Do you collect Avios points?

[updin]

I've just started; how easy is it to redeem the points? I'm worried it's going to be really tricky. Is it very strict/limited as to how you can use them?

I have the Barclaycard Avios Plus, DH is going to get the Amex one but not just yet as I expect it'll be a couple of years before we want to utilise the companion voucher so not keen to pay the annual card fee just yet.

[Usernamen]

Yes, obsessively! DP and I have taken 5 flights so far this year and all of them were Avios redemptions (3 were business class).

Most of our avios come from work trips. The rest from day to day spend - we put absolutely everything on Avios credit cards. We collect around 200,000 per year with regular spending/work trips, then look out for offers to boost our balance.

There are various blogs and Instagram accounts with tips, such as Head for Points.

Good luck on your journey - it’s a very fun and rewarding scheme to get into! :)

[updin]

Thank you for replying, we are hoping to get enough for business class to the US by 2024 (will have sign up points and will spend at least £30k a year on it, no work trips sadly!) will we have to be flexible as to the timing of the trip? Really hoping to do business class to Nashville but DH doesn't have the most flexible of jobs.

[updin]

Sorry 2025 that should have said, and more likely end of!

[LittleMonks11]

Yes. Use the BA Amex one at every opportunity. Flying to Croatia x3 for £110 May half term and Bordeauxx2 for £2 in August. Regularly get money off flights and use the companion vouchers.

[updin]

@LittleMonks11 is the £110 the taxes you have to pay?

[Tailfeather]

Us too! We do all of our holidays flying business class with avios. We book a long way in advance (you can cancel and get your points back for a very small fee if you change your mind) and also use apps to notify us when reward seats come up. We also book hotel stays using them for short breaks.

[Kittekats]

Yes! We took a couple of trips in first and business to the US last year, it was amazing! Have previously done a family trip for 4 to Portugal and various things for just DH and me.

you can get the standard BA Amex card for free but companion voucher with that card is now limited to economy. Still collects points though. Also if you shop online go via the ba exec club and you often get extra avios.

We don’t have work trips so it is just credit card spending that gets the points for us. It took a few years to build up enough for the first class trips but it was something we could never pay for and was just amazing.

bear in mind that fees alongside an avios flight can be quite hefty depending on destination and taxes. But still lots less than paying for the higher class flight itself.

[Kittekats]

https://rewardflightfinder.com/

this is the website that will tell you when avios flights are available. You do often have to book far in advance.

[Usernamen]

@Tailfeather

Us too! We do all of our holidays flying business class with avios. We book a long way in advance (you can cancel and get your points back for a very small fee if you change your mind) and also use apps to notify us when reward seats come up. We also book hotel stays using them for short breaks.

Which apps do you use for notifications of reward seat availability? Sounds great!

[chopc]

So is BA Amex the best CC for collecting avios? We spend on average £10-12K on credit cards a month (paid off in full) so was wondering what the best reward card would be

[Tailfeather]

@Usernamen

https://www.seatspy.com

https://rewardflightfinder.com

[updin]

@chopc the BA Amex has the benefit of a companion voucher which is why we will opt for that eventually, essentially BOGOF, but Barclaycard has a good sign up offer at the moment with 50,000 points if you spend £3000 in 3 months so we are doing that first, then I might downgrade and switch to Amex. Both offer 1.5 Avios for £1 spent. Not sure if there is a better card, there are some other Amex's with higher card fees and reward points that can get turned into Avios? Not sure how they compare, can get free lounge access with those.

[TizerorFizz]

We have used loads of companion flights over the years and we always go long haul business. It’s not always possible to get exactly where you want when you want it. However we have had some great trips! Some US cities are easier than others. Depends on time of year too. We also phone up if we cannot see suitable flights. They update regularly and change what’s available.

[AnnieSnap]

Yes I do, wherever I can. Any purchase that can go on my British Airways AMEX card does so. Because I spend over £10,000 per year on it (not difficult with all petrol, most shopping and holiday expenses going on it), I get a companion voucher every year. This means that if I book a BA flight with Avios, I can get an equivalent ticket for someone else free. As a consequence, DH and I get business class flights costing just the taxes most years 🙂

[Fandabedodgy]

Yes both me and DH do.

We've flown with the kids to USA for £50 each and later this year the 4 of us are flying to France for £1 each.

[Sleepyteach]

We’ve just come back from Florida, flights paid using Avios, taxes were £900 each though. (In business) for busy periods (E.g. Easter/Christmas) you need to be on the phone to the call centre just before midnight 355 days before the flight to have any chance of getting them, and then the same for the return. We didn’t get the outbound flight direct to Orlando, someone else had a quicker agent in the call centre 😂 so had to fly via Chicago but got direct back.

[updin]

@Sleepyteach is that because you wanted a specific location at a specific time, would it be slightly easier if I just wanted Nashville but could be flexible as to when?

[Sleepyteach]

@updin we were flexible on where, because Orlando is really hard to get, so wanted anywhere on the east coast but it was the dates we needed that made it tricky. If you are flexible on when it should be easier but routes like Nashville are harder to get than say New York where there’s 10 flights a day. I’ll have a look later on seatspy and see what availability looks like for this year just to give you an idea.

[CottagePieLaLaLa]

@Tailfeather

Us too! We do all of our holidays flying business class with avios. We book a long way in advance (you can cancel and get your points back for a very small fee if you change your mind) and also use apps to notify us when reward seats come up. We also book hotel stays using them for short breaks.

What apps are those please?

[TizerorFizz]

@updin BA have availability on line.

The flights do require you to pay tax. I don’t recognise some of the amounts quoted here. You must also check the Avios required for the non companion flight. This is on the web site too. Make sure you are on target for this.

Also comosniom flights have a use by date. You have to make sure you don’t get one too early! We have held off spending on Amex to get one when we need it. Hoping to use it for South Africa.

[rookiemere]

@TizerorFizz can you expand on the expiry dates for flights please? I know you need to use your companion voucher within a year but is there a limit on how far in advance flights can be booked if they are available?

[updin]

@TizerorFizz thank you, that's why I was delaying getting the Amex, it is about a year they are available for, do you have to wait another year and £10,000 spent if you miss the deadline?

[updin]

@Sleepyteach thank you yes that makes sense I suppose there will be much less frequency to Nashville by comparison.

[TheFlis12345]

BA have recently changed their redemption policy so it’s a lot easier to get flights with points. They have also just announced they are putting on specific flights that are redemption only so those should be really easy to get seats on.

[updin]

@TheFlis12345 oh that's good news, I'm used to everything being announced as more restricted in this climate, not relaxed 😂