TheChangingMan

Hi all,

I have a 2-4-1 voucher through BA Amex that expires in November 2018. I would like to use the voucher for a Canada trip in Summer 2018 and I would appreciate it if you could confirm my understanding here.

I wish to fly F to Vancouver (YVR) around the beginning of July 2018. My partner is a teacher so we have a "cannot travel before" date. So, starting at first travel date - 355 (just after midnight?) I need to check availability through ba.com. Assuming (!) availability, I can book that as a one-way trip using a combination of avios and cash.

We plan to return from Calgary (YYC) in J approximately two weeks later. I assume that I wait until (approx two weeks later - 355) and then phone the ba call centre to enquire.

Is that it in a nutshell? I'd be grateful for any pointers.

MPH1980

Pretty much. Except that BA rarely, if ever, release F redemption on the T-355.

What BA guarantee to release is 4 WT and 2 CW seats on every flight at that point.

Pumplekin

This process will work. We did something very similar ourselves.

Make sure you when you call you make very clear that the booking is being added to the 241. Despite making this clear on the phone, we managed to get charged the full avios amount for 2 for the return leg. It then took a lot of phone calls and hassles to get the this refunded.

SteveF

You can't use Avios + Cash on a 241.

I'd grab the two CW seats at midnight at T-355, phone the Japan call centre at midnight on T-355 to add the return and then check daily to see if F seats eventually get released and then phone to change the booking.

ScruttonStreet

All I would add is that it is worth your while checking availability on a day-to-day basis from now. You will see that a pattern develops: availability is generally usually the same week in, week out.

I.e. something like 2xF on Mondays, 1xF on Tuesdays, 0xF on Wednesdays and so on. So you can figure out the pattern ahead of time, and hence can figure out exactly when you need to pounce.

Same for your CW return - check every day from now and work out the pattern.

I did this last year - we eventually went to Toronto, but IIRC there was plenty of F availability to YVR, if you booked asap.

TheChangingMan

Thanks all, I think I get it.



How do I do that?

Sorry for the dumb questions. There's availability in F 355 days from now but that's Off Peak - I guess a July flight will be completely different!

MPH1980

You do it either by a) taking an expertflyer subscription out ($99 per year) and setting up a search or b) logging onto the BA website every so often and running a dummy booking.

And you're right - there's a surprising amount of F availability in the couple of weeks preceding March 5th next year.

TheChangingMan

Thanks again.

I suspect that the expertflyer subscription will add to my addiction :-)

SteveF

Just do a dummy Avios booking daily. On the left hand side of the page after you login choose Book With Avios, add route, dates and class and click on Find Flights. Once it comes up with availability for the week of your chosen dates (three days either side) you will see which are peak or off-peak. If you then click on find availability with British Airways on other dates on the top left it will then show availablilty for a whole month with off-peak in red and peak in blue.

One thing to beware of: if you change the departure date in the main selection panel the class will revert to economy .

pauldb

I believe it's midnight GMT, so it'll be 1pm during the summer.

SteveF

Yes you are quite right, it means sitting up even later in the summer .

TheChangingMan

That's great SteveF, thank you for that.

Flexible preferences

And bear in mind:

When you add the return sector it needs to be reticketed, and this can take months, and you cant assign seats on the return leg until this is done.

As others have said, use the Japan call centre. The USA one refused to do it, saying I had to wait until the UK call centre opened. Only when I called back and pleaded my case (that for CPT the seats would have gone by then) did he reluctantly agree to do it after speaking with a supervisor and as an exception.

TheChangingMan

Hi again!

OK, first part of the job done - managed to get 2-4-1 in J on our chosen date. Delighted!

There appears to be no availability in F right now. I've been reading that ExpertFlyer no longer gets a BA feed - is that correct? So if I wish our outbound flight to be upgraded from J to F using Avios, I should just check the BA site on a daily(ish) basis.

Next challenge - the flight home!

gustavmahler

Great news on the outbound. In regard to EF, I don't tend to use it for Avios availability, probably because they didn't have it for years and it's just as easy to search on ba.com. Just do some dummy bookings. I hope it all works out.