News from the GGL F&M Event
Jan 21, 2016, 6:03 am
#61
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
It is of little comfort if your personal valuation of one way and cancellation provisions is £0.00 !
Jan 21, 2016, 6:14 am
#62
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: TPA/ABZ
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold. GGL/CCR.
Posts: 13,252
A good recent example for me is our daughter who is emigrating to Canada. In order to travel she had to complete her degree and get her visa all of which would be resolved close to the date of travel. Using Avios to secure one-way seats with flexibility was an excellent solution.
Jan 21, 2016, 6:35 am
#63
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
I am saying that for many and probably most travellers it is of marginal value, and in particular at the time the transaction is made probably estimated at 0 value by many, even if later the changeability is valued.
From my own position, if there were an option to buy a non-refundable, non-flex Avios ticket with YQ fixed at £0.00, and there were a second option to instead buy an Avios ticket with the present day flexibility* and refundable provisions at present day YQ, I would almost always pick the former option. Indeed the "YQ" would have to drop significantly before it even became worth considering for >99% of my trips. I think I am not going too far when I speculate to say that this inflex option would be much more popular than the existing high-YQ option.
* On longhaul routes the ability to make changes aside from cancellations is heavily restricted anyway, because the X, P, U, and Z buckets are often zero.
Jan 21, 2016, 6:36 am
#64
Join Date: May 2006
Location: 5 miles from EMA
Programs: BD, BAEC Pleb, VS Pleb, Accor Pleb, HHonors Gold, Big White Season Pass
Posts: 5,904
Even with positioning flights, I am the best part of £2k better off (no longer have enough Avios not to have to select the miles plus money option) and I will get 75% of my Avios outlay back in miles flown, miles from the credit card & cabin/tier bonuses
Premium redemptions make no sense at the moment when deals like this come along.
Flexibility isn't an issue on this trip as my dates are fixed anyway
Last edited by Tiger_lily; Jan 21, 2016 at 6:43 am
Jan 22, 2016, 4:42 am
#65
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Shoreham By Sea
Programs: BAEC Gold
Posts: 1,334
Let me try to be a bit more lucid as perhaps my terse answer was rather opaque.
I am saying that for many and probably most travellers it is of marginal value, and in particular at the time the transaction is made probably estimated at 0 value by many, even if later the changeability is valued.
From my own position, if there were an option to buy a non-refundable, non-flex Avios ticket with YQ fixed at £0.00, and there were a second option to instead buy an Avios ticket with the present day flexibility* and refundable provisions at present day YQ, I would almost always pick the former option. Indeed the "YQ" would have to drop significantly before it even became worth considering for >99% of my trips. I think I am not going too far when I speculate to say that this inflex option would be much more popular than the existing high-YQ option.
* On longhaul routes the ability to make changes aside from cancellations is heavily restricted anyway, because the X, P, U, and Z buckets are often zero.
I am saying that for many and probably most travellers it is of marginal value, and in particular at the time the transaction is made probably estimated at 0 value by many, even if later the changeability is valued.
From my own position, if there were an option to buy a non-refundable, non-flex Avios ticket with YQ fixed at £0.00, and there were a second option to instead buy an Avios ticket with the present day flexibility* and refundable provisions at present day YQ, I would almost always pick the former option. Indeed the "YQ" would have to drop significantly before it even became worth considering for >99% of my trips. I think I am not going too far when I speculate to say that this inflex option would be much more popular than the existing high-YQ option.
* On longhaul routes the ability to make changes aside from cancellations is heavily restricted anyway, because the X, P, U, and Z buckets are often zero.
Taxes only for non flex redemption (also available from sale fares)
Taxes + Carrier fee for flexible redemption