Need advice on Using 110K BA miles
Jul 17, 2011, 12:24 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Programs: Marriott Plat
Posts: 113
Need advice on Using 110K BA miles
I have accumulaed 110K BA miles, but will admit I know very little on how to properly use them. I am very fluid with UA/*A but a newbie to Oneworld.
I am US based and I am very unlikely to ever fly BA as they do not serve my local airports CAE & CLT. So my question is what is the best use of my miles on AA and what type of fees should I expect? I saw some fees of $600 per coach ticket to Europe on Ba which honestly I'd rather spend $800 on UA and earn miles! Should I use these for domestic or international travel and does BA charge inflated fees or are the fees the same as AA charges if the flight is on AA metal? Is it as simple as looking at AA for flights then calling BA, or completely different? Truly thankful for any insight.
I am US based and I am very unlikely to ever fly BA as they do not serve my local airports CAE & CLT. So my question is what is the best use of my miles on AA and what type of fees should I expect? I saw some fees of $600 per coach ticket to Europe on Ba which honestly I'd rather spend $800 on UA and earn miles! Should I use these for domestic or international travel and does BA charge inflated fees or are the fees the same as AA charges if the flight is on AA metal? Is it as simple as looking at AA for flights then calling BA, or completely different? Truly thankful for any insight.
Jul 17, 2011, 12:52 am
#2
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Join Date: Dec 2003
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Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
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If you want to use BA miles without incurring much out-of-pocket expense, you can use the miles to fly AA within the Americas (including the Caribbean, Hawaii, Central and South America). En-route stopovers are free along what BA considers the "most direct route." Only MileSAAver seats that show up on aa.com can be booked with BA miles. When the ba.com award-booking engine is working right, you can even book AA awards on line (but you would have to call BAEC if you wanted to book an AA itinerary with one or more stopovers).
If you can get yourself to JFK or MIA, you can also get good value by redeeming on LAN to South America (including Easter Island, if desired).
If you want to use BA miles without incurring much out-of-pocket expense, you can use the miles to fly AA within the Americas (including the Caribbean, Hawaii, Central and South America). En-route stopovers are free along what BA considers the "most direct route." Only MileSAAver seats that show up on aa.com can be booked with BA miles. When the ba.com award-booking engine is working right, you can even book AA awards on line (but you would have to call BAEC if you wanted to book an AA itinerary with one or more stopovers).
If you can get yourself to JFK or MIA, you can also get good value by redeeming on LAN to South America (including Easter Island, if desired).
Jul 17, 2011, 6:48 am
#4
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Jul 23, 2011, 11:11 pm
#6
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Cypress Hills Research Center
Posts: 5,295
You might consider using your BA miles to fly CX in J to somewhere in Asia. You'll pay about $300 in YQ surcharges but that's still cheap to fly to HK/Japan/SE Asia in business.
Might also check into OneWorld Circle-the-pacific or atlantic fares. Not sure about the exact miles needed to fly J but it might be close to 110K. The fees may be prohibitively high, though.
Might also check into OneWorld Circle-the-pacific or atlantic fares. Not sure about the exact miles needed to fly J but it might be close to 110K. The fees may be prohibitively high, though.