Best procedure now for booking an award flight
 

We have an Amex 2 for 1 and wish to book an award flight, CW or F, outbound and return flight dates approx 5 weeks apart.
How should I do this?
I read somewhere about booking the outbound only online with the 2 for 1when seats are released and then phoning to add the inbound later when seats are released.
Will the 2 for 1 definitely still apply to the inbound if I do it this way?
Cost of this?

Is this the best way to proceed?
I would prefer not to have to phone to add the in bound if there is another way to book the whole trip online as award seats tend now to be snapped up before the phone lines open.

I have no status.

Advice gratefully received!

Yes, you should book the outward leg as soon as it becomes availabile using the 2-4-1 and then phone in to add the return when it becomes available (it cannot be done online). The 2-4-1 will apply to both legs. AFAIK there is no charge for this.

That sounds like what I did to be honest!

It appears there wasn't a charge but my memory had gotten foggy!

So can I book the outward leg online as a one way 2 for 1 rather than phone?

Yes (assuming a UK 2-4-1, it might be different in other countries).

Sorry, just to be absolutely certain that I have this right:
I can book the outbound online (booked as a one way 2 for 1)but have to later phone the Exec Club to add the return and the 2 for 1 will apply to both legs?

Yes.

Thank you very much.

OK, so I don't have to worry about the outbound, which I will do online.

From experience possibly, can anyone please recommend the best BA office to ring from the UK at midnight once the seats are released in order to book the return?

I asked the same question recently and believe the answer was Singapore but am happy to be corrected if wrong.

I waited until 6am to ring the UK office - extremely helpful guy in Newcastle sorted out my return and waived the fee on the grounds that the return hadn't been available at the time I booked the outbound.

Forgive my ignorance, but in order to call the SIN call centre from the UK it's the international +65 number on the Singapore BA website??

and then HOPE that you can get return legs :-)

We are talking about phoning to book the return legs.
I have been advised that The outbound can be booked online.

My experience of the Singapore office has not been good (although my original post does not say so it was the Singapore office that screwed up). I'd suggest that if they are not able to ticket your flights there and then (100% of the time in my experience) that you call the UK as soon as they are open to make sure everything is OK.

I wouldn't expect any office to ticket a flight 11 months away on the spot. It's normally only very short notice flights that need that sort of attention.