Breadstick77

I'm planning a trip to India for next Summer and we are a family of 5 (all on same household BAEC account). Currently all the avios availability in CW is limited to 4x seats on the flights I'm looking at. I am Gold and have multiple 'new style' 2-4-1 vouchers (and enough avios obviously). Is there a way for me to open up a 5th Avios seat in CW? I think I can use Gold status to open up a seat (if cash fare available) at double avios? But can I then also use one of my 'new style' 2-4-1 vouchers to halve the avios requirement? So if the return per person is 150k avios normally, I would use 3x normal avios bookings + 1x 2-4-1 as normal for a total of 450k avios and 1x 'double avios halved' with the other 2-4-1 for another 150k avios, totalling 600k?
Or could I even go a step further and do 2x bookings for the same flight? Ie do one avios booking for 4 people (with my wife's siilver account), using 2x normal avios + 2x 2-4-1 as normal, for 300k avios and then do a second booking for myself at 150k avios (double avios, halved with the 2-4-1 voucher). So the total would be 450k avios? (I have enough vouchers to do this).
Or is all of the above wishful thinking ie you can't combine gold (forcing open an avios seat) with the 2-4-1 voucher (to halve the cost) in which case it would require an eye watering 750k avios (ie probably not a good idea).
I know I could of course wait and hope for a 5th seat to open up but it seems to me that BA have reduced abundance of Avios seats in CW from last year to cap out at 4x for most flights - and I have quite specific dates in mind so don't want to risk missing out on those 4x seats currently available etc.

All advice hugely appreciated!

Workie Ticket

Gold Priority Reward allows Gold Executive Club Members only to redeem Avios points by making a booking from the available non-reward seats, using double the standard amount of Avios.

1. Bookings to use double Avios can only be made by calling your Executive Club service centre and cannot be made online.
2. Booking must be made no later than 30 clear days in advance of the date of intended travel.
3. Only available on British Airways marketed and operated flights.
4. Gold Priority Reward is available subject to seat availability in the desired cabin of travel of a particular flight.
5. Gold Priority Reward bookings are subject to applicable taxes, fees, charges and airline surcharges.
6. Gold Priority Reward may not be used in conjunction with [i] Avios & Money, [ii] Gold Upgrade for One or Gold Upgrade for Two; or [iii] Avios for Upgrade or [iv] American Express Vouchers.
7. Once booked, changes can be made both on ba.com and by calling the service centre. Cancellations and/or refunds must be requested by calling the service centre. Redemption flight and services fees apply.
8. Gold Priority Reward bookings are subject to the Terms and Conditions.
9. For Gold Priority Reward bookings, the standard Avios price for a Reward booking will be debited immediately; and following this the additional Avios will be debited from the Gold Executive Club Member's account within 21 days.
10. Telephone and online booking/service fees may apply.

alex67500

You're overcomplicating things, and trying to do things you can't do. You should book the 4 seats with your 2-4-1s when they become available and set an alert for one seat on a site like seatspy or reward flight finder for the 5th. If none show up about 6 weeks out, then use a gold priority reward. You'll have to be on the first booking as the owner of the vouchers.

ao40

If the OP has enough avios, can also just book the 5th ticket with gold priority reward now and if a normal redemption opens up can call up to switch and get the double avios back.

That way you know you have all 5 booked, in case the chosen option sells out.

mikeyfly

Definitely the option I would take. I’ve switch a priority reward back to a normal reward without hassle a few times

Breadstick77

Thanks everyone - very helpful. I'll go ahead and book the 4x as normal with 2x vouchers and then 5th as gold priority - and then keep fingers crossed for the 5th seat opens up as normal reward.