Following the 2015 BAEC devaluation I moved my credit card usage to hotel loyalty cards because I just found it too difficult and uneconomical to use Avios (especially as I'm based in the North with no direct overseas BA flights). However, I still earn enough Avios through business flying that I decided to earn another 2-4-1 voucher to maximise them. And yet again I find myself stunned at how I can't use it for what I want.

The wife and I are planning a trip to Cambodia, Maldives and Vietnam. It seemed logical, given the distance, to use the 2-4-1 to fly CW return on this journey... not so easy!

Let me preface this (for those that can't be bothered to read much further) that there have been various opportunities to fly Business to Bangkok from London and Europe for £900-1500 per person in the last 12 months, so that is the benchmark to compare BA's amazingly generous voucher with.

First problem I had, BA do not fly to Vietnam or Cambodia themselves, but the 2-4-1 voucher can only be used on BA metal.

So, what is the nearest place I can fly to using BA so I can use the voucher? Looks like Bangkok from what I can see. What is it going to cost me to get to Bangkok return in CW?

We plan to go in May 2019 due to our work schedules (hence we are looking now at flight options ready for the 355 day window), which I'm presuming is off peak.

75,000 Avios one way with £370 in fees and taxes.

With the 2-4-1 voucher that means I am paying 150,000 Avios, a 2-4-1 voucher, and £1500 for two people to get to Bangkok and back in Business/CW.

This is not even where we want to be! So we will then have to buy short haul flights on other carriers costing us connection time which needs to be long enough to account for potential delays as flights will be on different tickets.

I'm never confident working out the pence per point value of a redemption but from I can tell, at BEST, I am getting 1p per Avios even though I'm using 2-4-1 voucher, and in return I've considerably limited in my travel options.

Or I can stump up £2000-3000 in cash and probably get flights on far better business class products (prices listed above were from Qatar, Swiss & Garuda) to Vietnam (not BKK) with more date flexability and without needing to book 355 days before I want to travel. The only downside will be a connection along the way, but being on the same ticket, this will be a much simpler and shorter connection than if using different carriers on different tickets.

This to me shows that the 2-4-1 voucher and Avios no longer holds value for my travel style, and probably many other peoples.

I have posted this for two reasons. The first is to help other people who like me are thinking "I must be doing something wrong, it CAN'T be this difficult". I did search FT first looking for other people's 2-4-1 experiences but didn't find much.

The second reason is in case I really am doing something wrong. Maybe I've chosen the most expensive destination (in terms of taxes and fees) which articifically increase the price compared to the average redemption. Or perhaps I'm missing a trick about using the 2-4-1 voucher on partner airlines. Or something even dumber.