Originally Posted by
golfmad
Interesting. I didn’t know that was an option, It only values an Avios at just over 0.6p so not great value but not terrible for those who have a large stash of Avios.
Is this a new thing or have I just not been paying attention?
It's a scheme that's been around for some time - I'd say 2018/19 ish, but not particularly well publicized. It's terrible value while suitable for people with buckets of Avios to use, as you say.
Looking at the AUP prices, it's clear that BA is incentivizing people to buy up right now by pricing these aggressively. It's there to deter people from buying WTP and hoping for a cheapo or for a OpUp. While the latter can happen, it's a lottery, so the decision to make is to take the risk or get the club seat sorted from the time of booking.