helsinki to Tokyo) costs less in taxes but availability much harder. Presuming Finnair: that's 125,000 Avios plus £620 outbound for 5x.
Return: Tokyo to Helsinki with Japan Airlines (I usually find availability better in this direction) is 125,000 plus £445 for 5x.
Total cost is 250,000 Avios plus circa £1,100 plus getting to Helsinki from Dublin, and back again: For this, there are direct flights with Finnair / Norweigan Air Shuttle - Dublin to Helsinki. Also Finnair is Avios possibility.
So: Dublin > Helsinki > Tokyo instead of Dublin > Heathrow > Tokyo
If you have IHG points, there's a good Holiday Inn at Helsinki airport for 15k points. Or a day or so in Helsinki is rather nice.
Also: Finnair often have some good one way prices in economy. For example, I cancelled a business class redemption ticket last March in favour of an economy ticket Brussels > Helsinki > Tokyo for £185 (though this was by far, a very, very fortuitous ticket price indeed).
If you want to make the trip a bit longer, the idea of stopping at Hong Kong on the return makes sense: 10,000 Avios in econony (and 20,000 in business) from Tokyo to Hong Kong. Then Cathay Pacific 30,000 Avios points to Dublin. A bit more expensive - but still less than doing Dublin to Tokyo with BA. (Plus Cathay and Japan Airlines both - arguably - offer superior economy to BA offering).
If I were looking to buy for 1x and I was in your position, I'd likely be looking at using Avios points for business class and premium economy on the return from Tokyo to Dublin via Hong Kong (or via Helsinki) and looking at one-way cash tickets outbound. Then, if nothing transpires with the one-way cash tickets, cancelling the redemption booking and booking economy or premium economy return.
However, the routing above via Helsinki works out at about £700 per head in points and cash (presuming £10 = 1,000 Avios). So, it is borderline points or cash (depending on securing a cash rate of less than £600 ish per head AND if you have another use for 250,000 Avios points). If the 250,000 to 300,000 points don't have an alternative use, they could be devalued very quickly by BA overnight, should BA choose to do so. (And presuming your frequent flyer miles are Avios points of course!)