Your guide to spending Avios | 2018 edition
#166
Join Date: Apr 2017
Programs: BA
Posts: 3
They are Lloyds Avios vouchers but are both in my name and I don't have anywhere near enough points to use on my own
#167
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
The advice about a BAEC HHA still stands, though: you may well get some of the benefit you need from that. So do have a look at the pros and cons of forming one.
#168
Join Date: Jun 2003
Programs: BA, IHG, 5C
Posts: 4,413
How quickly do you need/plan to book your Thailand flights? I can't say this for sure but I suspect when the avios.com programme closes, it will become normal practice for your Lloyds redemption avios to be taken from you BA HHA, rather than your own personal balance, so your redemption will work if you have an BA HHA with your partner.
If you need to book sooner (before the forced switch takes effect) I would still try sorting your BA HHA account, then calling the 0344 49 333 49 number and (loosely) explain that all your avios are in your BA account: could they bring-forward the future-process for you and debit your BA (HHA) account rather than your avios.com account?
If you need to book sooner (before the forced switch takes effect) I would still try sorting your BA HHA account, then calling the 0344 49 333 49 number and (loosely) explain that all your avios are in your BA account: could they bring-forward the future-process for you and debit your BA (HHA) account rather than your avios.com account?
#169
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Programs: BA Silver, EY Gold, HH Diamond, IHG Plat
Posts: 12,210
In regards to Multi Carrier rewards. I am looking at using the top bracket so 50k miles. If I book a reward for November travel in June. When do I have to finish the flights? Is it 1 year from the booking date or 1 year from the first flight?
#170
Join Date: Jun 2003
Programs: BA, IHG, 5C
Posts: 4,413
However you should be able to later push back your latter flight dates, and have the ticket reissued at that point, up until your first flight, with the validity then becoming one year from that date. Essentially therefore you can have 1 year from the first flight.
That’s for a normal reward but I can’t see why a MC reward would be different, but you are of course relying on being able to find availability to make the valid date (or maybe route) change to your desired itinerary.
#171
Join Date: Apr 2014
Programs: aadvantage, avios
Posts: 1
Help using AVIOS JFK-LED
Have 140K Avios. Need advice re how to book biz class on AA from either BOS-LED or JFK-LED in July or August
or to book on AA or any airline and then upgrade with Avios from either BOS-LED or JFK-LED in July or August
Thanks!
or to book on AA or any airline and then upgrade with Avios from either BOS-LED or JFK-LED in July or August
Thanks!
#172
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 59
Hello all,
I have 500,000 avios and a BA 2 for 1 voucher.
I'm looking to take my family of 5 (our baby boy will be 22 months) to California in August 19 for a few weeks. Am I likely to be able to find seats for us in Club World?
I have 500,000 avios and a BA 2 for 1 voucher.
I'm looking to take my family of 5 (our baby boy will be 22 months) to California in August 19 for a few weeks. Am I likely to be able to find seats for us in Club World?
#173
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,676
BA guarantee release of 2 seats per plane in CW. More may be released, but it's less likely in busy times.
#174
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: South East England
Programs: Status with BA Exec Club; KrisFlyer; Hilton Honors; IHG One; Marriott Bonvoy
Posts: 543
https://baredemptionfinder.com/ is your friend — be prepared to open jaw or split across flights (SFO and LAX both have more than one a day).
#175
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 253
Anyone know what are BAs business rules around releasing CW seats for redemption? Looking for a ticket to HK and there are tons of seats on both flights on the day I am after but no award availability
#176
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
Other than that, it is purely at BA's commercial discretion. Remember that the airline's aim is not to fill the aircraft; any fool can do that. It is not even to make the maximum revenue possible on that specific flight. The aim is to make the operation make the maximum profit on a sustainable long-term basis, and that can mean deliberately flying with empty seats even if people would like to get those seats at a cut-price rate by upgrading using Avios. This is the reasoning underlying BA's frequent decision not to make award seats available.
You don't say when your flight is, but there are three things to bear in mind which are increasingly true the further away the flight is. First, you can have no idea how many reservations BA has taken for the CW cabin on your flight. Second, you can have no idea how the current booking level matches the predicted booking profile at this point in the year-long selling cycle. Third, you can have no idea whether BA expects to be able to sell every single seat in the cabin by the time of departure for a better fare than is represented by an upgrade using Avios. All of those things affect whether BA will release any more award seats.
#177
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 47
Why is there a cash cost in addition to the miles? I flew LHR LYS and LYS LHR 2 weeks later and in addition to the 7500 or 9000 miles for business class I had to pay $63 LHR LYS and $45 coming back.
Also by the way, coming back the website said only 1 seat left yet there were only 3 people in all of business class. (And how can that be considered peak???)
Also by the way, coming back the website said only 1 seat left yet there were only 3 people in all of business class. (And how can that be considered peak???)
#178
Ambassador, British Airways; FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Leeds, UK
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, GfL, HH Diamond
Posts: 42,990
Why is there a cash cost in addition to the miles? I flew LHR LYS and LYS LHR 2 weeks later and in addition to the 7500 or 9000 miles for business class I had to pay $63 LHR LYS and $45 coming back.
Also by the way, coming back the website said only 1 seat left yet there were only 3 people in all of business class. (And how can that be considered peak???)
Also by the way, coming back the website said only 1 seat left yet there were only 3 people in all of business class. (And how can that be considered peak???)
LHR-LYS in CE
United Kingdom Passenger Service Charge Departures (UB) $26.60
United Kingdom Air Passenger Duty APD (GB) $35.80
LYS-LHR in CE
France Passenger Service Charge International (QX) $14.30
France Civil Aviation Tax Domestic And International (FR) $15.50
France Air Passenger Solidarity Tax (IZ) $13.60
If you qualified for reward flight saver (RFS) your taxes/fees/charges would be capped at £17.50 for ET or £25 for CE per flight.
BA does not release all free seats for rewards, this is how European airlines generally work as opposed to US airlines where every seat in business is usually filled one way or another. BA can designate peak and off-peak dates as they wish.
#179
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 158
Going to add this here as it's hopefully useful for someone.
In March I made a 2-4-1 booking. I spotted 2*F seats from LHR-MIA but there was no return. I quickly grabbed those using miles and the 2-4-1 voucher with the intention of adding a return leg later on.
A couple of days later I called up and added JFK-LHR in CW. I received the bill which included 2*£35 change fee (but not a 2*£15 service centre fee). I queried this as one can't make open jaw bookings online and was told a refund of $70 was forthcoming. Since then and before travelling I cancelled the whole lot and got the 241 voucher and cash refund quickly but was still out the original £70 fee.
Just queried it again today and basically because the JFK-LHR flights were available at the time I booked the outbound LHR-MIA, the change fee stands. I was never billed the 2*£15 fee as open jaws can't be made online.
If the JFK availability had been 0 at the time of the outbound booking I would not have been charged £70 and if I'd phoned up and booked LHR-MIA and JFK-LHR in one go I would not have been charged either a 2*£15 or 2*£35 fee.
So the short answer is to phone for open jaw bookings. Hopefully this will help others not fall into the same trap.
In March I made a 2-4-1 booking. I spotted 2*F seats from LHR-MIA but there was no return. I quickly grabbed those using miles and the 2-4-1 voucher with the intention of adding a return leg later on.
A couple of days later I called up and added JFK-LHR in CW. I received the bill which included 2*£35 change fee (but not a 2*£15 service centre fee). I queried this as one can't make open jaw bookings online and was told a refund of $70 was forthcoming. Since then and before travelling I cancelled the whole lot and got the 241 voucher and cash refund quickly but was still out the original £70 fee.
Just queried it again today and basically because the JFK-LHR flights were available at the time I booked the outbound LHR-MIA, the change fee stands. I was never billed the 2*£15 fee as open jaws can't be made online.
If the JFK availability had been 0 at the time of the outbound booking I would not have been charged £70 and if I'd phoned up and booked LHR-MIA and JFK-LHR in one go I would not have been charged either a 2*£15 or 2*£35 fee.
So the short answer is to phone for open jaw bookings. Hopefully this will help others not fall into the same trap.
#180
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: BA
Posts: 954
What is the current situation with YQ on BA flights to/from Brasil? I remember that YQ used to be prohibited there; not sure if that is still the case but flights to/from Brazil still show significant YQ. If YQ is indeed prohibited it would be one of the better/best Avios redemptions. I seem to remember people getting YQ refunded after ticketing years ago?