Chase BA Companion Ticket $30,000 Spend
Dec 14, 2013, 10:08 am
#571
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 15,819
Looking at 4 or five months out, as you are doing, is usually a problem. If you start looking when availability can first appear (355 days) and continue to watch you can often find something that will work. Availability this year has seemed to come available in large chunks at a time. Late availability can also sometimes open up if you can be flexible and react quickly in the week or so before your planned travel.
Dec 14, 2013, 11:23 am
#572
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Family RTW
Programs: Amex Plat, Chase Sapphire, A3 Gold, Alaska Air, UA, Virgin Atlantic, SPG, Hyatt
Posts: 186
I was looking out even 11 months and seeing no availability from LAX-LON. I think I found one day the entire 355 days.
Dec 14, 2013, 11:51 am
#573
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 15,819
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21965271-post4.html
What were you using to search? If you were using the Avios explorer map on ba.com, it is not reliable.
Dec 14, 2013, 11:21 pm
#574
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Family RTW
Programs: Amex Plat, Chase Sapphire, A3 Gold, Alaska Air, UA, Virgin Atlantic, SPG, Hyatt
Posts: 186
I was using the BA booking tool and then looking through the availability calendar.
I see that thread has 4 or 5 dates in October that didn't come up on the BA availability calendar. Is it the calendar doesn't display correctly or perhaps the award thread was just turning up one seat of availability and the 2-4-1 requires two award seats to be open?
I see that thread has 4 or 5 dates in October that didn't come up on the BA availability calendar. Is it the calendar doesn't display correctly or perhaps the award thread was just turning up one seat of availability and the 2-4-1 requires two award seats to be open?
Dec 15, 2013, 12:27 am
#575
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: San Francisco
Programs: AS MVP Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 700
I've found the AA booking tool to be much easier to use when searching for BA availability.
Dec 31, 2013, 1:10 pm
#576
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Orange County, CA
Programs: AA LT PLT, DL PLT, HH DIA, IHG PLT, Hertz PLT, Bonvoy GLD, Avis Pres Club
Posts: 1,265
Best bet is to book via a less busy origination like SAN, LAS, PHX, SEA, or YVR. Alternatively, I have often found "last minute" availability within 7 days of departure.
Dec 31, 2013, 1:19 pm
#577
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Orange County, CA
Programs: AA LT PLT, DL PLT, HH DIA, IHG PLT, Hertz PLT, Bonvoy GLD, Avis Pres Club
Posts: 1,265
I did my best to search for this answer, but perhaps my search string was wrong because I could not find it.
According to the T&C's, the primary member MUST be one of the travelers on the Chase 2-4-1 voucher. I am attempting to use the voucher for my parents, and the phone rep at BAEC said I did not have to be one of the travelers. In other words, she said I could redeem it for any 2 people I wanted.
Anyone have anecdotal experience on this scenario?
According to the T&C's, the primary member MUST be one of the travelers on the Chase 2-4-1 voucher. I am attempting to use the voucher for my parents, and the phone rep at BAEC said I did not have to be one of the travelers. In other words, she said I could redeem it for any 2 people I wanted.
Anyone have anecdotal experience on this scenario?
Dec 31, 2013, 1:45 pm
#578
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Juneau, Alaska.
Programs: AS 75K;BA Silver;AA G;HH Dia;HY Glob
Posts: 15,819
I did my best to search for this answer, but perhaps my search string was wrong because I could not find it.
According to the T&C's, the primary member MUST be one of the travelers on the Chase 2-4-1 voucher. I am attempting to use the voucher for my parents, and the phone rep at BAEC said I did not have to be one of the travelers. In other words, she said I could redeem it for any 2 people I wanted.
Anyone have anecdotal experience on this scenario?
According to the T&C's, the primary member MUST be one of the travelers on the Chase 2-4-1 voucher. I am attempting to use the voucher for my parents, and the phone rep at BAEC said I did not have to be one of the travelers. In other words, she said I could redeem it for any 2 people I wanted.
Anyone have anecdotal experience on this scenario?
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...xperience.html
Dec 31, 2013, 2:32 pm
#579
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Orange County, CA
Programs: AA LT PLT, DL PLT, HH DIA, IHG PLT, Hertz PLT, Bonvoy GLD, Avis Pres Club
Posts: 1,265
A few people have reported that they had been able to do this on occasion.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...xperience.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...xperience.html
May 7, 2014, 8:46 pm
#580
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum (3MM), QF Lifetime Gold, Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum, Ex-Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 7,541
May 7, 2014, 8:58 pm
#581
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Alameda, CA, US
Programs: BAEC Gold (GGL/CCR), HHonors Diamond
Posts: 1,346
May 7, 2014, 9:54 pm
#582
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum (3MM), QF Lifetime Gold, Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum, Ex-Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 7,541
Thanks, what do ppl think of the value of using a 241 for the following in F:
BOS-LHR-SYD-BOS
BOS-LHR-NRT (or HKG)-BOS
BOS-CDG-BOS
BOS-LHR-YVR
Hmm, I see BOS-NRT-BOS in F is normally 300,000 round trip on BA for one person, or using a OneWorld partner award would be 210,000 Avios trip each, or 420,000 Avios. So, the companion "costs" 90,000 more Avios than a single pax.
But, BOS-CDG-BOS is basically 2:1 any way you slice it.
BOS-LHR-YVR is a potential good deal, because LHR-YVR is only 75,000 Avios, but then I have to spend 100,000 miles to get home one-way (or 135,000 on CX in F) from YVR, but for that, you get two trips.
BOS-LHR-SYD-BOS
BOS-LHR-NRT (or HKG)-BOS
BOS-CDG-BOS
BOS-LHR-YVR
Hmm, I see BOS-NRT-BOS in F is normally 300,000 round trip on BA for one person, or using a OneWorld partner award would be 210,000 Avios trip each, or 420,000 Avios. So, the companion "costs" 90,000 more Avios than a single pax.
But, BOS-CDG-BOS is basically 2:1 any way you slice it.
BOS-LHR-YVR is a potential good deal, because LHR-YVR is only 75,000 Avios, but then I have to spend 100,000 miles to get home one-way (or 135,000 on CX in F) from YVR, but for that, you get two trips.
Last edited by nologic; May 7, 2014 at 10:58 pm
May 28, 2014, 8:26 am
#583
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum (3MM), QF Lifetime Gold, Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum, Ex-Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 7,541
Is this capped at one companion ticket at $30K per calendar year? If so, why? Don't they want to provide incentives for greater spending?
May 28, 2014, 8:34 am
#584
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: BOS
Programs: BA Silver, Mucci
Posts: 5,289
Yes, one companion voucher a year. It would appear that they don't want to offer incentives for higher spending, other than earning avios.
May 28, 2014, 10:11 am
#585
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Berlin
Programs: BA Gold; Accor Plat; IHG Diamond-Amb; Meliá & HH & Marriott Gold
Posts: 5,450
Several other cards feature a bonus for hitting specified spend levels (e.g. extra points, hotel status, qualifying miles). In every case I'm aware of they limit that bonus to once a year. This could be the banks limiting their potential costs or it could be based on their experience/assessment of how incentivisation works.
The Chase BA 2-4-1 is worth between 80,000 and 168,000 Avios on a typical US-Europe return in J or F, substantially more if used for a longer trip. A couple with two cards can earn this twice a year. That's already quite a lot of additional pressure on redemption inventory (and one of the reasons a lot of people are upset because they find it difficult to get the flights they want).
The Chase BA 2-4-1 is worth between 80,000 and 168,000 Avios on a typical US-Europe return in J or F, substantially more if used for a longer trip. A couple with two cards can earn this twice a year. That's already quite a lot of additional pressure on redemption inventory (and one of the reasons a lot of people are upset because they find it difficult to get the flights they want).