Thanks people; spotwelder is correct in assuming (i) (ii) and (iii). Having amassed lots of BA Miles by buying fatty biscuits and coffee I spent much of yesterday consuming same and getting ever more irritable as I tried to get my head round it all.

Availability will be a problem esp as it will be summer school hols over here in the UK (and everywhere else I guess) but I'll happily go on any route...BA availability is already pretty well non-existent for next July.

Q1: is there a max mileage restriction using my BA miles on othe OW carriers

Q2: what about stopovers....the BA website implies unlimited. If so, and I managed to get to say Tokyo, Singapore etc does this mean the QF bit can be say SIN-CNS-PER-SYD all with free stopovers? I'm assuming it can't be this good!

cheers!