Best way to use 30,000 Avios?

Paddy2eyes

You can keep your points from expiring with by earning some more. Look at the shopping options on the BA website Something like iTunes earns 8 avios per pound spent, so a very small outlay will keep your points from expiring.

PeacefulWaters

wideboygeorge wrote: »

I'm in a similar boat. I've got 64k avios and a letter saying that they expire in 3 months but I can't see any way of getting a decent return on them. Living in the north there aren't any shorthaul flights from manchester (except to Heathrow) I've tried twice to use them on long haul BA and both times the cost of taxes and charges have been ever so slightly cheaper than similar flights with KLM. So the benefit of using 64k avios was less than £100. Not sure that's such a good deal. I like going to the football competitions but the next one is in France and the points run out before Moscow. Any tips?

First of all, don't let them expire. Top them up with a Tesco Clubcard voucher an online shop via the site or something.

The hotel option highlighted above isn't so bad.

Manchester to Madrid is a direct route (Iberia) that's just opened up that you can redeem on.

Moving BA Avios to Iberia Avios is free. Booking with Iberia Avios from Madrid has significantly lower taxes than starting long haul in the UK.

Check out the Headforpoints web site which has a 17 section redemption university section. There's a dark art to it, but you can get the value you think you should get if you play it right.

Good luck.

richardw

There are more Vueling flights from BCN available to the north of England and these often have Iberia codes. Also look at Avios.com

budgetflyer

When I tried the Iberia site, the Vueling codeshares wouldnt let me use Avios. Cash fares were pretty cheap though

marsman802

30,000 avios gets you £500 off premium cabins until the 19th Oct.
Used cleverly, and departing from Europe you can probably get New York return for £450. You'd also earn circa 10-15k avios back as well I'd imagine.

Probably pointless for you use however I manage to accrue circa 70/80k avios without even taking a flight each year so offers like this are a real treat

budgetflyer

Theres a 48hr flash sale for Business Class (Club Europe) lots of dates and destinations £150 RTN

ie Alicante 2x RTN £298 CE less 30K Avios = £98 As BA Blue member you would get combined 5520 Avios back so it works out at

24480 Avios + £98 for 2 RTN

We could drink that in Champagne alone :-)

source http://www.headforpoints.com/2015/10/13/british-airways-club-europe-flash-sale/#comments

marsman802

Pretty stunning sale this...