How to swing a enterprise flight from London to LA for £450 a head
- British Airways’ factors system can reap large rewards for normal flyers
- But this depends on figuring out tips on how to maximise factors and increase your stability
- Readers share how they received costly flights at no cost or at large reductions
Collecting British Airways’ Avios factors and redeeming them for the vacation of your desires takes dedication.
For many, getting sufficient factors to make it price it’ll really feel like a pipe dream, and a few will hand over on the entire endeavour in frustration.
But for these enthusiastic collectors who fly recurrently, and know tips on how to play the system and maximise their features, the rewards may be large.
Take the reader that advised us he received BA Business Class flights from London to Los Angeles for £450, when in any other case the money fare would have been 900 per cent extra at £4,500.
California Dreamin’: One Avios devotee managed to attain two enterprise class flights from London to LA for £450 every
Another used Avios to purchase a brand new Apple iPhone and watch by Argos.
We requested our readers to anonymously ship us their finest suggestions for accumulating Avios, and have summed up their nuggets of knowledge beneath.
1. Think Nectar factors
Nectar factors may be transformed to Avios factors. They may be collected at retailers like Sainsbury’s, Esso, Ebay and Expedia.
You can set your Nectar factors to mechanically change to Avios as soon as a sure stage is reached, so you do not even have to consider it.
One reader advised us their technique: ‘For petrol, I’ve a John Lewis card saved on the Esso app so I do not want to enter the kiosk to pay. I then get Nectar factors which might be transformed to Avios, and I additionally get John Lewis voucher factors.’
2. Treat your Amex like a debit card
Some die-hard Avios collectors put all their day-to-day spending on their American Express playing cards, in addition to giant purchases.
However, you could repay your card in full to keep away from hefty charges – so some individuals switch cash after each buy made with their Amex card or each few days.
You might additionally schedule your direct debit to your Amex card a couple of days after payday, so you do not have to fret about not having sufficient in your account.
One reader says: ‘My huge and I each have the BA Amex card and out all our day-to-day spending on the cardboard in addition to giant purchases.’
3. Try to bag a companion voucher
If you spend £12,000 in a yr with a British Airways American Express card or £10,000 in a yr with an British Airways American Express Premium Plus you get what is known as a companion voucher.
One reader says: ‘We are utilizing our companion voucher for a visit to Budapest in March for £1 every, flying on a Friday and returning on Monday night.
‘The resort is three star and £250 for 4 nights, so all in all an affordable metropolis break for 2 individuals.’
Companion vouchers can help you obtain a second seat for a companion travelling on the identical flight as you for no further Avios.
The draw back of the companion voucher is that with the BA American Express card that is an financial system seat, and the voucher is just legitimate for 12 months.
The BA American Express Premium Plus card comes with a £250 a yr price and offers you a voucher that can be utilized in any class of journey and is legitimate for 2 years.
If you might be travelling solo you should use your companion voucher to obtain a 50 per cent low cost on the Avios value for the flight.
Melissa Littlewood and her household used Avios factors to go to Disneyland Paris within the college holidays when the money costs have been sky excessive
4. Buy further Avios
If you are just a few thousand factors from with the ability to purchases a flight with Avios, you should buy further factors or use the increase operate within the BA rewards app to purchase extra.
Sometimes you should buy these for a decrease quantity than the worth of their rewards, however all the time examine the values.
One reader says: ‘I do agree it’s a must to have banked quite a bit for a flight, however you possibly can half pay utilizing it. I’ve simply paid for an additional suitcase for a visit to Sweden in June – £50 discount.’
5. Use Quidco
Instead of utilizing the Avios buying portal, you is perhaps higher off getting cashback utilizing hyperlinks on cashback websites like TopCashBack or Quidco.
Most of the time these give higher returns – which means more cash that may be put in direction of different purchases or spending that may get you Avios.
When making giant purchases, undergo Quidco and pay with Amex. Not solely do you get cashback, you additionally acquire Avios factors.
This works significantly effectively for electronics, home equipment and insurance coverage.
6. Pay for large group purchases
If you might be organising meals, days out or journeys with greater teams of family and friends, provide to pay for the group utilizing Amex after which get them to switch you the cash.
This ought to assist rack up factors rapidly and you may repay the cardboard with the cash they switch.
It ought to go with out saying, however solely do that with individuals you actually belief who you understand will switch you the cash again.
One reader tells us: ‘I’ve a big household, there are 18 of us going for a cottage break over Easter and we used Amex to pay for the cottages.
‘This solely actually works when you all agree to separate the invoice equally although, or it turns into an excessive amount of trouble.’
