DELLAS

Booking a holiday has just gotten even better! This weekend only, AerClub members can snag any flight booked on Aerlingus.com or the Aer Lingus app for 50% less Avios.

delpiero223

The EI website sounds like it's only valid for cash + avios bookings, not "regular" award tickets:

"For example, a €29.99 fare usually costs 4,725 Avios. However, during this flash sale, you can book that flight for just 2,363 Avios"
https://www.aerlingus.com/aerclub/me...ea/flash-sale/

Still 1,27 cpm according to the example, does not sound too bad

ROKNA

Its pay with avios which was dreadful value at 50% off it doesn't look bad especially as the ticket will earn tier credits

DeeGee26.2

Do sales like this come up very often? Not looked at AerLingus much until recently but their flights to the USA from Manchester look really handy, but I can't book yet (or for a while) for my next US trip.

Chris Gadbois

I'm not a frequent traveler, but I've been looking at a trip from Boston To Brussels. Until this deal my total Avios only equated to $800 off this flight (Business Class). My avios would be more valuable in usage for hotel redemption. With this sale I can now get $1600 off the flight...and get the Throne Seats on both flights.

Am I going to find a better deal than this? Boston to Brussels - Business Class $1600 RT ?

soy

I doubt it. US-EU fares in this range were good value pre-covid, let alone now with all the inflation

soy

I am seeing East Coast US-DUB (RT) in early 2023 at just under 40k Avios with this deal, so better value than a normal Y award redemption - IMO

DELLAS

Boost your Avios balance Collect 50% bonus Avios when you buy or gift Avios from now until 3 July. That means if you buy 20,000 Avios, you'll collect 30,000 Avios!

irishguy28

I'd prefer to be able to spend 50% fewer Avios than get 50% more when buying, thanks!

Posted to wrong thread??

FlightDetective

Yes, they do come up regularly...

50% October 2022
45% March 2023
50% June 2023

Last time, BA offered 40% bonus a few days after the Aer Lingus one ended in March.

Anyway, as an example of what can be done... Qatar Airways were selling DUB-DOH-DUB for €4,600 return in business class. I bought 84,000 Avios in total (including the 40% bonus) with BA for €1,118 and redeemed 86,000 for those flights, thus saving about €3,400.

Buying Avios in these sales works when you're doing something like I did above. Obviously you should check if award seats are free on the flights you want before making a purchase. Remember too that you can transfer your Aer Lingus AerClub Avios to British Airways Executive Club and Iberia Plus. I also did that in the last Aer Lingus sale. Bought the Avios, transferred to BA, bought QR F tickets DOH-SYD-DOH for substantially less than the cash price. All depends on what you want to do.

irishguy28

Again, you're referring to purchasing Avios at a discount (Buy X, get Y% extra free!), when the original thread and the question you quoted was instead about a "sale" on Avios redemption prices.

(To my knowledge, there has been no similar such Avios redemption "sale" since the offer this thread was started for.)

FlightDetective

Whoops! I'll blame DELLAS for starting this and me for reading too quickly!

I'm sure a forum moderator can move these posts if there's a proper thread for these...

Thanks for that!

mccartje

Nice example. Just to clarify though, I assume there was some taxes and fees also with the 86K Avios needed, so it would bring the savings down a little or though you were still coming out on top by a fair bit.
Also with QR now using avios I wonder is it better (cheaper?) or easier to book direct with them for these flights?

I realise I'm hijacking the thread here somewhat off topic but forgive the slight tangent please.

FlightDetective

Yes, it was 86,000 Avios and €179.66 in taxes all in booking those Qatar Airways flights with BA Avios through the Executive Club. So €1,118 plus €180 - €1,298 all in versus €4,600, so the saving is still pretty much the same.

I think there may be some differences booking directly with Avios in the QR Privilege Club, but I think most of the Avios amounts are harmonised, but I can't be sure. Either way, if it was cheaper booking with Avios in Privilege Club, you just link your BA and QR accounts and send the Avios along again. I've sent Avios all around between EI, BA, IB and QR. It's always instant and always works, as long as you have four accounts, which I do. Though I never use Iberia Plus, I really only used that for some bonus on something one time and sent the Avios over to BA.

mccartje

Yes, I often use the transfer feature with BA to book through them. Was curious about the taxes/fees on QR which are low in your example, which is great - really nice offering and use of avios.