Airline Credit Cards Discussion Area

uk1

nkkingston wrote: »

I'm getting married next year, and it occurred to me that if we put everything on an air miles card, that'll contribute to the honeymoon costs (especially if I go via a cashback site too). We normally only travel short haul budget airlines once a year, and we don't spend on credit cards except where we need the additional protection, so this is really about looking for ways to make our money go further so our honeymoon is extra special.

I had an MBNA airmiles card previously, but I got it just as they were switching from BMI to a BA miles account and never got the sign up bonus, and I use it so rarely I don't think I've got any points on it at all. And the scheme it linked to is closing, and I think they're replacing it with something else but frankly, I stopped caring a while ago. It makes sense to me to start afresh (and get that sign up bonus), but I'm a bit concerned it's going to turn into the same kind of muddle and be a waste of time.

The idea is we'd put around £15k on the card over the course of the year leading up to the wedding in December, paying it off as we go along (we've got the savings to cover it). We'd probably cancel the card after the wedding. The hope would be to take the honeymoon in January, but we haven't picked a destination yet, and obviously some of the wedding expenses wouldn't hit the card until December. Is it even worth it, considering our spend? If it is, who is it worth it with?

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but your BMI card closed for earning and transferring miles a few days ago and any BA miles needed to be transferred from the BMI account to BA before the cut-off at the end of November. They are now lost. Sorry. In it's early days it was a magic card and many earned literraly millions of miles on it through a glitch ....

I think the bottom line for you is if you follow some of the other advice about upgrade tickets etc, just make sure you understand what the limitations are with respect what you can upgrade and how likely it is for their to be availibility.

A possible plan for you might be for you to apply for a BA Premium Plus card and once you have hit your £10k spend, then refer your partner for a card and once the points for referring hit your account (I think it is when the new card hits a certain spend) then cancel your card and ensure all future spend is on the new card. That will you will get two sets of signup points and a referral and you will get a pro-rata refund of whatever you had left on your card. If more than 6 months elapse since you cancel your card before the 2nd card hits £10k spend .... then your partner can refer you and you should get both the referrer and new card sign up points. Each £10k spend will release a 241 Avios voucher with a 24 month life.

That would be the best chance of maxing miles, but to be honest you are only going to earn enough miles for flights you can easily buy anyway if your planning horizon is short say a year or two. And you'd bin a few 241s whilst you saved miles.

My advice is to see miles as a long game and set yourself something really aspirational that you wouldn't be able to afford with cash .... say the aspiration of acquiring enough miles for the pair of you (with a 241) to go on a long-haul trip in First say on your 5th or 10th anniversary. My daughter did this and she had a great time going over to the West Coast and doing an extended trip. It took her three years to realise that dream.

Anyway that is my 2 cents .... either forget it or have a long-term plan.

Jeff

nkkingston

Thanks for the advice, guys. I have to be honest, as someone who almost never uses credit cards, I'm currently leaning towards not bothering. I have a strong suspicion that since the odds of getting to use miles on the honeymoon itself are low, due to the need to fit the scheme's schedule rather than ours, we'd probably forget we had the points at all and let them lapse before we used them.

Marchitiello

nkkingston wrote: »

Thanks for the advice, guys. I have to be honest, as someone who almost never uses credit cards, I'm currently leaning towards not bothering. I have a strong suspicion that since the odds of getting to use miles on the honeymoon itself are low, due to the need to fit the scheme's schedule rather than ours, we'd probably forget we had the points at all and let them lapse before we used them.

One thing to note is that Avios and BA Avios do not lapse as far as there is some activity on your account at least once in three years.

You can accumulate Avios fairly easily and even in few years time you could book a long week end in a nice European destination for visrtually nothing. I have just booked a long week end in Venice, BA Club Europe return for two for 50,000 Avios that I had earned in the last 6 months via various bonus offers. Plus, thanks to a separate credit card accruing hotel points, two nights at a 5 star hotels were also free...

silvercar

jeallen01 wrote: »

Jeff

Thanks again for the additional advice - I'm not too worried about booking separate flights and accommodation, but I know that my wife is because her health is not good in a number of areas, and sometimes we have needed very quick access to a rep (it happened late at night a couple of months ago on a Riviera Tours holiday to Italy) because of that.


Nevertheless I will be looking into all that you said!

You can book BA holidays and use reward flights for the flight part. If you had a BAEC Amex it comes with emergency travel helpline.

nkkingston

Marchitiello wrote: »

One thing to note is that Avios and BA Avios do not lapse as far as there is some activity on your account at least once in three years.

You can accumulate Avios fairly easily and even in few years time you could book a long week end in a nice European destination for visrtually nothing. I have just booked a long week end in Venice, BA Club Europe return for two for 50,000 Avios that I had earned in the last 6 months via various bonus offers. Plus, thanks to a separate credit card accruing hotel points, two nights at a 5 star hotels were also free...

The points I had on the MBNA card did lapse from lack of use (so there was nothing to claim when the BA scheme closed anyway); the only reason the account is still open is because I added my OH since he's got no credit record whatsoever. I'm not a natural budgeter, so I get very wary of putting normal expenditure on CCs because I could get myself in a mess far too easily, and I just don't have the spare mental capacity to go bonus chasing.

Buuuuuut.... I am tempted by the idea of being able to cover a city break every few years, though: our main annual holiday is four nights someone in Europe in January each year. Though with Brexit looming that's probably going to happen less too, what with having to sort visas in advance and so on. Gonna miss the simplicity of figuring out where to go only a couple of weeks before we set off! Swings and rondabouts, anyway. A long weekend away a year probably isn't going to earn enough points for next year's.

PeacefulWaters

Pre uk joining the EU visas weren't needed for many member nations. I'd be surprised if they're needed after brexit.

If you'd moved those MBNA points to an BAEC account they'd have a three year life. The three years starts every time you add to or spend on the account.

A £2.50 Tesco Clubcard voucher converted annually is an option. Or the BA Avios credit card sending points across monthly.

uk1

PeacefulWaters wrote: »

A £2.50 Tesco Clubcard voucher converted annually is an option. Or the BA Avios credit card sending points across monthly.

Another easy option is to use a Shell garage once every three years or so with a registered Shell card. Transfer the few points you earned into an Avios account and leave it there. When you need to nudge a transaction on your BA miles account to keep it current just transfer over those few miles from Avios to BA.

Jeff

uk1

nkkingston wrote: »

The points I had on the MBNA card did lapse from lack of use (so there was nothing to claim when the BA scheme closed anyway); the only reason the account is still open is because I added my OH since he's got no credit record whatsoever. I'm not a natural budgeter, so I get very wary of putting normal expenditure on CCs because I could get myself in a mess far too easily, and I just don't have the spare mental capacity to go bonus chasing.

Buuuuuut.... I am tempted by the idea of being able to cover a city break every few years, though: our main annual holiday is four nights someone in Europe in January each year. Though with Brexit looming that's probably going to happen less too, what with having to sort visas in advance and so on. Gonna miss the simplicity of figuring out where to go only a couple of weeks before we set off! Swings and rondabouts, anyway. A long weekend away a year probably isn't going to earn enough points for next year's.

I'm a great fan as I previously said about the miles schemes. It has literally changed our lives. However you say that you are a poor budgeter and reading between the lines, I wonder whether you are sufficiently "well organised" or determined enough to ensure you get much worthwhile from these schemes. It does take a bit of an effort to get anywhere. On balance in your situation, unless you are happy to make quite an effort I'd avoid the travel schemes and look for an easier option. Just my two cents worth and in the spirit of trying to be helpful.

Jeff

uk1

jeallen01 wrote: »

Jeff

Thanks again for the additional advice - I'm not too worried about booking separate flights and accommodation, but I know that my wife is because her health is not good in a number of areas, and sometimes we have needed very quick access to a rep (it happened late at night a couple of months ago on a Riviera Tours holiday to Italy) because of that.


Nevertheless I will be looking into all that you said!

silvercar wrote: »

You can book BA holidays and use reward flights for the flight part. If you had a BAEC Amex it comes with emergency travel helpline.

Extremely dangerous advice I'm afraid.

jeallen01 said clearly that his wife's health is poor in a number of areas and has needed emergency support in the past.

Amex doesn't offer free medical cover to those that ask for help whilst away with anything related to pre-exisitng medical conditions unless they have been declared and accepted by Amex. Basically Amex are not likely to accept anything declared as they do not wish to collect extra premiums for the includedpackaged cover intended only for those in perfect health.

Even if they provided "help" they would need to have extremely deep pockets to pay for treatment or repatriation if they hadn't bought insurance. The interpretation of what most people believe they need to declare is too often proved to be way off the mark and they only find this out wqhen they actually need the cover. jeallen01would not be covered by the packaged health cover and would find themselves in a potentially highly vulnerable situation with no financial help even if on a package holiday or with an Amex card.

jeallen01 needs to arrange specialist health cover with am insurer that has accepted all the risks that jeallen01 must declare and it would be extremely foolish imho to travel anywhere without that cover.

Jeff

BankerwithaB

Hi All,

Two questions please:

1) if you get a Lloyds card and use the upgrade, can you then use a companion voucher? Effectively upgrading two people return on the £7000 spend plus a companion voucher?

2) My mother has lots of points which she is happy to give to me. She does not currently live at my address. If she changed her address on Avios to match mine, and (after a while) we created a household account, could I spend her points? Is there an easier way of doing this?

Thank you!