gbj42

Hi Everyone,

Please humour this somewhat crazy, but potentially very rewarding idea:

(please excuse if any typos - typed quickly)

Background:
- My year end is 8th June
- I currently have 1540 TPs
- Family of 5
- Looking to do at least 2 x family CW trips this summer. 2 jokers alone would save ~£20k in total (D class available on all desired flights)

It occurred to me, that if I get 3,460 TPs in the next few weeks, I:
- qualify for GGL (5000) in this year (y/e 8/6/24)
- automatically renew as GGL in the shortened year, as the 3,500 points would re-post (y/e 31/3/25)
- be GGL until the end of the following year (y/e 31/3/26)

I'm sure I would then get hooked on GGL, and continue to earn 3,000 a year. Hence, this is about maximising double posting, to great effect, albeit with very little time.

Can I check with you on the following please?

1) I believe this would earn 6 jokers:

- Two as I would complete all flights before y/e 8/6/24
- Two on renewal, when the points re-post
- Two at the start of the following year (as it's the year after another qualifying year)

2) Practically, if TPs are late and/or earnt via BAH DTPs, some will arrive after 8th June 2024. I presume I'll have to nudge BA on retrospective GGL awarding due to 5000 achieved in what will then be the previous year.

I presume this is a common occurrence (chasing status due to delayed points), as points must post late all the time, particularly DTPs, and so is there a well trodden path here?

I note the HfP article which (remarkably) continues to incorrectly state BA won't reopen an assessment. It has been flatly refuted here many times?

3) I presume I'll then need to chase for the correct re-posting of 3,460 points, in the 2nd year in question, to re-qualify for GGL. Thankfully, there would be a full year in which to do this. Again, I presume no issues?

4) Regarding the jokers due in a few weeks, as soon as 5000 points is hit in this year, which I will inevitably have to chase after year end: I of course would want to use those earlier jokers, to book our two upcoming trips, leaving 2 more issued once the 3,460 points re-post. How will BA handle retrospectively issuing these, and how would expiry dates work?

I've heard rumours that joker management is just a spreadsheet behind the scenes? So, would it be as simple as explaining to the GGL team, once GGL is retrospectively granted, to politely convince someone to use the two jokers from that previous year, for our trip, that I believe automatically should have expired as soon as new jokers are issued?

Again, this shoud be a well trodden path, albeit more niche, as lots of GGLers might only just re-qualify right at their year-end, with points delayed into the following year?

5) How would you recommend achieving 3,460 TPS in 21-ish days please?

I've threatened the better half with a last minute [MLE] 5 night trip, in First via DOH, to get 1680. However, the look on her face just now when I suggested a connecting flight...! She's a nervous flyer so it would be a tall ask for her to travel separately.

Alas, I believe I'll need to do it all solo...

Therefore, ideally, Please can you help with recommendations for:
- Aiming for as low £ per TP as practically possible... However, I'm realistic, given how short notice it is, and the savings it presents.
- Maximum tier points, with minimum time away from the family. Same-day trips would be ideal, but a long slog... I'm thinking more like 5 day connecting BAH trips to the west coast, or Asia, collecting the rental car, fly back on a nested ticket, and repeat.
- Ideally as much comfort on planes as possible (obviously)

- F would be dreamy, but presume ££££s this late...
- Ideally as few flights as possible. But, subject to sensible £ per TP tradeoffs.

Any help/insights/any views whatsoever, would be all greatly received.

Finder details: Dates I have to be in the UK:
- Realistically the rest of this week, to book and organise
- 5th May (better half's birthday)
- 25th May - 2nd June

Many, many thanks in advance.

c1223

All of this to probably just find that someone has already used a joker on the desired flights.

I would say you either have to be cash rich or time rich this late in the game to get that many tier points, but unfortunately cash rich somewhat negates the potential £20k savings, and you've mentioned you're not time rich.

So completely against the true spirit of this forum, I would suggest you probably won't make it work.

But, then again, this is FlyerTalk, so go for it...!

mikeyfly

There’s other ways to travel outside of BA / OneWorld. You can get cheap, comfy ways to travel with other airlines. I can’t imagine those jokers will bring you the “savings” you suggest, well, unless you were going to pay full business prices to start with.

I’d can it off this year, and if you’re serious do it over the months starting 9th June

cauchy

Reckon fastest (but very expensive) way to do this is 2x INV-LHR-JFK-LAX-HNL, nested with BA holidays. My count is 1840 avios per trip if you do it in J.

alex67500

Whatever you end up doing, please do write a trip report.

kingcole974

BAH from JER to AUH via DOH on QR in for 1440. For the other 2000, 4 x CGK hops on UL for 2240. Could all be completed in a couple of weeks

TabTraveller

Yeh… so this bit won’t happen. If you gain GGL just before the YE then you have zero prospect of using those jokers from the previous year afterwards even that is due to it taking X days for the TPs to credit to your account.

crazy8534

Yes, just to agree with what has been said above, you don't accumulate Jokers until you earn beyond 6,000 TPs; you would have 2 in your current year, which have to be used or are lost and replaced at year roll-over (i.e. 8th June). If you have to retrospectively apply to have GGL recognised due to TPs in a previous year (which they would certainly do) then you won't get those 2 Jokers back.

I don't really find Jokers massively more useful than GUFs because (for F anyway) they both use the same fare bucket - A.
But you can't use a Joker if someone else has used it on the same flight, the GUFs only need A availability.
They do have less restrictive buckets for J but I think a lot of GGLs don't use their full allocation of Jokers every year.

bisonrav

Jokers are more useful as a get out of jail card if you get stuck somewhere with stratospheric fares home. I don’t remember the last time I used one tbh. They dissolve every year, and anyway with it being much more difficult to earn avios on flying the value of anything redemption related is moot.

Honestly, I’d spend the money buying revenue tickets, or earn GGL over a full year so as to pick and choose fares. Doing this during a relatively expensive period at short notice is really just a wallet emptying exercise. I’m all for doing things for the lolz, but this would fail my VFM filter.

Foofighter69

When I first got to GGL my TPs posted late and they had to manually move me up (and some TPs never posted). I was just happy to get to GGL so I didn’t fuss about the missing TPs (perhaps as I near GfL I may regret that!)

But when I asked them about the jokers I should have got (for about a week before year reset) they wouldn’t budge.

Koru Flyer

Jokers are good for when you run out of GUFs. Otherwise I am just using GUFs to grab A.

sunshinebob

The only issue with "on QR" is that the BAH double teir point promo stipulates BA flight numbers (not QR) , are you saying its possible to book that trip on QR with BA flight numbers? Presumably it needs a phone call to BAH?

kingcole974

Yes it is possible with BA flight numbers. Was the default to AUH before the direct service restarted. I'm not 100% sure if the DOH-AUH leg has a BA flight number

kingcole974

Typo, you do mean 5000 right?

Relevant to me as I'm in a similar situation to OP. Same date and doing the CGK run, albeit from a higher base (3600). My runs will be complete on 18th May and I'm hoping to use both my jokers before renewal on 8th June.

crazy8534

I mean that everyone gets 2 Jokers at GGL renewal/attainment and then these are renewed every year whether used or not, but you can only have more than 2 if you earn more than 6k TPs (where you get an extra one).
To be honest, I find it a somewhat lacklustre incentive at this level.

You will get 2 Jokers that you can use before 8th June provided your TPs post in time and then whether you have used them or not you will have 2 to use beyond 8th June (until 1st April 2025 when you should get another 2, provided you have renewed). At no time will you have more than 2 Jokers available to use unless you have earned over 6k TPs, notwithstanding possible cancellation/re-booking of Joker-ed flights.