How do you use Airmiles - I don't understand!

[suedonim]

How do you use Airmiles? I just can't fathom it out. We have accrued a lot of BA miles and I'd like to go to the US with them or use them to upgrade. The BA site isn't very illuminating.

I'm glad there's someone else out there who doesn't understand how to use them - I have a whole heap of Emirates miles and not a clue how to spend them!

I guess you've gone here. I don't remember it being v.complex. The only problem is I can never remember my exec club login, EVER.

Hehe, Bluestocking! Enraha, dh has just informed me that I need the log-in number, so I've got that now. But I don't seem able to find any eligible flights. Dh tells me someone in his office has half a million miles and has never been able to buy a flight yet!

Hmm, yes, think I've only used them for part-cash/upgrade deals. I'm proper miserly with all forms of loyalty points. Must save pressssscious points

You should have a blue or even a silver card with your name and executive club number on it.

What you need to book with regards to the BA air miles scheme is to book this exactly a year in advance. These flights appear daily and you need to be very quick. Many of the destinations they offer are very popular (LA and SF for instance) and the seats go very quickly (well within a couple of hours of them appearing on the website). You log into the Executive club part of this website and go to use airmiles or part cash part air miles. Have used airmiles to upgrade to CW from premium economy; it works out "cheaper" in terms of airmiles than to upgrade from World traveller to Premium economy.

HTH

A year??? I don't know what I'm doing tomorrow, how can anyone know what they'll be doing in one year's time??

But thank you for the heads-up on that, Attila, it's v useful to know for the future. I did find one-way flights for July eventually, but they were 3 days outside our dates.

Re upgrades, can you do that with any flight or are upgrades restricted as well, do you know? I did have a cunning plan to get ds1 over from LA to the UK using family miles, but dh reckons you can only depart from the country in which your registered for airmiles. Bah!

I do not think your cunning plan will work either I am sorry to say.

Upgrading of seats using airmiles on BA from PE to CW (in particular) can be very difficult to obtain. They only let a few such seats go and also not all days are available. This service is also open to BA aircrew who do take advantage. What can also happen is that in any one month they will put up some dates at the beginning of the month but when you come to book the return, the return dates are not yet available. This is because the seats only become available daily.

HTH

Oh well... I shall file all this away for future reference.