Buying abroad flights with BA using $ is £1000 cheaper than £

shapala

Hi all.

Currently living and working in Brazil and hoping to fly my Brazilian in-laws to UK for a few months in the summer (late July to early Oct) for MILs 70th, my 40th (same day in August).

Directly with BA for same days and flights for prem eco come to just over £3k for MiL and FiL return yet just under £2k if paying using $s via BA's Brazil site. Seems a bit too good to be true. Normally prem eco to UK from Brazil is around £1200-1600 pp return.

Missus and I both have BA a/c's and will buy for them - they don't really know what they're doing and have spent a small fortune in the past hence we buy tix on their behalf, which they prefer. Due to COVID they want it as simple as poss so BA to London then onto EDI (where we live when not abroad) is all they want. Normally we'd meet them elsewhere in Europe using other airlines such as AliTalia TAP, KLM or AF so they can see more of Europe but that won't be happening, esp as MiL has just finished her cancer treatment too, so keeping it as simple as possible.

Anyone any ideas if I'm missing something? I'd greatly appreciate it and apologies for long winded post. TIA.

Voyager2002

Do a dummy booking: the websites may differ as to including taxes and charges in the fare versus adding them at the last moment. Also make sure you have a good idea of the best dollar-pound exchange rate available to you so that you can calculate the cost to you in pounds of a given number of dollars.

shapala

Voyager2002 said:

Do a dummy booking: the websites may differ as to including taxes and charges in the fare versus adding them at the last moment. Also make sure you have a good idea of the best dollar-pound exchange rate available to you so that you can calculate the cost to you in pounds of a given number of dollars.

As always, thanks Voyager. Done as you mentioned and still comes to same price until very end, so that's the price we'll pay inc taxes etc.

Do you happen to know if we can book my in-laws on our BA a/c to receive Avios points, even tho we're booking on their behalf using our BA a/c, using our joint Amex BA credit card? We want to leave it a few weeks until my MiL gets the all clear from her oncologist.

Sandtree

It is often cheaper to buy flights in the country of origin for the flight so as its a return trip from Brazil if there is a price difference I'd expect it to be cheaper buying it from the Brazil website. 

The flyer earns the avois points not the booker and so by paying by your BA AmEx you will still get the credit card related avios but wont get the flying related ones

Do I earn Avios if I book a flight for someone else? (headforpoints.com)

Grumpy_chap

This type of variance is always there and it is just a case of shopping around.

When I booked to go to Brazil, there were not many direct flights available and the affordable options had a change in Lisbon.  Booked on the Iberia website for exactly the same flights was cheaper than booking on the BA website. 

That was the case for both times I was due to go.  Sadly, neither trip happened because of illness and then some global pandemic thing got in the way - maybe I am just not meant to see Brazil (?!)

Sandtree

Grumpy_chap said:

When I booked to go to Brazil, there were not many direct flights available and the affordable options had a change in Lisbon.  Booked on the Iberia website for exactly the same flights was cheaper than booking on the BA website. 

Given Avios was mentioned earlier... it gets even truer with reward flights because different airlines in the OneWorld group have different peak dates and different approaches to the cash elements and so can be much cheaper to redeem via other airlines

Plus some codeshare with non-One World airlines that BA dont so if you fancy a flight on Emirates and earning Avios it can be done via Qantas but not BA