honu

Are the US versions of BA and VS e-stores run by the infamous Cartera? They have acquired quite a negative reputation in the 1+ year since taking over most US airline and hotel online shopping malls.

elwe

I mainly use the estore for ebay, most other retailers offer more cash than the miles are worth.

I have had 2 of around 30 transactions fail to produce avios/miles over the last year but the values mean't I didn't bother chasing. Especially as twice I have used other retailers when there were double miles promos on and both times the miles posted twice, then the double miles posted twice. So overall I am up.

where2travel

I am a big fan of cashback sites but I very rarely use the BA e-store due to the return rates being rather poor and the tracking reliability too sketchy for me. I certainly don't have the inclination to spend the time creating folders or spreadsheets with reminders to review every transaction.

I find the rates at Topcashback and Quidco are much better and their tracking is more reliable. I think the BA e-store just works out at quite an expensive way to buy miles when there is a better cash alternative using other sites.

origin

I think it depends on the store.

John Lewis
Charles Tyrwhitt
PC World

All seem okay. It would appear others arent so good.

But I do agree they should all work. There are some things in life, made easier by computers, that should just work.. Please keep going, and name and shame the ones who are bad.

PanGalactic

I had to chase 2 transactions from last month worth about 1500 Avios in total.

I'd say the 4 emails I had to send were less effort than it was to play "find the emerald" for 1,000 Avios.

rossmacd

The hassle of using the estore (or all these cashback sites) for me doesn't seem to generate much reward, considering I earn more avios for a simple MAN-LON-MAN trip than I would through the estore.

But hey this is what FT is all about

PanGalactic

Flying to London and back is less effort to you than clicking some buttons?

rossmacd

If I am flying anyway, then it is no extra hassle for me which is were most of us earn avios. Extra button clicks when shopping online (which I don't do that often) wouldn't give me much back. Coupled with the fact that I earn more avios than I could ever spend, it doesn't make sense for me.

That said, it is a route to earn avios therefore a very worthy topic to be discussed on FT regardless of my (narrow-minded) views

PanGalactic

Nonsense, you can never have too many Avios!

If you can't spend them yourself, you could consider giving someone a nice surprise one day like George Clooney did in "Up in the air"

(watched this film for the first time yesterday btw, now I feel I understand some of the folks on here much better)

MNManInKen

I really don't follow that reasoning

My take on this is that whenever I buy stuff online (or paraphrasing your words: "when I am buying anyway") the fact that I bring up the merchant site via the BA e-store is really not an effort I'm even able to quantify, it must count amongst the most trivial of efforts imaginable. However, by doing this, I do collect additional avios. Seems silly to me to not use the facility that is there.

I tend to make good use of my avios, but if I had more than I could use, I could still give them away to friends who might not be so lucky.

dinise

Pan Galactic

Thank you for posting your experiences with estore. I was trying to decide what to do, because I bought some itunes to top off some family accounts and waited the 40 days and of course they don't post. They never do and I have to fill out the credit form and then they email me and ask for the receipt and I send it and they post. But this time I sent in the receipt and got the following message.

Dear Dinise

Thank you for your recent email.


We are sorry but we are unable to credit the Avios you requested below to your account as we have been unable to verify the date order with iTunes following the proof of purchase information provided.



Please note that we require all of the following information to verify eStore order queries: your receipt should show the retailer, item purchased, merchandise price, date of purchase, and method of payment.



We look forward to being of assistance to you in the future and we hope you will continue to enjoy collecting and spending Avios awards.

Kind regards,



XXXXX XXXXX

BA Avios eStore Customer Support

Any suggestions on how to go forward? I buy the itunes and the reciept never posts the same day as I buy the itunes so it will never agree with the click date, but it has never been a problem in the past. I thank you in advance for any help with this matter.

darthlemsip

I had exactly the same issue with iTunes and with Austin Reed - I replied to the BA mail and told them to check again, lo and behold they turned up two days later

stevieed

Agreed, I would certainly chase for 1,500 Avios!

I am currently awaiting a similar amount to go into my account, if they don't I'll certainly chase. Saying that, after I had a rant my secretary offered to chase on my behalf. Tempted to take her up on the offer, but I just can't as its hardly in her Jon description.

dark_horse

I've found eBay particularly irritating because they (or BA / Avios) simply refuse to accept any queries about the points. If they post, great. If they doesn't, tough.

To be fair, usually they are pretty reliable. A problem came a few months ago when I made a few chunky purchases on the same day, delivered to different addresses. Perhaps because they were for the same amount, I only got the points for one.

And had no recourse.

Petrus

Can we just remind everyone to not post the names of customer services people you correspond with please.

Thanks for understanding