What got you interested in Avios/ air miles?
Oct 8, 2018, 1:24 pm
#31
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Oxford
Programs: BA Silver, HH Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 169
I went to Vegas in 2013 on a work trip with BA, the chap I was with told me I should register with baec so I could get the avios. Hadn't got a clue what to do with them but claimed them anyway.
A year later and we were off to Rome for a weekend - an annual cultural trip with friends from all over the UK so depending on where we are going can involve people flying from all sorts of different airports to meet at the destination.
My mate who was planning to travel with me from LHR persuaded me to go in CE and advised me that I could use my avios to reduce the cost, so I followed his advice and booked.
Couple of months later and I'm off work waiting for a fairly major operation, with time in my hands and I thought, they don't seem to be worth much these avios, so started looking into it using FT and HFP and soon realised I'd squandered the few I had, and then learned how to start getting value out of them.
My mate never made it to Rome he got shipped off to Boston for three years, so I made the trip on my own, had to check my carry on as I couldn't lift it into the bin, but enjoyed the lounges and didn't mind the delay on the return.
My mate still hasn't worked out how to use avios to this day.
A year later and we were off to Rome for a weekend - an annual cultural trip with friends from all over the UK so depending on where we are going can involve people flying from all sorts of different airports to meet at the destination.
My mate who was planning to travel with me from LHR persuaded me to go in CE and advised me that I could use my avios to reduce the cost, so I followed his advice and booked.
Couple of months later and I'm off work waiting for a fairly major operation, with time in my hands and I thought, they don't seem to be worth much these avios, so started looking into it using FT and HFP and soon realised I'd squandered the few I had, and then learned how to start getting value out of them.
My mate never made it to Rome he got shipped off to Boston for three years, so I made the trip on my own, had to check my carry on as I couldn't lift it into the bin, but enjoyed the lounges and didn't mind the delay on the return.
My mate still hasn't worked out how to use avios to this day.
Oct 8, 2018, 2:01 pm
#32
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: London. Or a plane.
Programs: "Only" 50,000 TPs until BA GGLfL
Posts: 2,779
What got me into Airmiles? The amazing enthusiasm of the LH flyertalk board back in 2002 with the AIRrail promotion.
Nothing like doing your first mileage run on a train...
Nothing like doing your first mileage run on a train...
Oct 8, 2018, 2:08 pm
#33
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: UK
Programs: Mucci. And BA Gold – previous awards - Gold 11, Silver 7, Bronze 4.
Posts: 4,236
Can't remember exactly... but is was mainly research into deals to keep SWMBO happy. After years on cheapo economy flights we started to move up to J, then F and finally the fast plane.
Never looked back... and don't think I could ever convince the supreme princess to fly in Y ever again!
Never looked back... and don't think I could ever convince the supreme princess to fly in Y ever again!
Oct 8, 2018, 4:31 pm
#34
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold; Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 3,228
I am not sure either what got me to sign up for BAEC but as my first flight on "My Flightpath" is LHR - LAX in 2005 it was clearly work related as that was a business trip, and one of my first long-haul flights. It was also my first OpUp from W to J (upper deck on the 747 back from LAX to LHR) and I think that probably piqued my interest into how I could manage to travel in J without necessarily having to pay for it. Hulu has a commercial running at the moment that says "Never fly first class. It ruins flying in coach forever" and I think I had that same realisation / epiphany after my first business class flight.
I went from 4 flights with BA in both 2005 and 2006 to something like 50+ in 2008 as I had moved jobs (same company, different role based in Brussels rather than London) and that saw a massage upsurge in travel, mainly Europe and the Middle East but also the USA. Avios / Air Miles were collected and saved for personal use whether that be upgrades, Companion Voucher flights etc. It was probably only a couple of years before moving to the US that I managed to get over 2500 TPs and earning the GUF2.
I have two trips coming up that will be in WT+ as I'm at my lowest Avios balance for some time, plus they were both booked with AA as they were significantly cheaper than they same flights booked via BA. I am not sure if we'll cope in WT+ but it will give a chance for the Avios balance to creep back up, and then I need to think about next year's flights - most of which will probably be nested so as to start in the UK and avoid the excessive fees when upgrading on flights originating in the US!
I went from 4 flights with BA in both 2005 and 2006 to something like 50+ in 2008 as I had moved jobs (same company, different role based in Brussels rather than London) and that saw a massage upsurge in travel, mainly Europe and the Middle East but also the USA. Avios / Air Miles were collected and saved for personal use whether that be upgrades, Companion Voucher flights etc. It was probably only a couple of years before moving to the US that I managed to get over 2500 TPs and earning the GUF2.
I have two trips coming up that will be in WT+ as I'm at my lowest Avios balance for some time, plus they were both booked with AA as they were significantly cheaper than they same flights booked via BA. I am not sure if we'll cope in WT+ but it will give a chance for the Avios balance to creep back up, and then I need to think about next year's flights - most of which will probably be nested so as to start in the UK and avoid the excessive fees when upgrading on flights originating in the US!
Oct 9, 2018, 6:53 pm
#35
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bridport, Dorset
Programs: Mucci, BA Bronze, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,130
For me it was the realization that this wasn't some dodgy offer (I remember weird point schemes that petrol companies would do that never seemed to get you anything) and if you did it well you could travel in premium cabins for less than some had paid for economy.
Oct 10, 2018, 1:59 am
#38
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: HKG
Programs: BA GGL & CCR
Posts: 600
Got in a relationship... other half pushed it. He’s the card waving, ain’t I special I get to board first, am I getting miles for that sort. I just go along with it to save some money and get the occasional upgrade.
Irony is by the timing of the collection year end I’m the ggl/ccr and he’s the bogstandard gold
Irony is by the timing of the collection year end I’m the ggl/ccr and he’s the bogstandard gold
Oct 10, 2018, 2:53 am
#39
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Glasgow
Programs: BAEC (Silver), IHG (Plat Elite)
Posts: 541
Ah, yes, the much-missed BD. For a new job in 1998, I was a semi regular on BD GLA – LHR, occasionally in business, and used *A for various holidays, mostly in North America. Add to that a one-off J trip to Manilla with LH for work, and I found myself *A Silver, via BD. By this point I could see the value in collecting points, and was planning a trip to Oz. I was then cold called by MBNA and offered the credit card with a large sign up bonus, and that was it, hooked ! I did make it to Oz, J to Bangkok followed by F to Sydney on TG. For my honeymoon no less !
Obviously, BD DC was then transferred to BAEC, and here I am. It still seems odd TBH, BA were the “opposition” when I was BD. Oh well !
Obviously, BD DC was then transferred to BAEC, and here I am. It still seems odd TBH, BA were the “opposition” when I was BD. Oh well !
Oct 10, 2018, 4:35 am
#40
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: in a cabin
Posts: 6,522
Soon 19 years ago I moved to London from Stockholm. SK was the obvious choice, and Eurobonus was generous at the time. So effectively, knowing that travel would become frequent, I enrolled to collect points.
In 2004 SK made dramatic changed to EB, so decided to look the other way, with BAEC becoming the main reward programme for flying in December 2006. I still remember having to buy a H bucket fare to qualify for the Exec Club
Joined FT about the same time, and found sound advice here. And the rest is history as they say.
11th straight year as Gold coming up.
In 2004 SK made dramatic changed to EB, so decided to look the other way, with BAEC becoming the main reward programme for flying in December 2006. I still remember having to buy a H bucket fare to qualify for the Exec Club
Joined FT about the same time, and found sound advice here. And the rest is history as they say.
11th straight year as Gold coming up.
Oct 12, 2018, 12:50 pm
#41
Join Date: Feb 2009
Programs: AA 1MM, Hyatt GP Platinum, *wood Gold
Posts: 173
In no particular order:
1) AA adopted a minimum-spend requirement which has made it impossible for me to maintain my OW sapphire status with the airline. Most of my flying is transatlantic anyway.
2) The BA Chase card 100K points promo: this will make it quicker and cheaper to get back to OW sapphire status from scratch (by buying WT+ seats with cash + Avios points
3) Potential increases in promo deals due to the fallout from Brexit, similar to what other FT programmes offered in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
1) AA adopted a minimum-spend requirement which has made it impossible for me to maintain my OW sapphire status with the airline. Most of my flying is transatlantic anyway.
2) The BA Chase card 100K points promo: this will make it quicker and cheaper to get back to OW sapphire status from scratch (by buying WT+ seats with cash + Avios points
3) Potential increases in promo deals due to the fallout from Brexit, similar to what other FT programmes offered in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
Oct 12, 2018, 1:28 pm
#42
Join Date: Oct 2005
Programs: BA GGL & GfL, AA LTP, Marriott (sigh) Ambassador, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,238
it was one of my first jobs post-uni. i was put on a work project "for a week" but had flown a few years for leisure and had UA and AA miles (barely a scratch).
anyhow the cheapest option then was LGA-ORD-MKE and i had to fly out on monday and back every friday as the client (1) didnt know if i would be needed the following week and thus (2) would not pay for a weekend hotel in MKE.
well that two week project ended up being 3 months. each week out LGA-ORD-MKE and back MKE-ORD-LGA. once i achieved my first taste of status i understood the game! this was in late 2002 and well 2MM lifetime AA miles later...i ended up moving to LHR and the switch to avios, still with all the knowledge built the prior 14 years
anyhow the cheapest option then was LGA-ORD-MKE and i had to fly out on monday and back every friday as the client (1) didnt know if i would be needed the following week and thus (2) would not pay for a weekend hotel in MKE.
well that two week project ended up being 3 months. each week out LGA-ORD-MKE and back MKE-ORD-LGA. once i achieved my first taste of status i understood the game! this was in late 2002 and well 2MM lifetime AA miles later...i ended up moving to LHR and the switch to avios, still with all the knowledge built the prior 14 years
Oct 12, 2018, 1:43 pm
#43
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 3,928