NathanM

Can someone help explain how to make the most of using my Avios. I've currently got a hefty balance so trying to find ways to use them.

I just looked for a reward flight from LHR to BOS and this is what I found: For £1,700 + 40,000 Avios I could purchase a return Y+ and upgrade to J. But, I could buy the J ticket outright for £1,500 or buy a return in F for £1,800 (buying the Y+ ticket would have been £900). Needless to say I just bought the F ticket (what a deal!)

What's the incentive to use Avios at all?

ENTP

If you're struggling to use them, you can generally apply them as a discount to a cash ticket for 0.67p each.
Poorer-value redemptions for hotels and cars are also available, as is the new 'buy on board' regime in EuroTraveller at 0.78p each.

madfish

I recommend you take a look at the sticky thread at the top of this forum.

corporate-wage-slave

I think the problem there was UuA'ing from a relatively high revenue fare isn't going to be best value - and that WTP fare is certainly high for the distance. For example, if you started your trip from GOT, so GOT-LHR-BOS, the WTP price is a bargain £500, UUA to CW would probably mean that the total price would have been something like £600+40k, which would be better value, plus the ticket would have been quite flexible, 180€ for changes.

So to answer the question, Avios have their value, but not on every single possible combination. Always do a value check, can I get 1p value per Avios deployed? Last year I averaged, over a total of 31 redemptions, 1.97p value per Avios, mainly via RFS to Europe and domestically but also some selective UuA.

cbyrne92

I use mine mainly on SH redemptions, for example yesterday I booked LHR-MAD in CE (although on a 772 so I will have a CW seat).
Cheapest paid rate was £500.00 whereas I used 12,750 Avios and £25.00 making each avios worth 3.9 pence.
CB

nux

Everyones circumstances and travel patterns are different so you will need to do some research as to what options will work best for you. However at minimum you should be getting 0.58p/avios and a good use should be anywhere from 1p/avios upwards.

See also:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...7-edition.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...tart-here.html

Wozza2404

Personally I see long haul redemptions as poor value these days. £2200 taxes for a family of 4 to fly to BKK in CW, when you can buy the same ticket ex-DUB/AMS/GOT, etc. for well under £1k per ticket just seems daft.

On a 4 ticket booking you'll save 600k-720k Avios by paying cash rather than points, you can fly pretty much any date you want rather than hoping for availability, and you'll earn Avios back as well. Even without the earned Avios, at a valuation of 0.5p each (what you generally get spending them on hotels) that's a £3k-£3.6k value; making the total cost for a redemption higher than paying cash for the tickets.

Of course there is still value to be had using Avios for flying; but more and more it's becoming limited to RFS flights.

Ldnn1

You don't seem to be attributing any value to flying direct rather than faffing with ex-EU, which for a family of 4 is very significant indeed!

Wozza2404

Probably because I don't live in London and so getting to LHR is more of a hassle and costs considerably more than flying to DUB/AMS, for example.

Ldnn1

Well quite. Clearly for those who don't live in/around London the BA proposition is much worse, and it's a shame that UK regional cash fares don't reflect that in the way they do from EU markets!

Wozza2404

The removal of the free regional leg on long haul redemptions has really weakened BA's position for those in the regions.

highpeaklad

You do get free domestic legs on long haul redemptions.

Ldnn1

Correct, no change at all on long-haul. Only removed for short-haul connections.

Wozza2404

Is that right? Well I was totally unaware of that, and will certainly start adding on some EDI legs to my LH bookings. ^

corporate-wage-slave

INV would be better: no APD, no Avios extra for the leg, and low passenger handling charge at INV.