Great use for Avios (yes they are rather useful!)
 

I made two great use of Avios redemptions today - 4 bookings in total.

Great use 1.

We all know that using Avios for WT is a fairly poor use of Avios.

However, when you are fairly Avios-rich and you are earning them at an alarming rate, and your spouse needs a fully cancellable booking (not unlikely to change dates but may need to be cancelled), and there is no Avios availability in CW or F, and your spouse does not consider that a full fare CW or F is an option, it's a great use.

WT+ may seem better but since the remaining exit row seat is in WT on this particular flight, WT would be better on this occasion, if you have a tall spouse.

Thanks to Avios, I have managed to make 3 fully flexible bookings for him (3 x one-ways).

Great use 2.

I was needing to go somewhere at a short notice and was a bit horrified to see that ET was around £400 one-way. :eek: Of course, CE was even worse although my brain had gone into protective shutdown from the shock of seeing such an ET fare by then* so I cannot remember the CE fare.

However on the off chance I decided to look at redemption availability. I was rather surprised that it was available!

Some Avios and cash later, I have a reward seat in CE, and better still, it's flexible :D

*it's a joke - I have seen much worse, but it was far more than I would have liked to pay for ET.

Following the topic of using Avios in WT, which of course we all constantly say is a waste of money, I today booked a LHR-JNB-LHR redemption in Y next week using half Avios/half cash for 25,000 and just under £600, as compared to over £1800 cash price - i.e. getting ~5p each for them.

Received wisdom isn't always as wise as we think!

Amazed you found availability. About 2 weeks ago I was looking at a similar redemption (also in Y) and couldn't get out after 10/12, and no returns until something ridiculous like 13/1

-- M

I redeemed at very short notice for SYD-HKG-ICN-LHR in J and W.

At short notice, the price of tickets in Y becomes extortinate, that any taxes you'd pay for Y/W is no longer such a significant part of the fare and the value of using Avios for Y or W becomes better.

I was more surprised at the easy availability for a reasonably complex routing with a mixture of carriers and the ease of booking it via ba.com (shock horror!).

Despite my grumps about the loss of multi sector redemptions for the one price. I was looking at a LAN itinerary the other day with the help of the new super look redemption tool.
EZE-LIM then LIM-MIA in Y.....which is comfortable enough for two 5 hour day flights. 22,500 Avios and about $100.

Yep, couple of weeks ago I needed to go to Glasgow on the late flight from Heathrow (you know the one that's so late, no one needs to be on it).

Must have been less than half full. They wanted >£200 for a revenue ticket, or I could pick up an award seat for 2250 miles and 40 quid.

One-way long haul in CW ....... fabulous value, part-cash part miles here are also a good option if you are short of abios.

I agree - I've used some avios on zipping between the UK & Europe over the Christmas holidays and was surprised both by the availability, and the cost savings. For 2 people and 8 flights, it was something like 3k over paying for the flights direct. Although, I am a little avios heavy so it didn't jeopardise alternative uses of them

I find them very useful. I use them to travel around the US on American Eagle. If you are a short little fellow as I am and sit on the single seat side of the RJs it is very comfortable for these one to two hour flights.

Last minute redemptions are relatively good value, even in WT: but only within the 'Avios relative redemptions' pantheon, as it were. Use of AA miles would probably have cost the same number of miles, but without YQ.

The major advantage of Avios in this regard is if one is not EXP: the AA programme levies a hefty $150 redeposit fee, which is much more than Avios. And non-elites also get dinged for a 'last minute' redemption fee, to mitigate the rising cost of the standard Y fare.

For the SA redemption, again, AA miles would have cost 20k-30k for the same redemption, but without YQ*.


Not disagreeing that these are relatively good value uses for Avios redemptions, but the major value of Avios as a programme per se, compared with other programmes (esp in OW, so no need to change flying patterns) is in short-haul redemptions, reward savers in Europe, and in UUA.

Of course, if one's Avios come from Tesco/LLoyds etc, and not flying, one is tied to the programme.

tb

* not sure if the $100 was YQ or taxes (LAN used to not charge YQ), if taxes, then Avios are fair value here.

I was going to keep it as a secret. But I decide to share. But please please please do not NOT tell others. If everyone knows about it and it will be gone!

The secret is:

B and A may display very different award opportunities in Y class, especially short haul.

If that happens. Trust A for the flight did not show on B

Think about GGLEISURE...

Thank TP later.

Enough said. Keep this to your self while this lasts.

I use the LTN Phobia option #2 all the time... very very useful to have flexibility for just 42CHF (+9000 avois). Made a booking just this morning. To date I have made changes around 25% of the time (either date or time). ^BA

If you're trying to say BAEC and AVIOS have different award availability and so it is always worth checking both - I dont think that is a secret. Been discussed many times on here.

Thanks for pointing out. But it is not discussed many times here.

Especially since the switch from Airmiles to Avios. In Airmiles days, yet. In Avios days. Hardly.

In the end it not about different award availability. It is about inventory.