noamG

I am flying a lot for my work, and collect many points/millage in different companies. I just wonder why it's not my assets (since I work so hard to get it - being away from my kids, weeks in the air, etc). I would love to have the opportunity to turn it into cash, give points to my friends, etc.

Any idea welcome.

LCY8737

mikeyfly

corporate-wage-slave

Welcome to Flyertalk noamG and welcome to the BA forum (and I note you have something similar over in Lufthansa, I know it's a bit buried in FT's rules but it is best not to cross post since it can be disruptive). In a legal sense the Avios remain the property of IAG, BA's owner, but in day to day reality there is a lot you can do along the lines suggested by your question. So I recently donated a chunk of my Avios stash to a very good friend of mine who got married recently - this was my wedding present to him and I know he and his new spouse will really enjoy this delayed honeymoon more than a box of crockery. And it saved me from spending that much cash too. That seems to be pretty much along the lines suggested in your post. So by all means run some ideas here and we can help let you know whether it will work or not. The one thing you absolutely can't do - and BA tends to catch those who try this - is just sell your Avios to some random person. But otherwise things like wine, hotels, "experiences" and car hire are the easy uses for Avios, though not the best value for money overall, see the stickies on the front page for more details.

UKtravelbear

selling your points is against the terms and conditions. There are several threads about people who have had their BAEC accounts closed because of this.

If you want to gift flights to family and friends you can use the 'friends and family' feature and book for them.

GlasgowCyclops

You should always use your miles as a treat for yourself or for close friends. EG I bought a friend and daughter flights to get away for a break during a bad divorce. I even wanted to help some people on a ski group when their EZY was cancelled. I called BA to explain (the flights were not needed in the end). I would recommend this. Never sell air miles or you risk loosing them AND your status.

bitterproffit

Aren't earned assets taxed?

Magic01273

Not really sure what you mean by an asset in this context.

BA aren't compensating you for "working hard" or for "being away from your kids". That's simply how you choose to rationalise it in your own mind. Its a program to reward your loyalty. With a set of Ts & Cs setting out what you can earn and what you can redeem for within the program. Just like every other loyalty program in the world.

They are still a perk of flying for business, even if you wish you could do more with the points.

noamG

Thank you all for your answers. I really appreciate your comments and explanation.

Having said that, I feel it not fair that my points/millage will ever disappear/expire, or they should be converted to something after x years. It should belong to me (my family) until we decided to use it, or till we can use it. I might have a perspective of someone "green" in this domain, but sometimes newcomer sees the reality in "a more honest" way.

corporate-wage-slave

Points expiring is something I don't really like either, unless it's a very long expiry date (10 years plus). BA is actually one of the easier frequent flyer services to keep alive, since you can feed in from other schemes such as Amex or a hotel scheme, or even by buying a coffee in Caffč Nero. But it does require a high degree of insight as to how the system works.

cornishsimon

snaxmuppet

I too can see the OPs point but I can't say I fully agree.

Avios and TPs are just incentives to fly with BA (and other OW airlines). They are just not rewards for flying with BA. Sure, they are given out for flying with BA but their other, more hidden purpose if you like, is to encourage you to fly more in the future. Giving you rewards for flying that you can use later is all very well but that alone does not encourage you will fly more in the future. Making your TPs and Avios expire encourages you to fly in the future to keep the rewards you have already earned.

As cornishsimon says, it isn't hard to keep Avios but it is harder to make use of TPs as they expire every years and so need constant flying to replenish. It can be frustrating to get close to getting status only to be knocked back at the start of the new TP year. This happened with me for several years. I'd fly just enough to get a few TPs but never enough to get status. I got fed up with this and have done a couple of TP runs to get me over the line but not everyone can do that.

ricktoronto

BA and all other airlines don't care that you think it's unfair. They are a liability and if then can cancel them to get rid of that, they will. Use them if you earn enough, and that could mean hotels or rental cars, trips for permitted friends/family so there are quite a few options.

If you have any activity even a flight or redemption a year those points will live on. If you fly once and then earn or have a few points worth little for redemption, then if they expire, it really doesn't matter because they offered little tangible value.

:D!

You don't work hard to get avios, as I highly doubt avios are mentioned on your employment contract. Unless you managed to get your employer to agree for you to always fly BA, in which case you might have a reasonable expectation of earning avios for all your work travel.

If BA cancelled its FFP and voided all avios, I expect that you would still be flying the same amount for work, but getting nothing!

If you feel that you aren't being compensated enough for being away from your children, that's a matter between you and your employer...

IAN-UK

Now there's an idea for Álex...