Becksr

HI all

First of all, I am new to this forum, so appologies if this has been talked about before.

I live in USA, but I am an English citazin and I acumulated my Avios miles when I lived in UK. Since I moved to USA I have struggled to use up the Avios miles and they will soon disappear if I don't do something about them.

For instance, I am about to book a flight back to UK with United miles and I will be there for 5 weeks. In the last week of my trip, my husband will join me and will pay for his flight, as we don't have enough United miles to use for both tickets. We can't use Avios as I don't have enough for both tickets and we don't want to fly home on different airlines. But also, there are no flights available to book on those dates.

But also, I can't even use them for car - always says there is none available on the website. I can't use for hotel as we aren't staying at a hotel.

I am at a loss, every time I have tried to use them, there are never any flights available! I rarely have flexibility, but then, nor does BA! At least with United, we can always book reward flights. I have even added my ex just before the divorce was complete and he couldn't find available dates! We also can't use them for upgrades on American airlines within the US as the routes we use don't have first class.

Any suggestions?

smokie36

A romantic weekend in Paris?

Markie

You can use them on AA from the US to US-domestic locations or book a year in advance. There are usually seats then. Using Avios across the Atlantic is challenging.

TProphet

Avios are great for me when redeeming them on Alaska Airlines. I use them frequently up and down the West Coast. They're also great to use on American flights to Latin America.

I wrote a pretty detailed article about how I've been maximizing distance based awards this year. Avios, being a distance based program, is a piece of this puzzle: http://www.seat31b.com/2017/08/how-i...wards-in-2017/

Greenpen

Not being able to use Avios is not my experience. I have successfully used them to travel to the four corners of the globe as well as trips to European cities. I think the key is flexibility, not infinite but a few days or a week or so here and there. Also, it helps to be flexible on destination - if you can't go to Japan go to Argentina instead.

Alas , if you are fixed by time, destination and partially different travel partner requirements then it becomes more difficult. It also helps if you are able to collect them easily.

MSPeconomist

If UA allows one way award tickets, you could book your husband's return trip with you using UA miles but use Avios for his trip from the USA to Europe since he will be traveling on different dates from your travel in this direction.

corporate-wage-slave

First of all let me welcome you to Flyertalk Becksr, and welcome you to the BA forum. It's good to see you here, and thank you for raising this issue - without which there wouldn't be much of value in this forum.

If your Avios are close to expiring you may want to do something to extend their use, such as crediting a hotel stay or AA flight, or some such. Moreover to use the Reward Flight Saver, one of the gems of Avios, within European, the Caribbean and South Africa, you need to have a recent credit.

The second point, already effectively raised, is that in your position using them on AA or AS may well be very effective, there are plenty of Americans here who never spend Avios on BA's flights at all.

But I suspect the most important point to get across is that actually Avios are quite flexible, if you know what you are doing, but the downside is that requires quite a lot of effort learning about all the benefits and how to get them. I would urge you to look at the stickies at the top of the Forum, and perhaps some of the Dashboard items, to see what is out there, even I get surprised sometimes about some of the more obscure benefits and earning protocols.

cpdc1030

CWS has already said pretty much everything I was going to. But as a fellow Brit living in the US, I have found Avios redemptions extremely valuable. BA's reach in the USA makes redemptions much easier. SFO is tough (but not impossible - we have 2x seats in F booked LHR-SFO in Dec), but SJC and OAK are always options.

Also redeeming on CX flights to Asia has been great for me. I haven't used them for US domestic flights, but there are tons of options. Just credit to Avios for your next hotel stay or car rental to keep your account alive.

DFW DL

I frequently redeem Avios for domestic travel within the US on AA. Award availability is generally the same as the SAAver award level and it often requires fewer Avios to redeem than AAdvantage miles. Also...no fuel surcharge like you would incur on transatlantic flights...only the standard $5.60 per segment tax.

HIDDY

Not having the flexibility with your dates of travel does seem to be your biggest problem. You may have to depart from another US gateway instead. If you tell us where in the US you're based and your date of travel I'm sure someone will help you find availability of some sort. I'm surprised you can't find car hire though.

Extending the expiration date of your Avios is good advice to save you from losing them. Even if it means you buying 1000.

IMH

Welcome, Becksr! Follow HIDDY's suggestion and you've got a very good chance of ending the weekend less frustrated (and at the very least better informed):

edealinfo12345

You have a very well written article based on your tremendous knowledge on how frequent flyer programs work. Unfortunately, most people do not have that knowledge or experience. Maybe you may wish to consider offering, at least initially, a free service, from your web page, of helping others find flights, provided it does not take too much of your time. If the requests go beyond what you can spare with your free time, you can charge a fee and monetize your efforts.

Becksr

thank you everyone for your replies - I will spend some time going through them all. I do understand the points about using them for AA but both of us hate AA and avoid them as much as we can. So I don't think I will be able to persuade my husband to fly AA back to England!

We live in Rochester NY, we don't fly often now, both working from home and no reason to fly back to UK more than once a year. We often can't be that flexible when we fly, but I will take another look at the dates. Also, we don't have a huge amount of money at moment, just moved house, so buying expensive flights, even with a possibility to upgrade, is out. So are hotel stays.

But thanks again, I will keep looking. Quite frankly, I would rather give them away than lose them. It's such a pity I can't use them for shopping or something - like I can with United miles!

corporate-wage-slave

Well your circumstances may change, so I'd keep them alive by making a token transaction. If you end up back in the UK you can use them for wine, and normally car hire and hotel bookings. You can also transfer them to Avios.com and use them on a few other services such as Disneyland and Whipsnade Zoo!

From Rochester NY you are fairly well placed for New York services, I'm surprised you found it difficult since usually you'll find something going from JFK, Toronto or EWR. But the other less obvious option is to use them on Aer Lingus from Toronto. This has the significant advantage in having lower fees than BA services. The availability isn't online for this, you need to call up.

I appreciate you aren't fans of AA, but if you do need to fly down to Washington DC from Rochester, then Avios will be sometimes very cost-effective for that, perhaps in First to improve the experience somewhat.

Acrew66

Perhaps the OP has enough time to set up a Household account with BA and start accumulating Avios with credit card offers. I manage a household account with my husband's miles combined with mine to book tickets for either of us.
We accumulate miles using separate credit card accounts and since the account holder is different, the miles accumulate in the household account, currently have 180,00 or so in the household account. I get the credit cards, fulfill the spend, cancel and put the next time I can reapply on my calendar, typically 18 to 24 months depending on the offer.
Generally have no problem booking with Avios for flights business class from New York, Boston, or Charlotte. Snagged a first class award for a trip from JFK to Rome in May 2017. As others have said, looking ahead and being flexible are useful.
I usually use BA for one way and a return on another airline I have miles on for the business class one way return.