PSA : Avios.com tightens enforcement on matching account details for Combine My Avios
Sep 21, 17, 1:51 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Cannes, France
Programs: Flying Blue Jeune, BAEC Blue, Eurobonus, Alaska Mileage Plan, Nice Airport Club Airport Premier Gold
Posts: 62
PSA : Avios.com tightens enforcement on matching account details for Combine My Avios
Just a friendly heads up that snagged me this morning. Been using Combine my Avios for ages and love having the ability to hotswap my Avios between BAEC, Avios.com and Iberia. However today, when I went to transfer my points from BAEC to Avios.com, I got an error message saying my details didn't match. This was technically true because I signed up for Avios.com a while ago with a UK address (I live in France) but up until now it's never had a problem moving my avios around. So I called up Avios.com to discover that BA have tightened up the enforcement of account holders having the same postal address between BAEC and Avios.com. All because of "too much fraud", according to the Avios agent.
Fortunately I found a workaround which I hope lasts for a while. If you transfer your Avios from BAEC to Iberia Plus first, Avios.com seemingly let me put those IB avios into my Avios.com account ? Seems weird but it worked.
Anyways, I just thought I'd share my story with the FT community in case anyone else gets caught out by this. The main reason I'm concerned about it cos Avios.com is how I intend to get the Avios that I'll earn once Vueling's Puntos program becomes Vueling Club and my points become Avios (I'd like to move them over to BA). Plus Avios.com is handy for searching Aer Lingus award space.
UPDATE Can anyone else confirm this but I'm now trying to the operation in reverse and it appears that Iberia Plus will no longer members to combine their Avios from IB to BAEC ?? What is BA doing ? This is kind of ruining the whole purpose of Combine my Avios IMO
Fortunately I found a workaround which I hope lasts for a while. If you transfer your Avios from BAEC to Iberia Plus first, Avios.com seemingly let me put those IB avios into my Avios.com account ? Seems weird but it worked.
Anyways, I just thought I'd share my story with the FT community in case anyone else gets caught out by this. The main reason I'm concerned about it cos Avios.com is how I intend to get the Avios that I'll earn once Vueling's Puntos program becomes Vueling Club and my points become Avios (I'd like to move them over to BA). Plus Avios.com is handy for searching Aer Lingus award space.
UPDATE Can anyone else confirm this but I'm now trying to the operation in reverse and it appears that Iberia Plus will no longer members to combine their Avios from IB to BAEC ?? What is BA doing ? This is kind of ruining the whole purpose of Combine my Avios IMO
Last edited by roimaaf; Sep 21, 17 at 1:59 am Reason: Update
Sep 21, 17, 2:43 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Cannes, France
Programs: Flying Blue Jeune, BAEC Blue, Eurobonus, Alaska Mileage Plan, Nice Airport Club Airport Premier Gold
Posts: 62
Originally Posted by Cymro
Using BA.com I just moved 1 avios into IB+ and back out again with no issues.
(This feels like some kind of quantum physics experiment).
(This feels like some kind of quantum physics experiment).
Here's the message I got from BAEC :
Sep 21, 17, 2:59 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Cannes, France
Programs: Flying Blue Jeune, BAEC Blue, Eurobonus, Alaska Mileage Plan, Nice Airport Club Airport Premier Gold
Posts: 62
Originally Posted by stuart_f
Is your Iberia account at least 90 days old and have you earned at least 1 Avios through Iberia?
Sep 21, 17, 3:05 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Oxford
Programs: Skyteam Elite+, VS Red, HHonours Diamond, Accor Plat
Posts: 609
If there is a new, stricter process at play then why would BAEC allow a transfer to Iberia at all? Either the details match or they don't
How does BAEC know in advance that the reverse operation will fail? It's almost as if the check in being enforced in one direction only.
All very curious indeed!
How does BAEC know in advance that the reverse operation will fail? It's almost as if the check in being enforced in one direction only.
All very curious indeed!
Sep 21, 17, 3:18 am
#7
Join Date: Jan 2000
Programs: Latinpass Million Miler. BA Gold.
Posts: 3,535
Yes, I have seen that "cannot move your Avios back" message as well when I transferred some Avios from BA to IB back at the beginning of August. I didn't really pay attention because I only ever move from BA to IB but that was the first time I noticed.
Sep 21, 17, 3:41 am
#8
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: London, England
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 3,735
That notice about not being able to transfer back from IB>BA has been there for a while. In practice I have always had issues transferring from IB>BA and have always had to transfer IB > Avios > BA. Not a big pain unless you are in the OP's position!
Sep 21, 17, 4:22 am
#9
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hilton Gold, Accor Gold, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,835
Originally Posted by Jetstreamer
That notice about not being able to transfer back from IB>BA has been there for a while. In practice I have always had issues transferring from IB>BA and have always had to transfer IB > Avios > BA.
Sep 21, 17, 4:45 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Cannes, France
Programs: Flying Blue Jeune, BAEC Blue, Eurobonus, Alaska Mileage Plan, Nice Airport Club Airport Premier Gold
Posts: 62
Originally Posted by ringingup
Household account?
Sep 21, 17, 4:54 am
#11
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: London, UK
Programs: BAEC Gold, Hilton Gold, Accor Gold, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,835
Quoting from @Raffles's website
Using ‘Combine My Avios‘ with a family account
This is the issue which tends to confuse people. Here are the T&C’s:
“Members of a Household Account under the Programmes may not use CMA other than (a) from a British Airways Executive Club Household Account to an individual account under the Avios Programme or the Iberia Plus Programme and (b) from the individual account under the Avios Programme to a Household Account under the British Airways Executive Programme. Any other Household account transaction will not be permitted under CMA.”
What this means in English is:
A member of a BA household account CAN move Avios to or from their Iberia or avios.com account (as long as the avios.com account is not a household one)
A member of an avios.com household account CANNOT move Avios to or from BA or Iberia
Note that you cannot move from Iberia to a BA household account. This is easily circumvented, though, by moving your Avios from Iberia to avios.com and then from avios.com to BA.
This is the issue which tends to confuse people. Here are the T&C’s:
“Members of a Household Account under the Programmes may not use CMA other than (a) from a British Airways Executive Club Household Account to an individual account under the Avios Programme or the Iberia Plus Programme and (b) from the individual account under the Avios Programme to a Household Account under the British Airways Executive Programme. Any other Household account transaction will not be permitted under CMA.”
What this means in English is:
A member of a BA household account CAN move Avios to or from their Iberia or avios.com account (as long as the avios.com account is not a household one)
A member of an avios.com household account CANNOT move Avios to or from BA or Iberia
Note that you cannot move from Iberia to a BA household account. This is easily circumvented, though, by moving your Avios from Iberia to avios.com and then from avios.com to BA.
Sep 21, 17, 6:36 am
#12
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Silver,
Posts: 65
I also have been caught out with this. My BAEC is registered in the UK and my avios.com in South Africa. Combine My Avios worked at the end of July and now doesn't.
I spoke to avios.com on web chat today. I was told they had implemented additional security controls because of fraud.
I spoke to avios.com on web chat today. I was told they had implemented additional security controls because of fraud.
Sep 21, 17, 11:13 am
#13
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: JAX
Programs: Former BA/AA/CP/LY employee, BA Executive Club Blue, IHG Platinum, Samsung Platinum
Posts: 3,042
Originally Posted by andyinflitwick
I also have been caught out with this. My BAEC is registered in the UK and my avios.com in South Africa. Combine My Avios worked at the end of July and now doesn't.
I spoke to avios.com on web chat today. I was told they had implemented additional security controls because of fraud.
I spoke to avios.com on web chat today. I was told they had implemented additional security controls because of fraud.
Sep 21, 17, 3:40 pm
#15
Join Date: Jul 2012
Programs: Delta Gold, Alaska Gold 75K, LATAM Black
Posts: 3,375
Originally Posted by andyinflitwick
I also have been caught out with this. My BAEC is registered in the UK and my avios.com in South Africa. Combine My Avios worked at the end of July and now doesn't.
I spoke to avios.com on web chat today. I was told they had implemented additional security controls because of fraud.
I spoke to avios.com on web chat today. I was told they had implemented additional security controls because of fraud.
