Avios Cards - worth it?

SuperHan

I'm thinking of switching from the MBNA rewards card to one of the Amex Avios cards, and I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts.


Do people generally find these worthwhile? I'm debating whether it's worth the £150 annual fee on the premium card to make sure I get the companion voucher (we probably spend £12k ish a year on Amex at the moment, we could possibly reach the £20k, but it would require diverting more spend on to the card than we currently have, and it'd be close)


Does having to pay the fees/taxes/charges for the ticket outweigh the benefits?


We just don't cash the vouchers in very often for the MBNA, and I quite like the idea of using points toward flights/upgrades, but I'm just concerned that I'll never have enough points to use for anything worthwhile without having to spend additional cash when redeeming the points.

PeacefulWaters

I'm a fan of business class travel. I like my Avios too and value them at 0.67p each. But that's a massively variable valuation.

Redeeming beyond Europe on BA does attract horribly high taxes. Availability in higher travel classes to Australia or west coast USA is also patchy.

But if you can combine card spend with a long haul business class redemption and a companion voucher it's worth it. Economy, meh.

Remember Tesco shopping can significantly enhance your Avios collection which in turn can make your companion voucher significantly more valuable.

TheEffect

I prefer the Lloyds Avios AMEX/VISA card over the BA option, especially if you travel a few times during the year, as it's free to use abroad (unlike the BA version).

You currently get double Avios for 6 months, free to use abroad, spend £7k in a year and you get a free return upgrade voucher (or two free single journey upgrades). There's also a Mastercard for when the AMEX isn't accepted.

If you wish to go for the Lloyds one, message me as I can refer you for 4500 bonus Avios (I'd also receive the same).

Whether Avios is worth it or not is up to you to decide. I've used Avios multiple times to fly within europe, £35 + Avios. Never redeem Avios on Economy long haul. It's worth looking at using Avios to upgrade to Club World on BA when flying long haul.

eagle

SuperHan wrote: »

Do people generally find these worthwhile? I'm debating whether it's worth the £150 annual fee on the premium card to make sure I get the companion voucher

It's actually now £195 fee as of yesterday...

http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/executive-club/collecting-avios/credit-cards

Former_MSE_Matt

Are you a frequent flyer miles or Avios wizard who never pays cash for a business class flight? If so, the Financial Times would like to interview you about how you manage it. Can you share your tips and tricks? If so, please email them at money@ft.com.

theonlywayisup

Disregarding the MSE post.

Avios is something you can take very seriously, this isn't the best forum. Head over to Headforpoints or Flytertalk for ways to help you maximise points.

You should be taking out/churning the Amex cards in good order to secure serious savings. We do two F (first class) flights on Avios alone based on 2-4-1 vouchers.