[MaccA]

Following the 2015 BAEC devaluation I moved my credit card usage to hotel loyalty cards because I just found it too difficult and uneconomical to use Avios (especially as I'm based in the North with no direct overseas BA flights). However, I still earn enough Avios through business flying that I decided to earn another 2-4-1 voucher to maximise them. And yet again I find myself stunned at how I can't use it for what I want.

The wife and I are planning a trip to Cambodia, Maldives and Vietnam. It seemed logical, given the distance, to use the 2-4-1 to fly CW return on this journey... not so easy!

Let me preface this (for those that can't be bothered to read much further) that there have been various opportunities to fly Business to Bangkok from London and Europe for £900-1500 per person in the last 12 months, so that is the benchmark to compare BA's amazingly generous voucher with.

First problem I had, BA do not fly to Vietnam or Cambodia themselves, but the 2-4-1 voucher can only be used on BA metal.

So, what is the nearest place I can fly to using BA so I can use the voucher? Looks like Bangkok from what I can see. What is it going to cost me to get to Bangkok return in CW?

We plan to go in May 2019 due to our work schedules (hence we are looking now at flight options ready for the 355 day window), which I'm presuming is off peak.

75,000 Avios one way with £370 in fees and taxes.

With the 2-4-1 voucher that means I am paying 150,000 Avios, a 2-4-1 voucher, and £1500 for two people to get to Bangkok and back in Business/CW.

This is not even where we want to be! So we will then have to buy short haul flights on other carriers costing us connection time which needs to be long enough to account for potential delays as flights will be on different tickets.

I'm never confident working out the pence per point value of a redemption but from I can tell, at BEST, I am getting 1p per Avios even though I'm using 2-4-1 voucher, and in return I've considerably limited in my travel options.

Or I can stump up £2000-3000 in cash and probably get flights on far better business class products (prices listed above were from Qatar, Swiss & Garuda) to Vietnam (not BKK) with more date flexability and without needing to book 355 days before I want to travel. The only downside will be a connection along the way, but being on the same ticket, this will be a much simpler and shorter connection than if using different carriers on different tickets.

This to me shows that the 2-4-1 voucher and Avios no longer holds value for my travel style, and probably many other peoples.

I have posted this for two reasons. The first is to help other people who like me are thinking "I must be doing something wrong, it CAN'T be this difficult". I did search FT first looking for other people's 2-4-1 experiences but didn't find much.

The second reason is in case I really am doing something wrong. Maybe I've chosen the most expensive destination (in terms of taxes and fees) which articifically increase the price compared to the average redemption. Or perhaps I'm missing a trick about using the 2-4-1 voucher on partner airlines. Or something even dumber.

memesweeper

I did BKK in Club last year (in order to get to Vietnam too) and it was £500-ish in fees and charges each. Just like you, wanting to use up a 2-41 and a pile of Avios. Vietnam was fantastic— hope you get you trip sorted and have a ball.

In retrospect, I’d you can get the connections to work, HKG could have been better, as you can travel onwards on Cathay for points as well. AirAsia is pretty cheap though but flies from the ‘wrong’ Bangkok airport for connecting from Europe.

nei1c

You're right that you can only use the 241 on BA metal so maybe not ideal for where you're going. Heading to that part of the world I'd be aiming to fly to Singapore in First then get a connection, but from what I can see your cheapest option would be to fly to KUL and connect from there - approx £160 for business flights to Vietnam and back from Cambodia.

BobServant

We can usually generate enough Avios for a long haul First with 2-4-1 and some connections every year. Usually aim to go somewhere warm in spring - last year did Hong Kong and Tokyo, next year Plan A was for Phoenix/ California but nothing that worked came up so doing HKG and Singapore instead. We will cope, I have no doubt.

I guess if you have very specific plans and you can’t get BA metal there then it doesn’t make much sense to collect Avios and invest in earning a 2-4-1. Thats much like buying cheap Tesco vouchers when you know there isn’t a shop within 50 miles....

Why not use the Avios for a long weekend to NYC/ BOS/ IAD in F and pay for sale fare flights that go where you want to go when you want to go?

neuromancer

Well, I think to travel using award currency requires some degree of flexibility - timing and destinations. It doesn't help if you only want to go where BA does not. If you don't have flexibility, better use cash.

I personally like BAEC and it is my preferred FF program, even as I do not have access to 241 vouchers in my country. Have managed to spend all of my avios without much trouble and with pleasure, even if it wasn't at the highest return rate possible. If I did have access to the vouchers, I'd try hard to get them regularly and would definitely find way to use them.

ExpatSomchai

I just booked using a 241 LHR - KUL (F) / BKK - LHR (J). Also wanted to travel in Asia so did a little research. KUL offers good either low cost or Avios redemption's to many Asian cities and at very low rates. If they are not available then there are the low cost carriers to consider. The other starting point to consider is HKG and then use Avios to connect to Asia with negligible taxes.

Mixbury

I think the issue is the implicit assumption that the voucher should be of benefit for any travel requirement. It is a voucher, with restrictions, not a cash sum towards whatever you want to use it for. You seem to have chosen to earn a voucher that you knew could only be used on BA metal and to a destination BA serve, yet now describe this as your first problem. I think your long post can be distilled down to noting that with some destinations, aggressive J pricing can reduce the value of Avios redemptions given the carrier charges. This is the case, although an ex-EU ticket with restrictions is not a direct comparison with a flexible ex-London Avios ticket.

I generally use it for two F returns to Sydney over Christmas and New Year, I find it of value.

Cap'n Benj

The most recent devaluation has obv increased the value of the 2-4-1, as you’ve discovered though, it’s only valuable if BA fly where you want to go and there is availability but that has always been the case

JFX1764

£1500 on top of the avios and voucher seems very high? Shouldn't it be closer to £1000?

Flying12345

Is it really possible to get 2 business class flights to vietnam for anything close to £2000? Can anyone point in my right direction of how to do this?

mikeyfly

vintagepilot

241 tickets can start in 'the north' as well as London, as long as it is on BA.

PJSMITH0

For the Maldives you could try using your voucher on BA on one of the India routes (usually good availability) and then book Sri Lankan in business again reasonably priced to get TO and avios

MHendo84

According to the BA Reward Calculator it's £376.55 & £180.54pp for LHR-BKK-LHR in J, not sure where your getting £1500 in fees from.

flyerkit

I use hkg or kul for Vietnam holidays with 2for1 then cx or mh or lcc for the sgn, dad, han or siem Reap legs. Benefit of lounges and usually good availability in cw.