Strawb

I need to book positioning flights for my ex-DUB trip later this summer. I'm booking now for August so flight prices aren't expensive yet but I do want the best possible value, especially since the 28th April announcement. For bookings made before this date I will earn at the current rates.

I priced up the cost of return economy flights, LHR-DUB-LCY, for £86.71 on ba.com. Now I want to see how I can get the best possible value using just 4,500 points, the cost of a single RFS. I could, of course, use 9000 points for a return but when flight prices are low I prefer to save my points for last-minute redemptions.

Option 1: - Split as two singles
Outbound: (Redemption): 4,500 points one way plus £17.50 tax (LHR-DUB)
Inbound: (Revenue): €49.00 (£37.26) DUB-LCY (earns 1000 points)
Total: £54.76.
Net cost (points): 4,500-1000 = 3500 points.

Option 2: - Booked as a return and using points for a discount
Revenue fare: £86.71 (earns 2000 points)
Discount -£30 for 4,500 points (maximum discount)
Total: £56.71
Net cost (points) 4500-2000 = 2500 points.

Option 3: - Avios and Money (redemption) + revenue
.
Using points and cash for the outbound, revenue for the inbound

Outbound:
4500 Avios + £ 17.50 (Reward Flight Saver)
4000 Avios + £ 22.50
3600 Avios + £ 27.50
3300 Avios + £ 32.50
2800 Avios + £ 37.50
2500 Avios + £ 42.50

Let's choose the fewest points, 2500 + £42.50.

Inbound: €49.00 (£37.26) DUB-LCY (earns 1000 points)
Total: £79.76
Net cost (points): 2500-1000 = 1500 points.

Option 3 is clearly the worst. The cash outlay is almost as much as the return revenue fare itself, for a tiny £6.95 saving. Option 1 is £1.95 cheaper than option 2. But because I earn 2000 points for option 2 then this offers me the best value for my points. RFS, especially if used ex-LHR due to high airport fees, remains good value, but in some cases, using points for a discount off the revenue fare can be better value.

nux

Why don't you compare the cost of a normal cash booking?

Option 2 you are trading 4,500 avios for £30, or 0.667p/avios. If you value avios higher then this is poor deal and a full cash booking would be best.

Deckard

I actually chose to fly out of LCY for £100 for CE to get the increased baggage allowance then flew back to LHR in Coach for around £70. Bomus TPs and a cheap flight.

Strawb

It isn't the best use of points but here's my reasoning. It depends on how many Avios points you have and your intentions. These are positioning flights so I want them to be as cheap as possible. As I mentioned earlier I could use 9000 points but it isn't the best use of Avios points when flight prices are low.

When I redeem my Avios points for short-haul flights it's always in Y. I can't justify twice the points, unless I absolutely needed to travel on a flight where there is no availability in Y (hardly ever). If I didn't have status then my view would be different. At the moment I would rather save cash where possible than springing for Club Europe. So my next RFS redemption will be to Paris tomorrow in Y. I could, of course, use 4,500 points to travel up front but my intention is saving money. So Option 2 is not a bad idea in my opinion and I have made the booking, saving £30.

callum9999

If you're going to make those calculations, you need to have a specific value of an Avios point in mind though. Option 2 has valued the Avios you're spending at only 0.66p each. If you wanted the best use of Avios you would have been better off saving them and just paying the cash fare in full.

Being a real cheapskate, my positioning flight to DUB is a free domestic add-on to a AMS-LGW redemption to BHD, combined with the airport bus down to DUB. A grand total of 0 avios and around £9!

Strawb

Yes, you are right. Generally I tend to pay for flights using cash outright. I have in the past on a few occasions used points to lower the total cost eg 1500 points for £10 saving. Not the best use I know.

Hmmm...interesting. Maybe I could cancel my booking I just made and do the same. I've still to book my RFS back from Paris next week. The 4,500 points will get me back to London and then onto Northern Ireland. Thanks for that!

callum9999

It's not the best use, but it can be fine depending on what your priorities are. You seemed to want to minimise cash and minimise Avios in equal measure in the first post which is what made it difficult to work out!

No problem, I didn't think anyone else would be crazy enough to do that! I'm only doing it because the DUB flight is too early to connect on the same day so I need to arrive the night before, and getting the overnight coach saves on a hotel room/sleeping on terminal floor.